Decision 208/QD-TTg 2024 Scheme on development of multi-use values of forest ecosystems through 2030

DECISION

Approving the Scheme on development of multi-use values of forest ecosystems through 2030, with a vision toward 2050^[1]

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the June 19, 2015 Law on Organization of the Government; and the November 22, 2019 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Organization of the Government and the Law on Organization of Local Administration;

Pursuant to the November 16, 2017 Law on Forestry;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 156/2018/ND-CP of November 16, 2018, detailing a number of articles of the Law on Forestry;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 523/QD-TTg of April 1, 2021, approving Vietnam’s Forestry Development Strategy for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 1719/QD-TTg of October 14, 2021, approving the National Target Program for socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the 2021-2030 period, phase I: from 2021 to 2025;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 809/QD-TTg of July 12, 2022, approving the Sustainable Forestry Development Program for the 2021-2025 period;

At the proposal of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve of the Scheme on development of multi-use values ​​of forest ecosystems through 2030, with a vision toward to 2050 (below referred to as the Scheme), with the following principal contents:

I. VIEWPOINTS

1. To develop multi-use values of forest ecosystems, ensuring compliance with current regulations and conformity with Vietnam’s Forestry Development Strategy for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050; to encourage organizations, individuals and communities to invest in, exploit, manage, use, and share benefits and multi-use values ​​of, forest ecosystems; to guarantee lawful rights and interests of investors, forest owners, people and the entire society.

2. To promote the potential, strengths and multi-use values of forest ecosystems on the basis of effective management and use of forest resources; to ensure conformity with the laws of nature regarding environmental, ecological and social development; to conserve the nature and biodiversity, protect the environment, and adapt to climate change.

3. To promote the aggregate values of forest ecosystems on the same unit area by improving productivity, quality and business efficiency of planted forests, boosting the planting of large-timber forests, and issuing forest certificates to production forests; to develop ecotourism, leisure tourism and entertainment tourism in a controlled manner, associated with the development of traditional craft villages and indigenous culture; to develop forest environmental services, including also forest carbon sequestration and storage services; to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through mitigation of deforestation and forest degradation, sustainable forest management and green growth; to develop non-timber forest products and medicinal materials; to develop models of combined agro-forestry-fishery production under the forest canopy.

4. To exploit values of forest ecosystems associated with creating jobs, increasing income, and stabilizing life for ethnic minority people, people in localities where exist forests and forest workers; to conserve, preserve and promote the traditional cultural identity and indigenous knowledge of ethnic minority communities, contributing to solving social problems and ensuring security and national defense.

II. OBJECTIVES

1. General objectives

To develop multi-use values of forest ecosystems so as to improve management efficiency and sustainable use of forest resources; to create jobs, increase income, and stabilize and improve the material and spiritual lives of ethnic minority people, people in mountainous areas, forest workers and people living near forests, contributing to socio-economic development, conservation of natural resources and biodiversity, environmental protection, and adaptation to climate change; to conserve and promote traditional cultural and historical values, landscapes and indigenous knowledge of local communities; to contribute to ensuring security and national defense.

2. Specific goals

a/ To sustainably develop the supply of timber materials through practicing intensive farming and expanding the area under planted large-timber forests to ensure proactive supply of materials for the timber processing industry; to contribute to improving productivity and value of planted forests and added value of the timber processing industry; to strive for the targets that the output of domestically exploited wood materials will meet at least 80% and 100% of the timber processing industry’s demand for raw materials of by 2030 and 2050, respectively, and all timber and timber products will come from wood materials of lawful sources, meeting the requirements of export markets and domestic consumption.

 b/ Compared to the 2020’s figure, the value of processed non-timber forest products and medicinal materials will increase 1.5 times by 2030 and 2 times by 2050; the export value of non-timber forest products and medicinal materials produced under forest canopy will account for 10-15% by 2030 and 25% by 2050 of the total export turnover of forest products.

c/ To develop effective and sustainable forms of agro-forestry-fishery production on the basis of exploiting potential and advantages of each region and each locality, combined with effective promotion of indigenous knowledge in order to increase the added value from forests and create diversified products and services; by 2030, the economic value per unit of cultivated area will increase by at least 20% or more in addition to the value of planted forest timber.

d/ To develop forest environmental services on the basis of specifying and expanding types of forest environmental services; at the same time, to effectively manage and use revenues from forest environmental services, ensuring compliance with law; to effectively deploy forest carbon sequestration and storage services; to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through minimization of deforestation and forest degradation, sustainable forest management, and green growth; to ensure stable growth of revenues from forest environmental services at an average rate of 5%/year.

dd/ To develop community-based tourism, ecotourism, leisure tourism and entertainment tourism in a sustainable manner; to promote potential and advantages, exploiting the values ​​in terms of natural resources, cultural traditions, and indigenous knowledge; to diversify types of tourism, paying attention to developing of community-based tourism and rural tourism associated with cultural and historical tourism products and indigenous knowledge of local communities; to strive to increase revenues from community-based tourism, ecotourism, leisure tourism and entertainment tourism by 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2050, compared to the 2020’s figure.

e/ To improve the effectiveness of conservation of the nature and biodiversity in forest ecosystems; to maintain, and increase the area of, ​​special-use forests by 10%-15% by 2030 compared to the 2020’s figure; to formulate a plan of action for conservation of endangered, precious and rare forest animal species in Vietnam.

g/ To attract ethnic minority people living in forested areas to join the workforce of the forestry sector, accounting for over 50% by 2030; workers having been trained, retrained or provided with technical guidance will make up 40% or more and 70% of the forestry sector’s workforce by 2030 and 2050, respectively; to strive to increase the average income of ethnic minority people engaged in forestry production activities by 1.5 times and 2 times by 2030 and 2050, respectively, against the 2025’s figure.

III. SUBJECTS AND SCOPE OF IMPLEMENTATION

1. Subjects of implementation

- Forests governed by the Scheme: special-use forests, protection forests and production forests;

- Implementers and beneficiaries: organizations, households, individuals and residential communities related to the development of multi-use values ​​of forest ecosystems; direct beneficiaries are ethnic minority people, people in mountainous areas, forest workers and people living near forests.

2. Scope of implementation

The Scheme shall be implemented nationwide.

IV. TASKS

1. Developing lawful timber material sources and increasing values for the timber processing industry

- To form concentrated material forest planting areas; to prioritize the development of large-timber forests, converting from small-timber plantations to large-timber plantations in key regions such as the Northeast region, North Central region, South Central region and Central Highlands; to apply science and technology to production right in the stages of selecting and creating varieties, and controlling the quality of variety sources; to implement intensive farming measures in order to increase productivity and quality of planted forests; to link material production areas with concentrated commodity processing for a number of advantageous products; to build brands, create competitive edges in the international market and meet the domestic market’s demand.

- To step by step increase the proportion of lawful timber from domestically planted forests used as wood materials for the timber and forest product processing industry; to issue sustainable forest management certificates or production unit codes for planted forest timber in conformity with the requirements of the domestic and international markets.

- To develop fine processing and deep processing technologies so as to increase the added value of timber products; to make the full use of discarded products and by-products of timber processing to turn out products for domestic consumption and export; to gradually form a circular economy in the forestry production industry; to gradually reduce the proportion of preliminarily processed products such as wood chips for export; to promote the production and use of timber products from domestically planted forests.

2. Developing non-timber forest products and medicinal materials

- To survey, evaluate, and zone off for conservation and development of non-timber forest products and medicinal plants under the forest canopy; to attach importance to mastering information about precious and rare species of high economic value, including information about species and their distribution area, and reserves so as to formulate plans on conservation, exploitation and sustainable use thereof in conformity potential and strengths of each product and each ecological region and promote indigenous knowledge of local communities and people.

- To research, test, select, create, announce and circulate varieties and species of non-timber forest trees and medicinal plants that are of high productivity and quality, resistant to insects and pests, and suitable to the characteristics and natural conditions of each ecological region; to formulate and complete processes and technical instructions for production of varieties, cultivation, and processing of non-timber forest trees and medicinal plants under the forest canopy, meeting production material standards associated with sustainable development of forests and conservation of biodiversity of forest ecosystems.

- To form concentrated production zones of non-timber forest products and medicinal materials in a way that suits climate and soil conditions and conforms to the ecological requirements of each species, with priority given to species that are now planted in a large area of forestry land or under forest canopy and bring about high economic value, such as areas under cinnamon, star anise, Morinda officinalis, and golden camellia in Northeast, North Central and Central Coast provinces; Vietnamese ginseng-growing areas in the provinces of Quang Nam, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Lam Dong, Thua Thien Hue, Nghe An, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, and Dien Bien; bamboo- and Dendrocalamus barbatus-growing areas in the Northwest and North Central provinces; and rattan-growing areas in the North and South Central regions; to issue production unit codes to qualified areas of material zones to ensure traceability.

- To develop commercial product processing facilities and factories associated with concentrated material zones after the value chain model to meet the standards and requirements of domestic and international markets; to diversify products; to build brands, develop handicraft products associated with forest materials, develop products under the One Commune, One Product (OCOP) Program (OCOP products) from medicinal materials, and products suitable to particular traits regarding cultural identities of ethnic minority people.

3. Developing forms of combined agro-forestry-fishery production

- To review and evaluate combined agro-forestry-fishery economic development models such as forest farming models; medicinal plant and multi-purpose plant cultivation and development, and livestock production and aquaculture under forest canopy in order to share experience and knowledge, documentize and formulate processes, standards and technical regulations, and provide technical instructions for disseminating and duplicating successful and effective models.

- To select high-value, multi-purpose crop and livestock species suitable to local conditions and market demands and tastes; to apply effective farming methods and manage the quality of crops, livestock, aquatic products, etc., under the forest canopy so as to optimize land use efficiency; to produce and commercialize agricultural, forestry and fishery products that neither cause deforestation nor affect the natural environment and biodiversity of forest ecosystems.

- To organize sustainable and effective cooperation and production affiliation between businesses, organizations, households, individuals and communities; to promote responsibility and encourage participation of communities in forest management and benefit sharing, ensuring the harmony in lawful rights and interests of stakeholders.

4. Developing forest environmental services

- To develop forest environmental services, diversify and increase revenue sources from various types of forest environmental services in accordance with law, particularly forest carbon sequestration and storage services; to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through mitigation of deforestation and forest degradation, sustainable forest management, and green growth.

- To research and institutionalize regulations on application of forest environmental service charge rates that are close to the real value brought about by forests in conformity with actual conditions of economic development, gradually increasing incomes and stabilizing the lives of people directly involved in forest management, protection and development.

- To strengthen management and further provide instructions to improve the efficiency of using revenues from forest environmental services to invest in the protection and sustainable development of forest resources; to ensure equitable sharing of benefits with local communities.

5. Developing ecotourism, leisure tourism and entertainment tourism

- To guide forest owners to formulate and implement schemes on ecotourism, leisure tourism and entertainment tourism; to assess impacts, take strict control measures, and minimize negative impacts of activities of ecotourism, leisure tourism and entertainment tourism on forest management and conservation of the nature and biodiversity of forest ecosystems and socio-economic development; to study promoting and providing support for forest owners to carry out ecotourism, leisure tourism and entertainment tourism activities on their own under regulations.

- To strengthen cooperation between forest owners and local communities, encouraging communities to participate in the process of tourism planning management, and provision of tourism products and services; to conserve and promote indigenous knowledge and cultural traditions, ensuring equitable sharing of benefits with local communities.

- To develop ecotourism models associated with agricultural and rural tourism and community-based tourism for ethnic minority people, mountainous inhabitants and people living in and near forests.

- To develop typical and unique tourism types and products associated with the value of natural landscapes of forest ecosystems that are capable of demonstrating regional and inter-regional connectivity, creating tourism products, activities and brands associated with local traditional culture and geographical regions.

- To develop promotion and marketing strategies and media channels to introduce and receive feedback on ecotourism and rural tourism activities; to use social media and websites and organize events (seminars, conferences, fairs, photo exhibitions, etc.) to provide information to domestic and international tourists.

- To attract social resources for sustainable development of ecotourism, leisure tourism and entertainment tourism in forest ecosystems; to support job creation and improve livelihoods through the use of local labor, providing guidance to organizations and individuals that organize tourism activities in areas adjacent to, or bordering on, and units building ecotourism, leisure tourism and entertainment tourism sites in, forest ecosystems.

V. IMPLEMENTATION SOLUTIONS

1. Mechanisms and policies

- To review and evaluate difficulties, problems and inadequacies related to the implementation of current regulations and policies; to improve mechanisms and policies on payment for forest environmental services, biodiversity conservation and restoration of forest ecosystems; to focus on forest carbon sequestration and storage services; to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through minimization of deforestation and forest degradation, sustainable forest management, and green growth.

- To improve regulations and guidelines on management of conservation, exploitation, use and development of non-timber forest trees and medicinal plants in nature in a sustainable manner; regulations on farming and development of plant and animal species in the forest environment after the combined agro-forestry-fishery model; policies on co-management and benefit sharing with local people regarding the use of indigenous knowledge to develop non-timber forest trees and medicinal plants and sharing benefits from exploiting forest resources and environment.

- To formulate and improve regulations and policies in developing ecotourism, leisure tourism and entertainment tourism activities in all types of forests, ensuring their feasibility and mobilizing social resources for implementation thereof without changing main goals and functions of each forest.

- To improve mechanisms and policies for investment in forestry production development associated with the implementation of policies on social security, investment incentives, and forest protection and development in combination with sustainable poverty reduction and building of a new-style countryside in extremely difficult areas and ethnic minority areas where exist large forest areas.

2. Forest management and development of material zones

- To perform sustainable forest management; to exploit and use forests associated with conservation of natural resources, improvement of economic value and multi-use values of forest ecosystems; to ensure the participation of agencies, organizations, households, individuals and residential communities in the process of formulating plans on management and organization of forest management, protection and development.

- To review and adjust forest classification, prepare forest management dossiers based on forest function and use purpose so as to optimize economic, social and environmental efficiency and ensure conformity with international practices.

- To develop concentrated material zones for the forest product processing industry and develop a system of large-timber plantations, non-timber plantations and medicinal plantations of high productivity and quality, with the participation of all economic sectors; to improve economic efficiency per unit area; to focus on developing multi-purpose forestry (timber, non-timber forest products, services); and combined agro-forestry-fisheries production.

- To diversify forms of production organization such as: cooperative group, cooperative, joint venture, and affiliation between businesses and forest owners in planting, exploiting, processing and consuming timber products, non-timber forest products and medicinal materials.

3. Science and technology

- To research and apply science and technology to maximize values ​​of forest ecosystems, prioritizing researches to select and create high-yield and high-quality varieties for afforestation; to research and improve silvicultural technical measures to increase productivity and quality of planted forests and improve the quality of natural forests for conversion into large-timber plantations; to research and develop non-timber forest trees and medicinal plants with high economic value, associated with indigenous knowledge of local communities; to research and apply advanced technologies in database management, issuance of production unit codes, traceability, and processing and preservation of lawful forest products to meet requirements of domestic and international markets.

- To develop and improve a system of technical instructions, processes, standards, technical regulations, and techno-economic norms on farming, tendering, exploitation, processing and preservation of forest products to improve productivity, quality and efficiency of farming models and non-timber forest plant and medicinal plant production models.

- To transfer technologies, carry out forestry extension, industrial extension, etc., so as to improve capacity, professional qualifications and skills for forest workers, thereby increasing productivity and raising the added value in various stages of production, exploitation, processing, preservation and marketing of forest products, contributing to improving the value and production efficiency of the forestry industry.

4. Production organization

- To evaluate and review combined agro-forestry-fishery economic development models; model of cooperation and affiliation in forestry production between organizations, households, individuals and communities with scientists and businesses, cooperatives, groups of cooperatives and trade associations, etc.; model of planting large-timber forests and converting small-timber plantations into large-timber trading; model for restoring and improving the quality of natural forests; models for developing valuable non-timber forest trees and medicinal plants; models of ecotourism, leisure tourism and entertainment tourism, combined with development of local specialty products in order to promote typical cultural values ​​of each locality so as to duplicate models that are suitable to potential and advantages of each locality, region or area.

- To improve technical instructions for diverse and effective combined agro-forestry-fishery production and cultivation, ensuring low emissions, not causing deforestation and environmental pollution, and meeting practical production requirements; to instruct people to comply with farming techniques to meet market requirements.

- To continue to arrange, innovate, develop, and improve operational efficiency of, forestry companies and forest management boards; to allocate land and forests and assign forests for protection in accordance with the forestry law, particularly forest areas allocated to commune-level People’s Committees for management.

- To develop a number of models of co-management of forests, encouraging local communities to participate and share benefits in forestry production activities; to formulate and implement village codes and conventions on forest protection and development; to change thinking, awareness and forestry production practices from extensive farming to intensive farming; to ensure harmonious development between production of small-timber, large-timber and non-timber forest products, etc., to maintain and develop sustainable livelihoods of forest workers.

- To promote the implementation of the OCOP Program and the agricultural and rural tourism development program in building a new-style countryside associated with forest ecosystems in order to promote sustainable forest economic development.

- To promote regional linkages and develop forestry economy associated with linking ecological regions, developing craft villages and investing in infrastructure, particularly forestry roads, so as to comprehensively exploit the values ​​of forest ecosystems.

5. Training, public communication and capacity building

- To formulate and implement a public communication plan targeting, and guide, forest owners to use high-yield and high-quality varieties, apply intensive afforestation measures to produce large timber and timber with sustainable forest management certificates and production unit codes; to organize training and capacity building for functional forces engaged in inspection, control, and traceability of forest products; to strengthen the capacity of stakeholders, particularly forest owners, residential communities, households, individuals and households contracted to protect forests, in managing and effectively using revenues from forest environmental services.

- To formulate documents and organize training in technical instructions, processes, technical regulations, standards, and techno-economic norms on crop and livestock production and tendering in order to develop models of combined agro-forestry-fishery, non-timber forest product and medicinal material production, ecotourism, leisure tourism and entertainment tourism in forest ecosystems associated with maintaining and developing indigenous knowledge and culture of local communities.

 6. International cooperation

- To enhance accessibility and promote international cooperation to support the improvement of mechanisms and policies for mobilizing financial resources from the private sector and public-private cooperation for the development of large-timber forests, non-timber products and medicinal materials, sustainable forest management, restoration of natural forests associated with biodiversity conservation, and provision of support to local communities and ethnic minority people.

- To promote the implementation of new financial initiatives and mechanisms such as climate finance and green credit; to expand the scope of forest environmental services and access the international forest carbon market in order to mobilize financial resources for sustainable forest management, forest conservation and restoration, and provision of support to raise incomes and stabilize the life of local communities and ethnic minority people.

- To formulate and effectively implement programs, projects and support from international organizations to build and develop brands, geographical indications and traceability of agricultural, forestry and aquatic products that do not cause deforestation and forest degradation and conform to standards and product certification systems so as to meet requirements of domestic and international markets.

VI. PRIORITY ACTIVITIES

To formulate projects on provision of support to, and implementation of, the Scheme, with priority given to the following programs and activities:

1. Conserving biodiversity of forest ecosystems.

2. Conserving, developing, exploiting, processing, and deploying sustainable trade of non-timber forest products and medicinal materials associated with the traditional culture of residential communities and local people living near forests.

3. Developing models of value chain-based production in forestry and effective and sustainable models of combined agro-forestry-fishery production.

4. Developing product brands; introducing information about policy, science, technology, and domestic and international markets of timber products, non-timber forest products, medicinal materials, tourism and forest environmental services.

5. Implementing activities regarding forest carbon sequestration and storage services; reducing greenhouse gas emissions through minimization of deforestation and forest degradation, sustainable forest management, and green growth; providing the services of protection and maintenance of natural landscapes and conservation of biodiversity of forest ecosystems for ecotourism, leisure tourism and entertainment tourism according to regulations.

6. Attracting investment resources from all economic sectors to participate in projects on sustainable development of forest ecosystems and lease of forest environment for development of ecotourism, leisure tourism and entertainment tourism according to regulations.

VII. FUNDING SOURCES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SCHEME

1. Support from the state budget through integration into national target programs, the Sustainable Forestry Development Program, and other programs, schemes, projects and plans; annual state budget allocations (development investment expenditures, recurrent expenditures) according to the current regulations on state budget decentralization.

2. Socialization sources; own capital, legally mobilized funds from institutional and individual investors in accordance with law.

The management and use of funds for the implementation of the Scheme must ensure transparency and comply with current law.

VIII. ORGANIZATION OF IMPLEMENTATION

1. Responsibilities of related ministries and sectors

a/ The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall

- Act as the permanent office for the implementation of the Scheme; assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with ministries, sectors and localities in, effectively implementing the Scheme; formulate an implementation plan for the Scheme, and proactively integrate the objectives and tasks of the Scheme with the national target programs, the Sustainable Forestry Development Program, and related programs, schemes and projects it implements.

- Develop, review and approve the tasks of implementing the Scheme, ensuring efficiency, feasibility, and compliance with the objectives of the Scheme and regulations; include funds for the Scheme in the annually allocated state budget estimates and send them to the Ministry of Finance for submission to competent authorities according to the law on the state budget.

- Guide, supervise, urge, examine, and conduct preliminary and final reviews and evaluations of the results of, implementation of the Scheme every 5 years and upon conclusion of the implementation phase of the Scheme; promptly submit to the Prime Minister for decision solutions for arising issues beyond its competence, adjustments to the Scheme, and addition of priority projects and tasks in line with practical conditions.

- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related ministries and sectors in, formulating and implementing regulations, technical instructions, processes, technical regulations, standards, and techno-economic norms on crop and livestock production and tending.

b/ The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall

- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in, balancing development investment capital to implement the Scheme in accordance with the law on public investment and related regulations.

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in incorporating priority programs and activities of the Scheme into the list of priorities for the use of international funding and loans.

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related ministries, sectors and localities in guiding, examining, and effectively organizing the implementation of the Scheme.

c/ The Ministry of Finance shall

- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related ministries and sectors in, balancing and allocating non-business expenditures within the expenditure tasks of the central budget to implement the Scheme in accordance with the Law on the State Budget and related regulations.

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related ministries, sectors and localities in guiding, examining, and effectively organizing the implementation of the Scheme.

d/ The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall

- Direct and guide localities in measuring and issuing land use certificates to forest owners; review boundaries and resolve cases of overlapped land areas in order to ensure stable, long-term use of land for proper purposes.

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related ministries, sectors and localities in guiding, examining and effectively organizing the implementation of the Scheme.

dd/ The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related ministries, sectors and localities in implementing the following activities: (i) organizing production based on value chains linking forest-planting organizations and individuals with enterprises processing and consuming timber and non-timber forest products; (ii) conducting trade promotion, brand building, developing markets, and resolving trade disputes and technical barriers in the import and export of timber, non-timber forest products and medicinal materials; supporting enterprises in producing and exporting timber and non-timber forest products through investigating and handling trade remedy cases and preventing the shirking of trade remedies in accordance with law.

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related ministries, sectors and localities in guiding, examining, and effectively organizing the implementation of the Scheme.

e/ The Ministry of Health shall

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in researching, supplementing and formulating procedures and technical instructions on farming and developing precious and rare medicinal plant species of high economic value in the forest environment according to the GACP-WHO standards to guarantee sustainable development.

- Support localities in attracting organizations and individuals having potential and experience in farming and cultivating medicinal plants in the forest environment as well as in processing and consumption of these medicinal plants; attract capital for, and invest in, construction of GMP-standard modern factories specialized in preliminary processing and processing of medicinal plants, and modern factories for extraction of medicinal plants that meet GMP-WHO or equivalent standards.

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related ministries, sectors and localities in guiding, examining, and effectively organizing the implementation of the Scheme.

g/ The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related ministries, sectors and localities in formulating marketing strategies to promote ecotourism and experimental tourism in forests to domestic and international tourists.

- Support localities in building and developing forest-based tourism products, associated with traditional culture of local communities.

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related ministries, sectors and localities in guiding, examining, and effectively organizing the implementation of the Scheme.

h/ The Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs shall

- Assuming the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related ministries, sectors and localities in, integrating resources from the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas and related programs, schemes, and projects to implement the Scheme.

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related ministries, sectors and localities in guiding, examining, and effectively organizing the implementation of the Scheme.

i/ The Ministry of Information and Communications shall

- Direct and guide the organization of public communication and dissemination of information about the Scheme in the mass media and grassroots information systems.

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related ministries, sectors and localities in guiding, examining and effectively organizing the implementation of the Scheme.

k/ Other related ministries and sectors shall coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and localities in effectively organizing the implementation of the Scheme according to their assigned functions, tasks and powers.

2. Provincial-level People’s Committees shall

a/ Direct the formulation of plans to implement the Scheme; based on the actual situation of their localities, consider promulgating, or submitting to competent authorities for promulgation, mechanisms and policies on investment, investment support and investment incentives according to their competence and law, ensuring efficiency, feasibility and alignment with the Scheme’s objectives; effectively integrate the implementation of mechanisms and policies currently applied in their provinces or cities with those under the Scheme; propose People’s Councils of the same level to allocate funds from local budgets for implementation of activities and tasks of the Scheme assigned to localities according to regulations.

b/ Direct public communication and education work to raise awareness among authorities, sectors and people about the role of sustainable development and management of values of forest ecosystems; disseminate and encourage local people and economic sectors to participate in the implementation of the Scheme.

c/ Based on priority programs and activities of the Scheme, organize the formulation of specific programs and projects suitable to the practical conditions of their localities.

d/ Guide, supervise, urge, examine, and conduct preliminary and final reviews and evaluations of, the implementation of the Scheme on an annual basis, once every 3-5 years, and upon conclusion of the Scheme; and report the results to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for summarization and reporting to the Prime Minister.

Article 2. This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing

Article 3. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees, and related organizations and individuals shall implement this Decision.-

For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
TRAN LUU QUANG