Women who keep the land green

A life of planting forests

At 11pm, I followed Mrs. To Thi Minh, Captain of the Thuy Hai Commune Mangrove Planting Team, 4km through the forest to plant forests on the coast. This has been Mrs. Minh's regular job since she was 16 years old and until now, when she is 71 years old.

I asked her why she did not plant forests during the day but at night and early in the morning. Mrs. Minh smiled with the simple smile of a farmer and said: "It depends on the tide schedule, we cannot decide for ourselves. When the water recedes at night, we have to hurry up and plant, tie stakes so that when the water rises, the trees can survive."

Thuy Hai commune mangrove planting team set out at night

In the dimly lit night, people's faces and hearty laughter are what help people recognize each other. After many years of wandering around planting forests, they know every inch of land here, knowing which areas are sandy and which are sandy to plant at different depths.

Ms. To Thi Minh said: The coastal mangrove area of ​​Thai Thuy district is located in the delta plain where the Red River Delta has three large rivers flowing into the Gulf of Tonkin, namely Diem Dien River, Tra Ly River and Thai Binh River. Therefore, mangrove forests act as a solid shield against storms and waves as well as have high biodiversity value. In 2020, Thai Thuy Wetland Reserve was established with an area of ​​over 6,000 hectares, including forests planted by women of Thuy Hai commune covering more than 400 hectares over the past 40 years.

Ms. To Thi Minh has devoted her life to planting and protecting mangrove forests in Thuy Hai.

"Before, when we went to plant trees, people said we were crazy. They said that the more forests we planted, the farther the seafood would go. But it wasn't because of the seafood, it was because of our lives. Without the forests, after going through so many storms, we probably wouldn't have survived. Later, many people understood and even encouraged the forest planting team," Ms. Minh said with a smile.

Born in the flooded forest of Thuy Hai, Ms. Minh loves the forest as she loves her own life. Since her youth, Ms. Minh has been enthusiastically planting trees in a volunteer green shirt. When she grew up and got married, she continued to plant trees in the Women's Union and then the Red Cross of the commune. No matter which organization she is in or how busy she is, Ms. Minh devotes herself to planting trees to preserve the green color of the land every day, every hour.

Ms. Vu Thi Nga, a team member, said: "My hometown is a mangrove forest area, we used to plant the barringtonia acutangula trees but they are not very tall, easily fall and the water rises above the top. Therefore, we found the mangrove tree to plant instead. The mangrove tree is more than ten meters tall, the breathing roots develop a radius of about ten meters, clinging tightly to the ground, no wave can knock the tree down. There was a level 12 storm that hit Thuy Hai, but the waves could not do anything to our mangrove green shield."

Say no to projects that require deforestation

For the people of Thuy Hai commune in general and the forest planting team in particular, forests have an extremely great value. Only with forests can we have a peaceful life. Because in history, Thuy Hai commune has had to endure many big storms that caused serious damage.

Mrs. To Thi Minh recalls that in 1984, a big storm broke the sea dike No. 8. She carried her children and ran to evacuate. When she returned, her house was in ruins. Now, she can sleep soundly. In case of a big storm, she just needs to go inside and close the door tightly to be safe.

The mangrove trees begin to take root in the soil and grow into shields against waves and storms.

"During our time planting forests, we have seen that forests bring great value such as wave protection, preventing water from rising due to storms, and preventing soil erosion. In addition, forests are also green lungs that help regulate the air, providing more oxygen to the atmosphere. The air here is very fresh and cool, so people here are very healthy and have few illnesses," Ms. Minh confided.

In particular, in 2017, the province planned to establish an industrial park in Thuy Hai commune, planning to take 339 hectares of alluvial land to develop service industry, of which 150 hectares of mangrove forest were at risk of being wiped out. However, after listening to the opinions of local people, the project had to stop.

"100% of the people do not agree with the project because it requires deforestation. We understand the importance of forests. Without forests, our lives cannot exist. Forests can only be planted, not destroyed," said Ms. Minh.

People in Thuy Hai commune depend heavily on the forest and the sea for their livelihood. Every early morning, hundreds of people hold a small iron bar to catch sea urchins on the beach. They tell each other that they can only catch 3-5 kg ​​of sea urchins per day and absolutely not use rakes or hoes to catch them because they will be overharvested and there will be no more left to reproduce.

Ms. Bui Thi Ly, a resident of Thuy Hai commune, added: "Here, people only catch fingernails with needles. If we use rakes or hoes like in the fields, there will be no more to reproduce. It's okay to only catch a few kilos a day, but it's sustainable."

Forests are life today and tomorrow

There are few places with such a strange lifestyle as Thuy Hai. Every night, they invite each other to plant forests as a hobby. In addition to the more than 20 official members of the team, mainly women, there are also many forest planting volunteers from youth organizations, the Red Cross, the elderly... who enthusiastically participate.

The mangrove forests in Thuy Hai are also home to many species of animals.

"We go to plant trees at night when the moon is bright like going to exercise, enjoying the fresh air of the sea, it's better than going on a trip . There are days when we go out at 12 midnight and there are so many of us, by 12 noon the next day we have planted several thousand trees and continue our daily work as usual," Ms. Minh said.

Although she has passed the age of "thất thập cổ lai hy" (old age), Mrs. Minh still looks very healthy, each step is very strong and decisive. "Here, there are many kinds of shrimp, crab and fish, thanks to this seafood, our lives have been improved. The forest protects and shelters us, provides us with a source of life, so we vow to plant forests for the rest of our lives, as well as teach our children and grandchildren to always preserve and develop the forest," Mrs. Minh happily said.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-nguoi-phu-nu-di-giu-mau-xanh-cho-dat-185240531210916945.htm