In 2016, rubber wood made up 22.1 percent of the country’s total wood export value (Source: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – A workshop to promotesustainable rubber forests was jointly organised by the Vietnam Rubber Association(VRA) and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) in HCM City on July 24.
Vo Hoang An, VRA Vice President, highlighted thefast development of the rubber sector, with rubber forests covering the biggestarea among long-term industrial plants in Vietnam, hitting about over 976,000hectares in 2016.
In 2016, rubber wood made up 22.1 percent of thecountry’s total wood export values, and 31.7 percent of the sector’s exportvalue.
He underlined the increasing trend of using forest-basedproducts with legal origin or sustainable forest management certification inthe context that countries are making every effort to cope with global climatechange.
Forest certification is considered a tool for sustainable forest management,thus ensuring socio-economic development and environment protection goals.
According to Le Thien Duc from WWF Vietnam,around 230,000 hectares of forests have been granted with the ForestStewardship Council (FSC) certification, accounting for 42 percent ofthe target set for 2020.
Vietnam has yet to submit the FSC its nationalstandards on sustainable forests management, Duc said.
Meanwhile, Truong Minh Trung, Deputy DirectorGeneral of the Vietnam Rubber Group, said Vietnam has no rubber forests grantedwith FSC certificate.
Wood products with FSC certification have higherprices than normal ones, Truong said, adding that his group will step up FSC-metforests planting in its member units.
According to the WWF, in order to develop rubberforests sustainably, the rubber forests must follow Vietnamese andinternational law, gaining local support and respect while minimising theirimpacts on the environment.-VNA
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