Son La: Conference on promoting management of community forests
On October 4, 2022, Son La Union Associations chaired and coordinated with the Son La Forest Protection and Development Fund to organize a conference to kick off the project on “Promoting effective management of community forests in association with the conservation of intangible cultural values of ethnic minorities in Son La province”
The conference welcomed representatives of leaders of the Provincial People's Committee, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, National Coordinator of the Global Environment Facility Project Office (GEF SGP) - United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Fund for Forest Protection and Development in Nghe An, Thua Thien - Hue Provinces; a number of provincial departments, divisions, branches, mass organizations, leaders of the People's Committees of districts, Moc Chau, Muong La, Thuan Chau, Van Ho; Ngoc Chien - Muong La communes; Suoi Bang - Van Ho; Muong Sang - Moc Chau; Long He - Thuan Chau and villages in the project implementation area.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen - UNDP/GEF SGP Country Coordinator is delivering a speech
Conference scene
At the conference, Mr. Le Manh Thang - Deputy Director of Forest Protection and Development Fund introduced the activities of the Project; the project implementation and the project's benefits to villages and communes in the preservation of intangible cultural values.
Local representatives attending the conference expressed their joy when their localities benefited from the Project. This is an opportunity for the villages and communes to widely propagate the long-standing customs and practices of the local people, contribute to preserving the cultural identity of ethnic groups in the Northwest in general and the culture of ethnic minorities in Son La in particular.
Delegates are attending the conference
Immediately after starting the project, on October 5, 2022, the Project Management Board implemented the project in Ngoc Chien commune, Muong La district: A practical survey to collect opinions and suggestions from the community on the scale of organizing the New Rice Worshiping Festival and the Tree God Ceremony; Site survey to support improvement of 01 livelihood development model (hot mineral spring tourism model) in Ngoc Chien; Information and propaganda of the project in village communities and clusters of villages; organizing 07 skill training courses on management, organization and operation of groups and networks; community communication; preserving festivals, beliefs, customs and habits of ethnic minorities; forest protection, use of money for forest environment services; establish 01 savings group; establishing a fund for economic development of cooperatives and households; developing a set of regulations on management and effective use of forest environmental service fees to protect forests and improve people's lives in the project implementation village..../.