Hanoi, February 26, 2025 - To enhance natural resource management and promote innovative, sustainable financing mechanisms for nature conservation in Viet Nam, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE) and other stakeholders, is developing technical guidelines on Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) for wetland and marine ecosystems at the site level, through a pilot at Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap province. Today’s consultation meeting aims to gather feedback from the management boards of protected areas, experts, and stakeholders to finalize the guidelines.

One of the most notable benefits of PES is its potential to create sustainable financing for nature conservation. By requiring organizations, businesses, and individuals who benefit from ecosystem services to pay appropriate fees, PES reduces the burden on state budgets and encourages sustainable use of natural resources. Despite the successes of PFES, expanding PES to wetlands and marine ecosystems present several challenges.

A significant challenge is quantifying and assigning economic value to these ecosystems' services. Unlike forests—where services like carbon sequestration, soil protection, and clean water provision have been well-studied and priced—wetland and marine ecosystems are more complex. Measuring the value of flood regulation, biodiversity maintenance, blue carbon absorption, and coastal protection remains difficult. Furthermore, these ecosystems often support multiple overlapping resource uses—from aquaculture, fisheries, and ecotourism to waterway transport—making determining payment responsibilities and rates for each stakeholder is challenging.

The technical guidelines aim to provide clear, practical instructions for stakeholders, especially protected area management boards—the primary providers of ecosystem services—on implementing ESP for wetlands and marine ecosystems, in line with the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection and Decree No. 08.  

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tho, Director of ISPONRE, emphasized: "The PFES policy, which has been successfully implemented for over a decade, started with pilot projects that helped refine the policy framework. While we can draw lessons from PFES, applying PES to wetlands and marine ecosystems requires in-depth research due to their unique natural characteristics, management systems, and service use patterns. Developing technical guidelines and piloting them in specific areas is the right approach to advance this policy and gather valuable insights for future refinement."  

In parallel with developing the technical guidelines, a pilot PES project for wetlands is being implemented in Tram Chim National Park, Dong Thap Province. This pilot will provide critical input for finalizing the guidelines and serve as a model for scaling up ESP implementation at the site level across Viet Nam.

Mr. Patrick Haverman, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP Vietnam, shared: “Wetland and marine ecosystems play a crucial role in economic development, supporting local livelihoods, and enhancing climate resilience. Yet, they remain underappreciated in Viet Nam. Implementing PES policies for these ecosystems not only provides crucial financial support for biodiversity conservation but, more importantly, raises awareness among stakeholders about the economic value of these ecosystems and the need to protect them. We hope these technical guidelines will help bring this important policy to life.”  

Completing and implementing these technical guidelines are expected to generate wide-reaching benefits. Beyond improving biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration, the PES mechanism will unlock new funding streams for conservation, promote green economic growth, and enhance local livelihoods. Crucially, PES creates clear economic incentives for businesses and communities to participate in environmental protection actively.

If successfully implemented, the PES policy for wetlands and marine ecosystems will contribute to sustainable national development by integrating the economic value of natural services into environmental policies and fostering greater community awareness of protecting natural resources.

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Content of the PES’ Technical Guidelines at the Site level: 
The document offers detailed guidance on principles, processes, and methods for developing local-level PES projects for marine and wetland ecosystems as stipulated in Decree 08/2022/NĐ-CP. It includes information such as the ecosystem’s name and location, general details about the service-providing area, boundary maps, and service coverage, types of provided ecosystem service, lists of service users and payers, conservation and management measures, payment levels, payment methods, and plans for using revenues from PES.

This is Vietnam’s first comprehensive guideline for drafting site-level PES projects tailored to the country’s conditions and the current capacity of wetland and marine protected area staff. The guidelines are designed as a practical “hands-on” tool for management boards and stakeholders.

For any media inquiries, please contact:   
Phan Huong Giang   
UNDP Media and Communication Analyst, Climate Change and Environment   
Email: phan.huong.giang@undp.org

Dương Thị Phương Anh
ISPONRE
Email: dtphuonganh@isponre.gov.vn