Project Description
ICEM led the technical development of a conservation and sustainable resource use Action Plan for the South-East Agro-Ecological Region (SEAR) of Vietnam, under a WWF initiative. This multi-provincial effort involved ten provinces and was guided by the national government’s commitment to increase forest cover and quality, preserve ecosystem services, and enhance the role of forests in local and national development. The plan targeted the conservation of the remaining 36% of natural forest as a permanent forest estate and sought to rehabilitate degraded forest areas to optimize their contribution to sustainable regional growth.
Objectives, Activities and Results
The Action Plan aimed to align regional forest conservation efforts with broader development goals by identifying the economic and ecological value of forests and implementing payment mechanisms for ecosystem services. Key activities included extensive provincial consultations under the Forest Sector Support Program (FSSP), facilitated by MARD and 19 international partners. A central recommendation of the plan was the establishment of a SEAR Regional Forest Conservation Forum to foster inter-provincial collaboration and support decentralization of the FSSP. The initiative helped institutionalize forest conservation as a shared regional priority and established a governance structure for ongoing coordination and resource mobilization.
