Dear Partners and Supporters,

We are pleased to share highlights from PanNature's activities during the second quarter of 2026. This period marked continued progress on the GLAD Project in Gia Lai and our ongoing advocacy for stronger protected area management. The quarter also saw new milestones in community-based forest restoration and grassroots conservation support across Vietnam. Thank you for continuing to make this work possible. We're glad to have you with us this quarter!

This year's International Day for Biological Diversity theme, "Acting locally for global impact," reflects the approach behind PanNature's Grassroots Conservation Grant Program. Launched in late 2025 with support from Conservation Vietnam, the five-year program (2025–2030) provides small grants of up to USD 12,000 to locally led organizations working on biodiversity conservation across Vietnam. To date, the program has supported 21 projects across more than 10 provinces, channeling resources directly to the communities and local groups closest to the ecosystems they are working to protect.

PanNature joined six other conservation organizations - ENV, SVW, CERGON, WildAct, CTNC, and CECAD  in a formal petition to the Prime Minister, urging caution in the planned restructuring and merger of national parks and nature reserves. The petition calls for a unified management model that prioritizes ecological integrity and landscape connectivity over administrative streamlining alone.

From March 31 to April 10, 2026, the GLAD project team held engagement sessions with Rainforest Alliance-certified businesses in Gia Lai province, exploring how to integrate tree-planting into raw material zones, specifically coffee and pepper farms. Every participating business expressed interest in the effort, though sessions also surfaced barriers to work through: financing, long-term commitment, and farmer economic incentives.

From April 7 to 15, 2026, the GLAD project held household consultations based on Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) principles in Krong, Dak Rong, and Bien Ho communes, engaging nearly 80 households and local authorities. The sessions clarified each household's rights and responsibilities for tree planting on their own land, and most participants gave their informed consent.

From April 20 to May 14, 2026, the GLAD project held consultations with local authorities and communities across 10 communes in Gia Lai, including Party Committees, Commune People's Committees, village leaders, and schools to finalize the 2026 planting plan. Participants identified candidate sites, including schools, communal houses, and inter-village roads, and the project has now completed consultations in 13 communes total.

PanNature is crowdfunding a 300m² nursery for rare native trees  including the Pà Cò pine through MoMo's Piggy Bank feature. Each pig raised goes toward producing 5,000 high-quality seedlings a year, feeding into the "Rung Xanh Len" program, which has restored over 300 hectares of forest across the Northwest and Central Highlands.

In April 2026, PanNature brought together residents of Pa Cop, Ta De, Lung Xa, and Long Luong villages in Van Ho commune to map the next phase of forest restoration under the "Regreening Forest" (Rừng Xanh Lên) program. Local residents shared traditional knowledge and observations on forest conditions, helping identify the most critical sites for reconnecting habitat corridors for the Critically Endangered Northern White-cheeked Gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys) one of Vietnam's rarest primates.

PanNature has joined the "Green Alliance," an ESG initiative led by Vietnam Airlines, alongside 17 other member organizations. Through the "Góp lá vá rừng" campaign, a portion of flight revenue is directed toward restoring 500 hectares of the Mai Chau–Van Ho forest corridor by 2032, linking everyday travel with on-the-ground conservation in Northern Vietnam.

On May 17, 2026, to mark International Biodiversity Day, over 100 residents of Na Bai village joined local authorities and volunteers to plant 6,000 native trees across 10 hectares of natural forest. The village now has local conventions in place prohibiting grazing and the cutting of young trees - a sign of growing community ownership over the forest and its long-term recovery. The event drew coverage from 13 news outlets nationwide. This initiative highlights the central role of the community in forest protection, securing a sustainable future.

In March 2026, PanNature relocated its field office in Vân Hồ, Sơn La Province, expanding its operational base for conservation work in the Northwestern Mountains. The new facility includes dedicated office space, working areas, and laboratories to better support field-based monitoring, ecological research, and biodiversity conservation activities in the region.

To support large-scale forest restoration, the site is equipped with a 300-square-meter nursery greenhouse for propagating native seedlings and a 1,000-square-meter hardening area where young trees gradually adapt to natural conditions before being planted in the forest. The upgraded facility strengthens PanNature's capacity to implement restoration initiatives and community-based conservation programs across the Northwest Highlands.

Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung joined PanNature in May 2026 as Organizational Development Manager. She brings over 20 years of experience in communications, public advocacy, and nature conservation. Before joining PanNature, she was Vice Director and Manager of the Communications and Public Awareness Program at Education for Nature - Vietnam (ENV).

Also in May, PanNature welcomed Ha Huong Giang as Accountant. She brings over 20 years of experience in accounting and financial management within international organizations and private companies, including as Project Accountant for nature conservation and biodiversity projects funded by UNDP, World Bank, CABI, and ACB. Ms. Giang holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from Foreign Trade University.

We're delighted to welcome Ms. Dung and Ms. Giang to the PanNature team.