Prioritizing Protected Areas under the Framework of Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) in northern Vietnam
Inhye Kong, University of Georgia (US) & Seoul National University, Seoul (KR)
Since 2010, Vietnam has enacted a nationwide policy called Payment for Forest Environmental Services. However, recent cases showed that the current implementation practices lacked of prioritizing areas based on quantifying ecosystem services. We classified the land cover using a Landsat data set in the Da River basin, in northern Vietnam, and quantified hydrologic ecosystem services concerning water supply and sediment retention. Following the assessment, we identified the priority areas exclusively for forest environments. In conclusion, zoning based on quantification can help prioritize distinctive areas for providing significant amount of ecosystem service, and contribute to natural resource management in more efficient manner.