Vietnam has increased investment in forest projects to better protect forest resources, said Hua Duc Nhi, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Mr Nhi made the statement at an annual meeting in Hanoi on February 2 to review the Forestry Sector Support Partnership (FSSP).

The meeting evaluated the progress made in implementing the forestry sector’s five-year development strategy through 2010, reviewed their partners’ performance and discussed plans for financial and technical assistance to the sector.

FSSP Co-Chair Juergen Hess expressed satisfaction at the effective cooperation between the FSSP and its partners as well as an initiative on holding workshops to work out sound solutions to climate change, especially a programme on Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REED).

The FSSP forums are considered an important channel of information to strengthen dialogues on policy and increase the efficiency of the forestry sector’s performance, aimed at managing over 12 million hectares of forests in a sustainable way and improving living conditions for 25 million farmers living in or on forests.

The forestry sector is managing over 16 million of land, making up half of the national territory. Of the figure, 1.83 million ha is forest land and 3.41 million ha is bare hills.

MARD has worked out a number of solutions such as intensifying investment in forest planning and protection and encouraging institutional and individual investors as well as farmer households to expand productive forests, especially timber trees.

VietNamNet/VOV