So far, only between 2.5 and 3.7 million ha have been set aside, says Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Hua Duc Nhi.
Viet Nam has about 12.87 million hectares of land earmarked for forests. But participants at a national forum on the subject in Ha Noi yesterday heard that forest areas owned by individuals, families and enterprises were small because economic returns were low.
“People have not yet been able to make a living from forest land,” said the ministry’s Forest Ranger Department deputy head Nguyen Huu Dung.
Reasons are varied, but obstacles such as delays in issuing “red books” which certify land-use rights over each plot have discouraged many families from investing in forests.
Insufficient legal guarantees are another difficulty faced by those who lease forest land.
Many do not feel comfortable taking control of land without a map defining its boundaries.
