Context
Covering 42 per cent of the nation's land area, forests play a central role as natural carbon sinks in Viet Nam's goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. However, forest quality remains poor and species diversity is low. Forests are subject to major climatic risks such as storm damage, which are exacerbated by climate change. Viet Nam is the largest exporter of timber products in Southeast Asia. The plantation economy is dominated by short-term rotation models to produce wood chips for biomass.
On the other hand, 60 per cent of timber imported to Viet Nam is sawn timber as the domestic timber production cannot meet increasing demands for sustainable large-sized timber.
Despite the political will being there, the transition to sustainable climate-friendly forest management has not yet taken place in practice. Forest owners have little experience with large-sized timber cultivation. They also do not have any access to information on how to mobilise financing to bridge the gap during the transition period. The regulatory framework also needs to provide more incentives to foster the transition.
Objective
Viet Nam is moving forward in its transition to sustainable, climate-friendly forest management.
