Hoang Lien forest rangers and people sign commitment to protect forests

On the occasion of International Day of Forests, March 21, Hoang Lien Forest Protection Department of Hoang Lien National Park, Lao Cai province organized an oath-taking ceremony and signed a commitment to protect the forest with households living in the buffer zone of the Park.

The activities of the Hoang Lien Forest Protection Department and the people to sign a commitment to protect the forest aim to strengthen forest management and protection, improve forest quality, and ensure the achievement of forest coverage targets. At the same time, it further enhances the responsibility of people living near forests and forest edges in forest management, protection, development, and forest fire prevention and fighting.

Hoang Lien Forest Protection Department and local people sign a commitment to protect the forest. Photo: Le Dung.

In recent times, Hoang Lien Forest Protection Department has coordinated with local authorities to strengthen propaganda and implement forest protection commitments. Forest protection commitments not only raise community awareness of responsibility, but also create a more effective forest protection network, helping to reduce deforestation, encroachment on forest land, and limit violations of the Forestry Law in the management area.

Every year, Hoang Lien Forest Protection Department has coordinated to organize nearly 100 propaganda sessions with more than 6,000 participants, including 19 forest protection oath-taking sessions in villages under its management with more than 2,000 participants and signing a commitment to protect the forest. The forest protection commitment clearly states the village's regulations and covenants when there are violations and the responsibilities of individuals and households in grazing livestock, cultivating fixed fields, utilizing dry wood in the forest, using water sources to raise fish, bringing fire into the forest, etc.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Hanh, Director of Hoang Lien National Park, spoke to show the determination of the government and people to protect the forest. Photo: Le Dung

The commitment to forest protection has helped people proactively participate in forest protection activities such as denouncing acts of encroachment on forest land; patrolling and checking forests; standing guard against forest fires; detecting and participating in handling when forest fires occur... From there, it can be affirmed that the commitment to forest protection is not only to assign responsibility, but also the basis for changing people's awareness in protecting and developing forests.

It is known that Hoang Lien Forest Protection Department is assigned to manage 28,498.0 hectares of forest and forestry land in Hoang Lien National Park (NP), in the management area there are many ethnic minorities living with 2,459 households/19 villages (belonging to 3 communes of Hoang Lien, Ta Van and Ban Ho). The poverty rate is still high compared to the general level. In particular, there are 05 inner buffer zone villages (Ma Quai Ho village, Ta Trung Ho village in Ban Ho commune and Seo My Ty village, Den Thang village in Ta Van commune) with 515 households living. This is also a difficult and challenging part in the unit's forest management and protection work.