Located in the core zone of Yok Don National Park, the people of Drang Phok village (Krong Na commune, Buon Don district, Dak Lak province) no longer listen to bad guys who illegally enter the forest to exploit forest products and hunt wild animals. They have become "forest rangers" accompanying the forest management and protection forces, preserving the old forests.
Located in the core zone of Yok Don National Park, the people of Drang Phok village (Krong Na commune, Buon Don district) no longer listen to bad guys who enter the forest to exploit forest products, hunt wild animals, and illegally hunt wildlife. They have become "forest rangers" accompanying the forest management and protection force (QLBVR) to join hands to preserve the old forests.
People of Drang Phok village (Krong Na commune, Buon Don district, Dak Lak province) and rangers of Yok Don National Park patrol and protect the forest.
Forests are invaluable assets
Like more than 100 families in Drang Phok village, Ms. H Pok Knul's family received a contract for forest management and protection at Yok Don National Park.
Today, her husband was busy, so from early morning, Ms. H Pok prepared her “baggage” to patrol the forest. This is a regular monthly task for her family and the contracted households. They divided into many groups, taking turns patrolling the forest with the Park rangers.
“Our main job is to support forest rangers in promptly preventing deforestation and animal hunting. When there are special situations such as forest fires, we are also mobilized to participate in fire fighting,” said Ms. H Pok.
In Ms. H Pok’s group, there are many women who participate in forest patrol trips. Each trip, they have to walk dozens of kilometers in the forest. For women - these are very hard trips, but they feel happy!
“Thanks to the propaganda from the forest rangers, I increasingly see the great value of forest protection. Protecting the forest is protecting ourselves. The forest maintains the water source for the village, the forest provides medicinal plants, keeps the living environment clean, and provides products to feed the villagers. Therefore, the trips to the forest are very hard, but I am still happy because I have contributed my efforts to preserve this invaluable asset!”, Ms. H Pok happily said.
"In the past, some villagers listened to brokers and secretly entered the forest to exploit forest products. Now, in Drang Phok village, most villagers are aware of the importance of forest protection," village elder Y Mosk Hra affirmed.
An ancient tree in Yok Don National Park, Buon Don district, Dak Lak province.
Village elder Y Mosk is over 65 years old this year, but he participates in most of the forest patrol trips. With his prestige, he encourages his children and grandchildren, and the villagers to join hands to protect the forest. Because the forest is like a member of the family.
“For generations, the forest has protected and sheltered the village. The forest not only provides a source of livelihood but also shelters the villagers from enemies during the war. Therefore, only when my legs can no longer lift me will I stop participating in protecting the forest,” village elder Y Mosk asserted.
Contracting policy is effective
Drang Phok village has 113/144 households contracted to manage and protect forest for more than 2,150 hectares. Each year, each household contracted to manage and protect forest receives nearly 4 million VND. This amount is not large, but for many families in Drang Phok village, it is a significant source of income, helping to cover part of their lives. Therefore, people are increasingly actively participating in forest management and protection.
Mr. Nguyen Phuc Yen, Deputy Head of Drang Phok Forest Protection Station (Yok Don National Park) said that Drang Phok village is located deep in the core forest of Yok Don National Park, so the role of local people in forest protection and management is extremely important. Along with propaganda and mobilization, the forest protection contract policy has contributed significantly to changing people's awareness.
Rangers of Yok Don National Park (Buon Don district, Dak Lak province) and local people remove animal traps during a patrol to protect the forest.
Drang Phok Forest Ranger Station is assigned to manage and protect 5 sub-zones with 5,000 hectares of forest. With a large area and limited human resources, forest management and protection for the station is an arduous task. Therefore, the contribution of contracted households has reduced the pressure on the station.
“The joint efforts of the contracted people have partly reduced the pressure on the forest rangers in patrolling, controlling the forest, removing wild animal traps, and preventing and fighting forest fires. Thanks to that, in recent years, the encroachment on the forest ecosystem in the assigned management and protection areas has been limited,” said Mr. Yen.
Mr. Phan Thanh Hoa, Deputy Head of the Yok Don National Park Forest Protection Department, also affirmed that the implementation of the forest protection contract policy has created many changes in forest protection and management work, reducing pressure on the forest rangers.
Yok Don National Park has a very large area, but the Park's Forest Protection Department is quite small. Meanwhile, the Park is adjacent to many residential areas, where life is still difficult. The Park is characterized by few hills and mountains, mainly dry dipterocarp forests with quite low tree density.
Therefore, it is easy for people to enter and exit the forest, exploit and transport forest products. Community participation in forest protection and management is extremely necessary.
Since 2009, the implementation of the policy of forest protection contracting, linking rights with forest protection responsibilities for communities living near forests, has created many positive changes in forest protection and management; promoted the role of communities, especially ethnic minorities in forest protection and management, and at the same time reduced some of the difficulties for forest rangers.
In the coming time, Yok Don National Park will continue to implement synchronous solutions to improve the effectiveness of forest management and protection. In particular, the Park will promote the role of the community, making each person an important subject in conserving the ecosystem of Yok Don National Park.
Yok Don National Park is assigning forest management and protection to 17 buffer zone villages/hamlets with 2,769 households, covering an area of 17,500 hectares. In 2024, the budget paid to people for forest management and protection will be 7 billion VND.
Source: https://danviet.vn/vqg-noi-tieng-nay-o-dak-lak-dan-cung-nganh-chuc-nang-bao-ve-cay-co-thu-dong-vat-hoang-da-20250203234342601.htm
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