Payment for ecosystem services in Vietnam : Perceptions of policy mobility on different levels

Sammanfattning: Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) has been seen as a strategy to reduce poverty while maintaining and increasing the supply of ecosystem services. Vietnam is the first country in Southeast Asia to implement PES as a law for forest protection. Several studies of PES in Vietnam have been done, where the positive results tend to come from provinces with higher payments. This also seem to correlate with the level of environmental awareness and engagement among local communities. In this study, interviews with NGOs and institutions were conducted with the purpose to investigate their perception of the understanding of PES on a local level, and how they are working for improvements. All interviewees recognized that there are problems with the top-down design of the policy and raised issues such as lack of communication, low and risky payments and low rates of engagement within local communities. The interviewees are working for improvements from different angles and levels. The effectivity approach has led to an overall higher understanding of PES in Vietnam, whilst a more fair approach might be needed to achieve a long-term change of behaviour.