Preserving the 'green gem' Kon Chu Rang

Gia Lai Thanks to the cooperation of the buffer zone community, Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve has become a bright spot in forest protection and people's livelihood development.

For many years, Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve has been considered a bright spot in forest protection work in the Central Highlands. Despite limited human resources, complex terrain, and great management pressure, Kon Chu Rang still maintains its forests effectively, without any violations.

Community joins hands to protect the forest

Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve has a natural area of ​​nearly 16,000 hectares, located in Son Lang commune ( Gia Lai province). Kon Chu Rang currently has 33 officers and employees working at checkpoints and stations. However, only 15 people are responsible for specialized forest protection. Accordingly, each specialized employee must manage more than 1,000 hectares of forest, regularly patrolling, handling encroachment risks, and facing many types of risks.

Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve is located in the Kon Ha Nung Plateau World Biosphere Reserve. Photo: Tuan Anh.

In order to protect the "green gem" in the middle of the forest, the Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve Management Board determined that forest protection is not only the task of specialized forces, but also requires the cooperation of the whole community.

Therefore, every year, Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve contracts forest management and protection to people in the buffer zone to improve their livelihoods from forest environmental services.

In Ha Lam village (Son Lang commune), Mr. Dinh Van Uy, head of the forest protection group, and his members take turns patrolling more than 270 hectares of contracted forest. Mr. Uy said that the Ha Lam village forest protection group always coordinates with the Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve Management Board to propagate to people not to violate forestry laws, and at the same time, mobilize young people to join forest protection groups.

Buffer zone community joins hands to protect the forest. Photo: Tuan Anh.

"Although the income is not much, people join hands and are determined not to let the forest be encroached," Mr. Uy affirmed.

According to Mr. Uy, people in the buffer zone are all aware that forest encroachment is a violation of the law and will be reminded by the community. Thanks to that, for many years now, people have focused on doing business and coordinating with the Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve Management Board to effectively protect the forest.

Linking forest protection responsibility with livelihood

At Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve, 17 household groups and one community of Kon Von II village have contracted to protect more than 2,000 hectares of forest with a total budget of 1.4 billion VND/year. Thanks to the consensus of the people, the situation of forest encroachment has decreased sharply in recent years.

According to the people, more important than the contract money is the meaning of the community participating in protecting the forest. When the forest is well protected, the water source is stable, the production land is less eroded, and the village's ecological environment is preserved.

In addition to income from forest protection contracts, the Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve Management Board also supports people in changing their livelihoods by providing macadamia and fruit tree seedlings and suitable livestock models. At the same time, it organizes training and guides on the application of science and technology, helping people cultivate more effectively and reduce dependence on forest exploitation.

Forest rangers in Kon Chu Rang have done a good job of protecting the 'green pearl'. Photo: Tuan Anh.

According to Mr. Nguyen Hong Quan, Acting Director of Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve, the forest management mindset at the unit has undergone a strong transformation, from a “confrontational” approach to “dialogue and partnership” with people in the buffer zone. This is considered a strategic shift, creating a foundation for effective and long-term forest conservation.

Mr. Quan said that the unit proactively invited households that had previously had forest land disputes to participate in forest protection contracts, turning them from a group at risk of encroachment into a companion force.

“Currently, each village in the buffer zone has at least one person working directly in Kon Chu Rang, creating an important bridge between the specialized force and the community. Thanks to this connection, nearly 16,000 hectares of forest in the reserve are safely protected, and the area and forest cover have continued to increase for many years,” Mr. Quan shared.

Not stopping at forest protection contracts, every year Kon Chu Rang also supports 5 buffer zone villages to buy seeds, livestock, and production machinery to develop livelihoods.

“This support significantly reduces livelihood pressure on forests, while creating conditions for people to confidently develop their economy, linking conservation with sustainable development,” Mr. Quan emphasized.

Located in the Kon Ha Nung Plateau World Biosphere Reserve, Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve has a primeval forest ecosystem typical of the Truong Son range, home to many rare animals such as grey-shanked douc langur, large-antlered muntjac, red-cheeked gibbon, primates, ungulates and many endemic bird species. Scientists have recorded more than 1,600 species of animals and plants and 66 species of fungi, including 5 species of fungi recorded for the first time in Vietnam.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/gin-giu-vien-ngoc-xanh-kon-chu-rang-d784522.html