Residents hope forest protection contracts resume soon
Many forest owners have suspended forest protection contracts with local households. These agreements assign forest management and protection duties to ethnic minority families and other poor households. Residents and local authorities hope the relevant agencies will soon introduce a plan to resume these contracts.
Concerns of local guardians
Pi Nao Hamlet in Nhan Co Commune is home to an indigenous M'nong community that has lived near and relied on the forest for generations. Nearly every household has undertaken forest protection work under contract for decades. For residents, protecting the forest is not merely a responsibility but also an expression of their love for it. Each household also receives around VND 2.5 million per quarter, helping cover expenses and improve family livelihoods.
K Bang has joined other residents in managing and protecting the forest for more than 20 years. He said the suspension of forest protection contracts had deprived his family of a source of income. The payments covered daily living expenses and could also be saved to purchase fertiliser and livestock, helping improve the household economy.
"Everyone here, including me, hopes we will soon be contracted again to manage and protect the forest," K Bang said.
All 101 households in the hamlet have had their forest management and protection contracts temporarily suspended since early 2026. According to H'Yon, Secretary of the Pi Nao Hamlet Party Cell, the decision to "cut off" contracts for every household left residents disheartened. They have all requested that the forest protection contracts be restored.
Le Thanh Dong, Vice Chairman of the Nhan Co Commune People's Committee, said local authorities wanted forest owners and relevant agencies to promptly complete a sustainable forest management plan. They should also allocate funding to resume forest protection contracts with local residents.
A similar situation has occurred in Quang Tin Commune. Dieu Ben, 61, and dozens of households in Chau Ma Hamlet have worked with the Nam Cat Tien Protection Forest Management Board for nearly 20 years. Their forest management and protection contracts were also suspended in early 2026.
According to Dieu Ben, residents waited after hearing about the suspension, but several months passed without any action from the management board.
Six units suspend forest protection contracts
According to the Nam Cat Tien Protection Forest Management Board, it issued a notice in January 2026 temporarily suspending forest management and protection contracts for the 2026 - 2030 period. The suspension affected 71 households managing more than 800 ha in Chau Ma Hamlet, Quang Tin Commune, and 101 households managing over 1,135 ha in Pi Nao Hamlet, Nhan Co Commune.
The contracts were suspended because the board's sustainable forest management plan was being revised and updated to meet practical requirements. The board had also not received funding to implement the contracts under current regulations.
Truong Truong Giang, Head of the Nam Cat Tien Protection Forest Management Board, said the contracts were suspended because the relevant technical design dossiers for the 2021 - 2025 period had expired.
Furthermore, the board is required to be fully financially autonomous and receives no funding from the state budget, including funding for its leaders' salaries. Another major factor was a nearly 50% decline in payments for forest environmental services following a reassessment of the river basins eligible for this funding.
The board hopes to continue awarding forest management and protection contracts to households in Pi Nao and Chau Ma hamlets.
According to the provincial Forest Protection Sub-Department, forest management and protection contracts with local and ethnic minority households have proved effective. These communities provide vital on-the-ground support to forest management and protection forces.
In addition to the Nam Cat Tien Protection Forest Management Board, five other forest owners have temporarily suspended state-funded forest management and protection contracts with local households. They are the Song Luy - Ca Giay Protection Forest Management Board; Binh Thuan Forestry One-Member Limited Liability Company; Song Dinh Forestry One-Member Limited Liability Company; Border Belt Protection Forest Management Board; and Dak Glong - Gia Nghia Protection Forest Management Board.
The six units have suspended contracts with around 1,000 households. This situation requires forest owners to proactively balance their resources, complete the necessary documentation and forest management plans, and ensure continuous and effective forest protection.
For people living near forests, particularly households that have participated in these contracts for many years, the greatest hope is that policy and funding obstacles will soon be resolved. This would allow them to continue managing and protecting the forests.
These residents also play an important role in promptly detecting and preventing activities that damage forest resources at the grassroots level.