Promoting sustainable plantation forest management
On January 6, Vietnam Administration of Forestry, WWF-Vietnam, TRAFFIC and RECOFTC launched the jointly implemented Project of "Responsible Asia Forestry & Trade (RAFT) Partnership" in Vietnam.
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| FSC certified forest in Quang Tri Province. Photo: WWF-Vietnam |
The project is divided into two main components focused on promoting sustainable plantation management based on international standards and strengthening the implementation of responsible and legal timber trade.
Additionally, the public is currently not aware of the definition of sustainable and responsible timber products. Therefore, the project will implement activities to create basic awareness for responsible and sustainable timber for the Vietnamese people, manufacturers and businesses, to initially create a market for responsible timber products in Vietnam.
This approach will not only bring permanent benefits to the environment and society, but also help combat illegal trade of timber, improve the investment into protection of the natural environment in Viet Nam and enhance the reputation of the Vietnamese market.
Talking about specific goals of project, Dr. Le Thien Duc, Forest Programme Coordinator of WWF-Vietnam said: " The Viet Nam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has set a target that to 2020 at least 500,000 hectares of forests have been certified, however, at present only 219,245 hectares have been certified”.
To contribute to this goal, the project aims to add at least 3,000 hectares of plantations under improved management and achieving forest certification. In addition, at least one significant policy on promoting sustainable forest management will be developed or modified, legal timber trade and transparency will be enhanced, and the domestic market for certified forest products will initially be created.
