A TUT - THE PERSON WHO LIGHTS THE BLUE FIRE IN THE MIDST OF THE FOREST

On the small winding road along the mountainside, the sunlight weaves through the old forest canopy, shining down on the stilt houses with the faint blue smoke of the afternoon, Mang Ruong village in Kon Dao commune, Quang Ngai province appears like a peaceful picture, where the green color of the mountains and forests blends with the peaceful life of the people. And in the middle of that picture, stands out the image of a strong man with a determined but warm gaze - Mr. A Tut, the village chief of Mang Ruong village, he was born in 1986, the person affectionately called by the people: "The one who lights the green fire in the middle of the forest".

Village Chief A Tut and Forest Rangers guide the Forest Protection Team

Not only is he a responsible village cadre, A Tut is also the one who, together with the community, wrote a miraculous story about the journey of protecting forests - building villages - and sustainably enriching himself from the forests that the State assigned to the community to manage.

Starting with a promise to the forest

Previously, when Mang Ruong village received nearly 300 hectares of natural forest for the village community to manage, many people were skeptical. “Our people are still poor, how can we protect the forest?” - many people asked A Tut.

But he just smiled: "The forest is the mother of the village, protecting the forest means protecting the life and food of future generations."

That simple sentence was a promise he voluntarily signed with his whole life.

A Tut began to mobilize each household to sign a commitment to protect the forest, organized village meetings to disseminate the Forestry Law, and integrated forest management and protection into the village's covenants and regulations. He, along with committees, organizations and prestigious people in the village, established community forest protection teams and assigned rotating patrol schedules to ensure that all households participated in forest protection. Each step was cautious, persistent but full of determination.

Digital technology applications - When forest rangers use smartphones

Not stopping there , A Tut always urges the community to innovate. One thing that few people expect: In a remote village like Mang Ruong village, digital technology has become a "powerful assistant" in forest management and protection. With a spirit of diligence and eagerness to learn, village chief A Tut has proactively approached and applied information technology in the village's forest management and protection.

When the Forest Ranger instructed him on how to use the forest protection management software that integrates remote sensing images and forest fire warning software on a smartphone, he quickly grasped how to use it, from accessing satellite maps, analyzing forest evolution data to detecting fire spots on satellites. The village chief's eagerness to learn and progressive spirit have helped community forest monitoring become more proactive, accurate and effective, contributing to raising awareness of forest protection among villagers.

Village Chief A Tut and Forest Rangers guide forest protection patrol planning

In particular, A Tut has guided the Forest Protection Teams to set up a Zalo group to protect the community forest, to announce patrol schedules, check forest attendance, quickly share information on violations, weather forecasts, forest fire prevention and fighting... When going to the forest, A Tut guides people to mark big trees, places where the forest is at risk of being encroached, use their phones to film and take pictures and send them to the group for monitoring. Thanks to that, forest management in Mang Ruong village is now strict, modern, transparent, saving time and costs - something that seems to only exist in professional units.

Turning forests into livelihoods - Contributing to building new rural areas

The results did not come immediately, but their efforts were rewarded: The community forest area was protected intact, the air was fresh, and the streams began to fill with water again. Since 2022, Mang Ruong village has received regular payments for forest environmental services (FES), an average of nearly 200 million VND per year.

A Tut suggested that the villagers take out about 30% of that amount and put it into the village fund to use for common purposes such as organizing green banh chung festival, celebrating achievements, supporting the poor, repaying gratitude, visiting funerals, maintaining and repairing community houses, supporting scholarships for poor students... The remaining amount will be divided equally among households participating in forest protection during the year, on average each household receives about 1 million to 2 million in a year, depending on the number of working days participating in forest protection patrols during the year.

After receiving the payment for forest environmental services, the village chief held a meeting with the villagers and enthusiastically instructed them to use this source of funding effectively. He mobilized households to contribute capital and join together to buy coffee and rubber seedlings to plant on suitable swidden land, aiming to develop the household economy . Currently, Mang Ruong village has about 25 hectares of coffee and 10 hectares of rubber. In addition, the villagers actively participate in planting forests and scattered trees to create a shady landscape and develop the economy.

Thanks to the timely guidance of the village chief, the villagers were very excited; the allocation of community forests not only helped people increase their income but also tightened the bond between the community and the forest. Each tree standing firmly in the middle of the forest not only provided shade and green lungs, but also the pride and livelihood of the whole village.

The Journey Ahead - Keeping the Forest Green

Now, standing on the top of the hill looking down, Mang Ruong village is like a green oasis in the middle of the forest. Children's laughter echoes through the forest, the crowing of roosters and the chirping of birds... All are living proof of the harmonious symbiosis between humans and the forest.

Although the village forest area is protected stably, the village chief still does not neglect his duties but always tries to maintain propaganda activities, mobilizing people to actively participate in forest protection. He regularly organizes village meetings, integrating forest protection content into community activities to remind and raise awareness for each household. He always ends the village meetings with the saying: "Protecting the forest is protecting the lives of every person in our village". He shared: "In the past, many people thought that the forest belonged to the State, but now people have changed their thinking that the forest belongs to us, to our children and grandchildren".

That change is A Tut’s greatest achievement – ​​an invisible but sustainable achievement. It turns each person into an “amateur forest ranger”, turns each child into a “green shoot of the forest”.

Thanks to the village chief’s perseverance and dedication, the villagers’ sense of responsibility in protecting the forest has been increasingly strengthened, becoming a way of life and a common awareness of the whole community. When asked for the secret to success, A Tut just smiled gently: “I don’t have any secret, just love the forest, love the people, and persevere in doing every little thing.”

But anyone who has accompanied him understands: To do what he does, it takes not only love, but also courage, vision and the heart of a true community leader. He spends his time patrolling the forest with the villagers day and night, is not afraid to learn new technology, is not afraid to debate to convince everyone to agree, is not afraid to clash to protect what is right. In the eyes of the people of Mang Ruong village, A Tut is both a brother, a friend and a "leader of the green forest".

The story of A Tut and the Mang Ruong village community is not noisy or ostentatious, but quietly spreads like underground streams that nourish the green forest.

In the midst of global challenges such as climate change and resource degradation, this example is a strong message: Forest protection is not only the responsibility of the State, but also the duty and right of every citizen. The journey of the village chief not only helps people escape poverty and build new rural areas, but also inspires and spreads the spirit of responsibility and love for forests to many other communities.

From small villages like Mang Ruong village, from resilient people like A Tut, hopefully, Vietnam's forests will forever be green - just like the belief and aspiration they put into every tree and every leaf today.

Nguyen Thi Phuong Trang

Forestry Department

Source: https://snn.quangngai.gov.vn/danh-muc-cot-phai/phat-trien-nong-thon/a-tut-nguoi-thap-lua-xanh-giua-dai-ngan.html