Preserve the peace of Ea Sô forest.

Amidst the rugged forests, where phone signals are intermittent and the paths are treacherous, the staff and employees of the Ea Sô Nature Reserve silently and tirelessly work day and night. The fruits of their persistent efforts are the vast green expanse of the forest and the thriving population of many rare animal species.

The Ea Sô Nature Reserve, covering an area of ​​26,848 hectares and bordering Gia Lai province, boasts an incredibly rich and diverse flora and fauna, including many rare species listed in the Red Book. While possessing valuable resources, the Ea Sô Nature Reserve constantly faces pressure from illegal logging and wildlife hunting. Furthermore, its rugged terrain, unpredictable weather, and the fact that many areas are unreachable in the forest also make patrolling and monitoring challenging.

Ea Sô Nature Reserve boasts an incredibly rich and diverse flora and fauna.

However, recognizing forest management and protection as a key task, the Ea Sô Nature Reserve Management Board has directed its subordinate stations and teams to strengthen patrols in sensitive areas, especially those previously identified as "hot spots". Since the beginning of the year, the unit's forest rangers have organized more than 50 independent patrol and raid operations totaling nearly 1,000 man-days; and coordinated with contracted forest protection teams to conduct nearly 140 patrols, equivalent to more than 2,100 man-days.

Not only are forest patrols frequent and regular, but they are also organized systematically with specific plans, focusing on times and areas prone to violations. As a result, many acts of illegal logging, hunting, and trapping of wild animals have been detected and prevented in a timely manner.

Forest patrol in Ea Sô Nature Reserve

In key sub-areas such as 616, 617, and 623 – areas frequently impacted by human activity – forest management and protection forces have taken turns on duty day and night at temporary shelters deep in the forest. Despite the many hardships and difficult living conditions over the years, the officers have persevered in staying in the forest and the area with the spirit of "protecting the forest from the roots," preventing any unexpected forest encroachment.

Close coordination leads to a significant reduction in violations.

A notable aspect of forest conservation efforts in Ea Sô is the enhanced coordination between forest rangers, local authorities, forest management units, and functional forces in border areas. In 2025, the Ea Sô Nature Reserve Management Board implemented numerous inter-agency patrol and crackdown plans, focusing on areas bordering Gia Lai province and neighboring communes.

Simultaneously, efforts to raise awareness and encourage people in the buffer zone to participate in forest protection have been emphasized. Village and hamlet meetings, mobile awareness campaigns, and forest protection pledge signing ceremonies are organized regularly; content on wildlife protection and forest fire prevention and control is incorporated into school curricula, contributing to raising community awareness – an element considered a "soft barrier" but one that yields sustainable results in forest conservation.

Authorities have set up camera traps to capture images of animals in the Ea Sô Nature Reserve.

Thanks to the synchronized implementation of various solutions, by the end of November 2025, the entire Ea Sô Nature Reserve recorded only 6 violations of forestry laws, a 60% reduction compared to 2024. Notably, 100% of the cases were detected and handled promptly, preventing them from escalating or becoming hotspots.

In addition to the cases that were documented and processed, the patrol force also dismantled more than 1,000 unattended animal traps and confiscated many homemade hunting rifles, contributing to the protection of wildlife in the reserve. In many key areas, illegal logging has almost ceased to occur.

In August 2025, the Center for Nature Conservation and Development (under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations) announced the results of a biodiversity survey in the Ea Sô Nature Reserve, with many positive findings. According to the survey, experts recorded 789 species of vascular plants, belonging to 148 families and 494 genera; including 1 critically endangered species, 9 endangered species, and 11 near-endangered species.

Regarding fauna, 179 species of birds (19 orders, 54 families) were recorded, including 8 species listed in the Vietnam Red Book; 30 species of mammals (6 orders, 15 families), including 22 species listed in the Vietnam Red Book; and 48 species of reptiles and amphibians (2 orders, 12 families), including 22 species listed in the Vietnam Red Book. Notably, for the first time in over 20 years, the Ea Sô Nature Reserve recorded the reappearance of several rare species such as the Little Fish-Eyed Hawk (Group IIB) and the Silver-Backed Civet (Critical Endangered Group), previously only recorded in Khánh Hòa and Phú Yên provinces.

A wild buffalo in the Ea Sô Nature Reserve was captured on camera in July 2025.

“To protect the forest, first and foremost, our unit's forces must stay close to the forest, have a firm grasp of the area, especially the border regions. In addition, close coordination with local authorities, neighboring forest protection units, and people contracted to protect the forest helps us to promptly detect and prevent violations. When all forces work together in a coordinated manner, the forest will be preserved,” said Mr. Le Minh Tien, Director of the Ea So Nature Reserve.

According to the leaders of the Ea Sô Nature Reserve, in the coming time, the unit will continue to maintain patrol teams at key shelters, strengthen patrols, apply patrol data management tools, and promote propaganda work so that people in the buffer zone truly become the "eyes and ears" of the forest protection force.

Van Tiep

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/thoi-su/202512/giu-binh-yen-cho-rung-ea-so-a8b0fe4/