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Hoang published evidence of illegal logging and information about the causes of deforestation in Viet Nam based on his experience in training on field investigations organized by\u00a0People and Nature Reconciliation\u00a0(PanNature<\/a>), a Vietnamese non-profit and partner in the\u00a0Voices for Mekong Forests<\/a>\u00a0(V4MF) project.<\/p>\n V4MF is a five-year project funded by the European Union. It aims to strengthen the power of non-state actors such as civil society, Indigenous Peoples, private sector and local community groups to engage in and influence forest governance in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam. The project supports the EU\u2019s Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative and the United Nations\u2019 Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) initiative.<\/p>\n In Viet Nam, PanNature is building the capacity of journalists to investigate the health of forests and assess weaknesses in forestry policies and enforcement to inform the public and authorities. In Viet Nam there are few opportunities for Vietnamese journalists to improve their knowledge about forest governance and their investigative reporting skills through on-job training.<\/p>\n PanNature organized four\u00a0field trainings on forest governance for about 20 journalists between 2018 and 2019. After the trainings, the journalists produced almost 40 stories on forest governance issues that inspired local government action.<\/p>\n \u201cMany cases of deforestation were uncovered, helping to shed light on the flaws and limitations of forest management and protection in Viet Nam,\u201d said Hoang, who published an\u00a0article<\/a>\u00a0on deforestation in Kon Tum province. \u201cThe training helped me choose the topics that have social significance and can positively contribute to the well-being of communities.\u201d<\/p>\n Vo Manh Hung, a journalist with Vietnam News Agency, goes by his pen name Hung Vo. After the training, he collaborated with PanNature to develop a special\u00a010-part series\u00a0of articles<\/a>, videos and photos demonstrating the current situation of forest governance in Viet Nam.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThrough the field trip, I have a better understanding of the current status of Viet Nam’s forests, the causes of deforestation, the weaknesses of law enforcement at the local level and the national policies,\u201d said Hung Vo.<\/p>\n In response to these and other stories, local authorities stopped some illegal forestry operations,\u00a0arrested forest rangers\u00a0<\/a>and tightened forest protection in illegal logging hot spots.<\/p>\n In honour of Hung Vo\u2019s journalistic impact, he was awarded three national and professional prizes for his reporting on the environment and climate change. He shared his experience on Vietnam Television Corporation and with the Vietnam Journalists\u2019 Association.<\/p>\n The training is just one example of PanNature\u2019s success in engaging journalists in forest governance. In addition to field training, PanNature connects journalists in a series of seminars to forestry experts to deepen their knowledge on forest governance in Viet Nam.<\/p>\n In the past two years, PanNature has organized three seminars where journalists learned about restoring natural forests, community forestry and the need to diversify how special-use forests are financed. Special-use forests are forests used for nature conservation, scientific research\u00a0and preservation of the ecosystem\u00a0and cultural customs.<\/p>\n PanNature\u2019s seminars engaged 73 national journalists from media agencies and local journalists from Quang Nam and Kon Tum provinces. The journalists published almost 50 articles after these seminars.<\/p>\n With V4MF support, PanNature will continue to engage journalists in additional seminars and investigations related to FLEGT, REDD+, payments for forest environmental services and Viet Nam\u2019s Law on Biodiversity.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang is a communication manager at\u00a0PanNature.<\/p>\n This story is produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its content is the sole responsibility of\u00a0RECOFTC<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0PanNature<\/a>\u00a0and it does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nature.org.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/1.jpg\")
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