With the goal of sustainable forest protection and raising people's awareness of forest protection, in recent times, mountainous districts of Quang Tri province, especially Huong Hoa district, have promoted the assignment of forests to people for protection. Thanks to the assignment of forest protection to each village, hamlet and household, complicated cases of destruction of protective forests and special-use forests have been limited, and at the same time, people have had an additional legitimate source of income from the forest.
Members of the forest patrol team in Ta Rung village, Huc commune, Huong Hoa district, patrol to protect the forest - Photo: D.V
Mr. Ho Van Kien's family is one of the households in Ta Rung village, Huc commune, Huong Hoa district, receiving 78 hectares of forest from 2018. More than anyone else, Mr. Kien and his family members always understand the importance of protective forests and are dedicated to protecting them.
Every few days, Mr. Kien and many other members of the village who were assigned to protect the forest would pack their bags and go on patrols. Their tireless steps had made them familiar with every forest in Ta Rung village. Each time they went on an inspection, Mr. Kien’s team would pay close attention to signs of forest encroachment, trapping wild animals or the risk of forest fires in order to promptly report to superiors for handling measures.
Mr. Kien shared: “Since receiving the forest contract, we have been responsible for regularly propagating and reminding people not to cut down forests, not to encroach on forest land, and not to set fires that cause forest fires. If there is an incident related to forest encroachment, we will promptly report it to our superiors for timely handling.”
The responsibility of protecting the forest of Mr. Kien and his members not only helps the forests to be peaceful but also brings income to improve their lives. Having been contracted to protect the forest since 2018, up to now, each year Mr. Kien's family has benefited about 22 million VND, thanks to which they have better conditions to take care of their lives.
In Huong Phung commune, forest protection work has received early attention and focus. In 2017, the Chenh Venh Village Community Forest Management Board, Huong Phung Commune, was established. Most of the participating members are Van Kieu ethnic households, assigned the task of managing and protecting 600 hectares of natural forest near residential areas.
Head of the Chênh Vênh Village Community Forest Management Board, Hồ Văn Chiến, said that the board has 7 members including 1 head, 2 deputy heads, 1 secretary and 3 supervisors. In addition, there are 6 forest patrol teams, each team consists of 5-6 people.
Mr. Chien said that each team will take turns patrolling the forest for 1-2 days. When detecting strangers or signs of forest encroachment, the forest patrol team will prevent, repel and report to the authorities for timely handling.
“Local people consider forests as a precious gift from heaven and earth, an important source of life, so when the committee was established, it attracted many people to participate voluntarily. Everyone promoted their responsibility and made efforts to protect the community forest,” said Mr. Chien.
Having participated in the forest patrol team for more than 6 years, Mr. Ho Van Lai Hai (Chief of Chenh Venh village and a member of the forest patrol team of the Chenh Venh village community forest management board) said: Thanks to the joint efforts of the village community forest management board, local authorities, and strict protection by forest rangers, the village's community forests have grown and developed well, many large-diameter natural forest trees have been protected, and many rare animals have come to live here.
With such effective forest protection, the State has assigned the Chênh Vênh village community an additional 200 hectares of forest, bringing the total area of natural forest assigned to the village for protection to 800 hectares. In Huong Phung commune, there are currently more than 3,500 hectares of natural forest. This natural forest ecosystem has brought values: biodiversity, genetic resources, carbon absorption, water resource protection, spiritual culture... The contributions of the Chênh Vênh village community have partly prevented deforestation, hunting of rare animals, and protected the natural ecosystem of the forests.
Currently, the Huong Hoa - Dakrong Protective Forest Management Board is managing forests and forest land with a total area of over 23,000 hectares in the two mountainous districts of Huong Hoa and Dakrong. In order to do a good job of forest protection, in addition to directing functional forces to regularly strengthen forest protection inspections, the board has also proactively signed forest protection contracts for 24 household groups (120 people) and 63 households with a contracted protection area of over 11,000 hectares.
Director of Huong Hoa - Dakrong Forest Protection Management Board Nguyen Cong Tuan said: Currently, the unit is managing a very large forest area in Huong Hoa and Dakrong districts. Therefore, to protect the forest and do a good job of forest protection, we must first rely on the local government forces on the spot.
At the same time, to preserve the forest, the unit needs the timely and regular support of the people and community groups assigned to protect the forest in the locality. The management board's forces are very thin, so to do a good job of protecting the forest, it must rely on the local government forces right next to the forest edge, only then can forest encroachment be detected in time to have effective protection measures.
It can be seen that the forest allocation policy in localities has received consensus and support from the communities living near the forest. This is considered an effective solution in protecting and restoring forests and creating favorable conditions for natural forests to develop as well as helping to improve people's lives.
Hieu Giang
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