Quang Tri launches project to enhance carbon absorption and storage in community forestry

This afternoon, August 12, the Quang Tri Provincial Community Development Fund organized a workshop to launch the project "Enhancing Carbon Absorption and Storage in Community Forestry to Improve Climate Resilience for People in Central Vietnam."

The project is funded by CRS and will be implemented in Chenh Venh Village, Huong Phung Commune, Huong Hoa District from August 12 to September 30, 2024, with a total budget of over VND1.3 billion ($54,000).At the workshop, attendees listened to experts introduce the project’s objectives and expected outcomes, new approaches to carbon research and community involvement, as well as information about sustainable forest management training centers and forest certification.

The project aims to develop pilot models for 779.55 hectares of natural forest managed by smallholders and identify appropriate carbon reserve calculation equations for the pilot areas within the community forests of Chenh Venh Village, Huong Phung Commune, Huong Hoa District.

Overview of the ceremony. Photo: T.H

The project will establish the community forest in Chenh Venh as a model for high-quality carbon, enabling the local community to predict the carbon absorption and storage capacity of different forest conditions, including 548.88 hectares of forest covered by the greenhouse gas emissions reduction payment agreement in North Central Vietnam and 149.47 hectares of non-covered forest through forest surveys and carbon measurements involving community participation.

It will update the sustainable forest management plan for Chenh Venh Village by incorporating carbon factors, community tourism, and other elements aimed at promoting sustainable socio-economic and environmental development. Capacity building and training will be provided to the Chenh Venh community on how to zonate forest areas by function, forest restoration planning, and sustainable harvesting of non-timber forest products.

According to the emissions reduction payment agreement between the Vietnamese government and the World Bank, 10.3 million forest carbon credits (10.3 million tons of CO2) will be sold for $51.5 million, and the credit transactions must be completed by January 1, 2026.

Quang Tri Province and five provinces in North Central Vietnam are also participating in this agreement, with Quang Tri contributing 126,692.40 hectares of natural forest to the project. Globally, the price for one carbon credit ranges from $5 to $25.

High-quality carbon credits not only serve as a valuable tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing climate change, but they also help increase income for forest owners, develop livelihoods, and contribute to the United Nations' sustainable development goals.

Thanh Hai - Ngoc Mai