Circular No. 60/2012/TT-BNNPTNT on principles and methods for determining the area of forests within watersheds for payment for forest environmental services

CIRCULAR

Provisions on principles and methods for determining the area of forest within watersheds serving payment for forest environmental services

In watersheds serving payment for forest environmental services

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Pursuant to Decree No. 01/2008/ND-CP dated January 3, 2008 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; Decree No. 75/2009/ND-CP dated September 10, 2009 of the Government amending Article 3 of Decree No. 01/2008/ND-CP dated January 3, 2008 of the Government;

Pursuant to Decree No. 99/2010/ND-CP dated September 24, 2010 of the Government on policies for payment for forest environmental services;

At the proposal of the Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment,

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development issues this Circular stipulating principles and methods for determining the area of forest within watersheds serving payment for forest environmental services.

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Circular stipulates principles and methods for determining the area of forest within watersheds serving payment for forest environmental services as prescribed in Decree No. 99/2010/ND-CP dated September 24, 2010 of the Government on policies for payment for forest environmental services for water regulation and maintenance services for production and social life; land protection, erosion control, and sedimentation prevention in lakes, rivers, and streams on the territory of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Article 2. Applicability

This Circular applies to domestic agencies, organizations, and individuals; overseas Vietnamese; and foreign organizations and individuals related to activities for determining the area of forest within watersheds.

Article 3. Explanation of Terms

In this Circular, the following terms shall be understood as follows:

1. Watershed is a natural area bounded by the watershed line receiving surface runoff and converging into a river, stream, lake, or reservoir, delineated by a closed boundary along the watershed line from the outlet point of the watershed; each watershed may include smaller sub-watersheds called micro-watersheds.

2. The outlet point of the watershed is the main surface water discharge point of the watershed such as the main discharge point of a hydropower dam, the intake point of a clean water plant or industrial facility directly using water from the watershed.

A digital elevation model is a numerical representation of continuous changes in ground elevation in space used as input data for the process of determining watershed boundaries through digital data processing.

Article 4. Provisions on watershed maps

1. The map projection system for watershed maps according to the Vietnamese standard VN2000.

2. The scale of the map shall be applied according to the size of the watershed area as follows:

a) For watersheds with an area less than 10,000 hectares: map scale 1/10,000 or 1/5,000.

b) For watersheds with an area from 10,000 hectares to 100,000 hectares: map scale 1/25,000.

c) For watersheds with an area from over 100,000 hectares to 500,000 hectares: map scale 1/50,000.

d) For watersheds with an area larger than 500,000 hectares: map scale 1/100,000.

Article 5. Principles for determining watersheds

1. Determining watersheds must be linked to implementing the policy on payment for forest environmental services as prescribed in Decree No. 99/2010/ND-CP dated September 24, 2010 of the Government regarding the scope of forest areas providing services to users of forest environmental services such as hydropower production facilities, clean water production facilities, and industrial production facilities.

2. The determination of watersheds must ensure objectivity, scientific accuracy, and transparency.

3. For rivers and streams where the watershed spans both Vietnamese territory and another country, only the portion within the Vietnamese territory shall be determined.

Article 6. Method for Determining the Watershed

1. Determining the watershed using topographic maps as follows:

a) Display on the computer screen a topographic map with an appropriate scale for the area of the watershed using specialized software;

b) Indicate the coordinates of the outlet point of the watershed on the topographic map;

c) Draw the boundary of the watershed starting from the outlet point along the water divide perpendicular to contour lines until it returns to the outlet point of the watershed forming a closed line. In cases where part of the watershed's area lies outside the territory of Vietnam, draw the boundary on both sides of the outlet point until reaching the national border.

2. Determining the watershed using digital elevation models as follows:

a) Check and calibrate the digital elevation model to ensure accuracy and coordinate system compliance with the provisions of Article 4 of this Circular;

b) Display the coordinates of the outlet point of the watershed on the digital elevation model;

c) Determine the boundary of the watershed using specialized functions in GIS software.

3. Determine the area and other basic characteristics of the watershed.

Article 7. Method for Determining the Area of Forests within the Watershed

1. The map used to determine the area of forests within the watershed is a digital map with accuracy and coordinate system compliance with the provisions of Article 4 of this Circular, including at least the following data layers: watershed boundary; administrative boundaries at all levels; current forest status.

2. Overlay the layers of maps specified in Clause 1 of this Article, extract and statistically analyze the forest area according to administrative units (commune, district, province) and classify by forest origin (natural forest, planted forest).

3. In cases where the forest area of a province within the watershed spans multiple provinces or of a district within the watershed spans multiple districts within a province, and changes exceed 10% compared to the published area, re-determine the forest area within the watershed.

Article 8. Implementation organization

1. The Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund or the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for localities that have not established a Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund shall be responsible for determining the watershed boundary and the forest area within the administrative boundaries of the locality, and submit for approval by the People's Committee of the province.

2. The Central Forest Protection and Development Fund shall be responsible for determining the watershed boundary and the forest area located within administrative boundaries of two or more provinces, and submit for approval by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

3. Funding shall be implemented in accordance with point a, Clause 2, Article 15 and Article 23 of Decree No. 99/2010/NĐ-CP dated September 24, 2010 of the Government on Forest Environmental Service Payment Policy.

Article 9. Effective Date

1. This Circular takes effect from December 25, 2012.

2. During implementation, if there are difficulties, agencies, organizations, and individuals should report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for consideration and resolution./.