APPROVING THE SCHEME FOR STRENGTHENING THE MANAGEMENT OF EXPLOITATION OF TIMBER OF NATURAL FOREST FOR THE PERIOD 2014 – 2020

Article 1. Approving the scheme for strengthening the management of exploitation of timber of natural forest for the period 2014-2020 including the following main contents:

1. Objectives

a) General objectives: Strictly controlling the exploitation of natural forest, restricting the illegal timber exploitation and properly protecting the existing area of natural forest to proactively respond to climate change and environmental protection in the spirit of Resolution of the 7thCongress of XI Party Central Committee;

b) Target: Improving quality of natural forest and develop the production forests with high quality eligible for sustainable exploitation in order to meet the demand for natural timber for domestic consumption and gradually replace the imported timber.

2. Contents and implementation solutions

a) Stopping the exploitation of timber of natural forests nationwide, except for two (02) areas (under the management of Dak To forestry one member limited liability Company in Kon Tum province and Long Dai industry one member limited liability Company in Quang Binh province) which have been approved for the schemes and issued with certificate of sustainable forest management from international organizations and exploitation on the areas of production forests which the State has allocated to households, individuals and rural communities.

b) Strengthening the leadership of authorities at all levels in forest protection:

- Grasping and publicizing the policies and direction viewpoint and implementation solution to strengthening the management of forest resources in the spirit of Resolution of the 7th Congress of XI Party Central Committee to people in the country.

- The authorities at all levels and the heads of agencies, organizations and units must regard the forest and ecological environment protection as key tasks in the working programs and plans;

- Strengthening the examination, inspection and monitoring to detect and promptly handle and publicize the result of handling against organizations and individuals with violation relating to the forest and environmental protection.

c) Intensifying the propagation and education:

- Regularly carrying out the propagation on the mass media about the policies on suspending the exploitation of timber of natural forest to people and forest owner for information and compliance;

- Introducing the contents of forest resources to the educational programs in highschool, universities and other training programs;

- Strengthening the law education on forest protection and development, raising awareness of forest protection of people, mobilizing households living in and nearly forests to sign commitment to forest protection; formulate and implement conventions on forest protection.

d) Strengthening and improving competence and operational efficiency of ranger force in accordance with the provisions of Decision No. 1920/QD-TTg dated 24 October 2014 of the Prime Minister on intensification of organization, improvement of operational effect and efficiency of ranger for the period 2014 - 2020.

dd) Structuring and enhancing the forestry companies having activities of exploitation of natural forest to stop their exploitation in the spirit of Resolution No. 30-NQ/TW of the Politbureau and other relevant regulations;

e) Strictly controlling the stages of processing and trading of timber to prevent the illegal consumption and use.

- Implementing the review and inspection over the timber processing establishments and only permitting the operation towards the establishments abiding by the planning and having stable raw materials and book system to meet the requirements for access and control of timber with legal origin;

- Restricting the new establishment of timber processing and trading establishments. Clearing and not forming new timber processing establishments in and nearly natural forests; resolutely suspending the operation towards the timber processing establishments committing serious violation of law.

g) Strictly monitoring the exploitation of timber of natural forests of households and individuals that are allocated with forests:

- These households and individuals are only permitted to use timber for on-the-spot essential needs and must not carry out the sale and exchange in any form. The volume of timber to be exploited maximally is 10 m³/household/time but the forest resources must not be abused;

- The provincial People’s Committee must provide for exploiting and making use of timber of households, individuals and communities allocated the natural forests under current regulations and in accordance with actual conditions of localities;

- District and communal People’s Committees are responsible for management, monitoring and confirmation of volume of timber that the households, individuals and communities in the areas have exploited and made use of;

h) Raising value of timber of planted forest and ensuring the essential demands for timber of people:

- Developing and implementing the scheme of development of timber materials of plated forest;

- Promoting the research on selection and breeding of high yield and quality for plantation of production forest while doing research on application of appropriate advanced technologies to improve the efficient use of timbers;

- Developing the national standards of sustainable forest management up to international standards;

- Enhancing the forestry encouragement for the mountainous people to develop forest plantation for self use of timber for on-the-spot essential needs. Mobilizing people to use timber of planted forest and other materials in lieu of timber of natural forest.

i) Funding for scheme implementation

- Providing the funding from the state budget to protect the area of natural forest of forestry companies which must stop their exploitation under such scheme. In the immediate future in 2014 with the assistance of 200,000 dong/ha/year (total estimate of about 127 billion dong); the assistance funding is advanced from the state budget of 2015 for assistance in 2014 to such companies. The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Investment, Agriculture and Rural Development are required to carry out the specific settlement.

- The funding for reviewing and structuring the forestry companies shall comply with the provisions in Decree guiding the implementation of Resolution No. 30-NQ/TW of the Politburo.

Article 2. Implementation organization

1. For central Ministries and sectors

a) Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development:

- Takes charge and coordinates with the Ministries and sectors concerned and provincial People’s Committees to provide instructions on implementation of this Decision; directs, inspects and monitors the implementation process;

- Reviews, adjusts, adds or newly issues the legal normative legal system in the fields: sustainable exploitation of natural forests, exploitation and utilization of households, individuals and communities, exploitation, utilization and artisanal exploitation on the area with converted purpose of forest use; benefit policies from natural forests, financial and investment policies in forestry, sustainable management of forest and certificate of natural and planted forests.

- Proposes mechanisms and policies linking the forest growers for materials with the timber processing and consuming establishments; raises the quality and value of timber of planted forests to create the sustainable material sources in lieu of timber of natural forests for exploitation in the country.

- Annually aggregate and evaluates the result of implementation of scheme for report to the Prime Minister.

b) Ministry of Planning and Investment:

- Coordinates with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in inspection and monitoring of implementation of this Decision;

- Takes charge of developing the assistance budget plan for protecting the area of natural forests whose exploitation must be stopped and the annual regular expenditure for the management and protection of natural forests nationwide.

c) The Ministry of Finance:

- Carries out the annual financial balance for allocation of funds from the state budget to the implementation of this Decision;

- Takes charge of instructions, inspection, management, allocation, payment and finalization of funds under regulation.

d) Other Ministries and sectors: are responsible for coordinating under their functions and duties with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and provincial People’s Committees in settling the issues related to the course of implementation of this Decision.

2. Provincial People’s Committees

- Coordinates with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in implementation of this Decision.

- Directs the survey and evaluation of demand for use of timber in the areas, especially the demand of people living in and nearby forests and on that basis to have assistance measures to provide alternative materials; reorganizes the processing and sale of timber in the area and takes measures to prevent and handle violations in a timely manner;

- Directs the inspection and monitoring of implementation of the scheme and makes annual report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for aggregation and report to the Prime Minister.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect from the date of its signing.

Article 4. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government, Chairman of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities and the heads of the relevant agencies are responsible for implementation of this Decision. /.