Forest protection, sustainable forestry development

By the end of 2023, Phu Yen district will have over 74,150 hectares of forestry land; of which 53,547 hectares are natural forests and more than 4,465 hectares are planted forests, the rest is unforested land. In order to achieve the goal of sustainable forestry development and create conditions for people to have stable income from forestry, the district has directed agencies, functional forces, and communes to strengthen forest management and protection, implement silvicultural measures to develop production forests according to the plan, and gradually increase forest cover.

Ta Xua Special-Use Forest Management Board deploys forest fire prevention and control plan in Muong Thai commune, Phu Yen district.

Mr. Soi Van Kien, Head of Phu Yen District Forest Protection Department, said: As the core force in forest management and protection, the Forest Protection Department has actively advised the district to direct agencies, functional forces, and commune authorities to implement legal regulations, mechanisms, and policies on forest management and protection. In 2023, the forest coverage rate in the district will reach 47.6%.

The District Forest Protection Department has coordinated well with the village management boards and forest owners to promote the dissemination of policies and guidelines on forest protection and development. During the year, 101 commune and village level conferences were organized, with 8,420 participants; thousands of leaflets and many documents were distributed to disseminate regulations on handling administrative violations in the forestry sector, contributing to raising people's awareness and creating positive changes in the management, protection and forest fire prevention and control work.

At the same time, direct local forest rangers to closely follow the grassroots, proactively advise local authorities to implement measures to protect the remaining forest area; propagate, mobilize, and guide people to implement regulations on forest fire prevention and control. Organize the signing of commitments to protect forests and forest fire prevention and control between forest owners and village chiefs, between village chiefs and commune People's Committee Chairmen. Last year, the district detected and handled 10 cases of violations of the Forestry Law, a decrease of 14 cases compared to the previous year; there were no violations that required criminal prosecution in the field of forest management and protection.

After completing the review and conversion of less vulnerable protective forest land into production forest development planning, combined with adjusting the planning of 3 types of forests and revising and supplementing the dossiers on forest land allocation to organizations and individuals in the area, the District Forest Protection Department regularly monitors and updates the development of forest resources, organizes inspections and updates when there are changes in forests and forestry land; strengthens inspection of people's slash-and-burn production activities, promptly prevents forest encroachment.

Implementing the policy of sustainable forestry development, the District Forest Protection Department has coordinated with the commune authorities to promote the socialization of forest protection and development. Guide forest owners to exploit production forests and replant forests after exploitation in accordance with regulations. Coordinate with the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund to inspect and adjust the database after the results of forest inventory, monitor the development of forest resources, implement the policy of payment for forest environmental services and guide forest owners to use the money paid for the right purpose, effectively, serving the work of forest protection and development.

Forest rangers and militia of Huy Bac commune, Phu Yen district patrol to protect the forest.

Ban Cai, Muong Bang commune has 108 households, managing 1,026 hectares of forest. From 2018 to now, the village has been paid nearly 1 billion 565 million VND for forest environmental services. Party cell secretary, village head Phung Van Khue shared: The village's forest protection team has 20 members, regularly patrolling to protect the forest, preventing encroachment of forest land and illegal exploitation of forest products. In the past 5 years, from the source of forest environmental services, the village has spent 586 million VND on forest protection and development, supporting people to improve their lives; spent more than 710 million VND to build traffic works, irrigation, repair classrooms, domestic water and invest in equipment for the village's cultural house according to the new rural construction program.

In addition, the District Forest Protection Department has coordinated with the Management Board and the Ta Xua Special-Use Forest Protection Department in managing, protecting, developing forests and implementing policies on sustainable forestry development. Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh, Head of the Ta Xua Special-Use Forest Protection Department, informed: Policies on supporting communities in the buffer zone of special-use forests have been implemented promptly and effectively. In 2023, the unit distributed 45,747 seedlings for forest planting to 19 villages; paid more than 7.9 billion VND for forest environmental services to the communities contracted to protect forests in Suoi To and Muong Thai communes.

Phu Yen Forest Protection Department provides forest seedlings to people.

Entering the peak of the dry season this year, the District Forest Protection Department and the Ta Xua Special-Use Forest Management Board have developed and implemented a PCCCR plan. Regularly monitor and update information on the Forest Protection Department's website, proactively handle situations when they arise. At the same time, continue to monitor forest and forestry land developments, manage investment and guide the implementation of forestry development projects, create long-term livelihoods, and increase income for people from forestry.

Article and photos: Ngoc Thuan

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