Strengthening the management and protection of heritage forests.

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is a prime example of biodiversity in the Northern Truong Son ecological region – one of the 200 globally important ecological regions; it is also notable for its pristine forest ecosystem on limestone mountains and unique geological features. It is also home to many endemic, rare, and precious animal and plant species. Therefore, this places considerable pressure on the forest protection force in developing patrol plans and strategies suitable to the specific conditions and circumstances.

Báo Quảng Trị•30/05/2026

Officers from the Thuong Hoa Forest Protection Station intensify patrols to protect the forest - Photo: NH

According to Ngo Dinh Hieu, head of the Thuong Hoa Forest Protection Station ( World Heritage and Conservation Center), located in On village, Kim Dien commune, the station is responsible for managing and protecting over 21,000 hectares of special-use forest within the strictly protected zone of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, comprising 21 sub-zones and 209 plots.

The majority of the forest area is located on limestone mountains, with a portion being hillside forest. The forest type is predominantly evergreen, with a forest cover rate of 95%. Within the station's management area, the population mainly consists of ethnic minorities with low levels of education and no stable employment; in reality, there is still a situation where people rely on the forest for their livelihood, engaging in illegal exploitation of forest resources.

The station has 14 people, including 8 forest protection officers and 6 forest protection staff, all of whom are skilled in navigating the forest. Since the beginning of the year, the station has closely followed the forest protection management plan and monthly patrol schedule approved by the Center for Forest Protection and World Heritage; simultaneously, it has implemented forest protection work at the source, organized long-term patrols, and expanded its patrol area to track down and prevent illegal logging, trapping, hunting of wild animals, and other violations of the law.

Since the beginning of the year, the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park Management Board has implemented numerous activities to raise awareness among local people and organizations about complying with regulations on forest protection, maintaining environmental hygiene, and preserving the park's aesthetics through various means; especially focusing on disseminating information about protecting endangered, rare, and precious animal species. In addition, the board emphasizes coordination with local Party committees, authorities in communes, border guard posts, and schools to raise awareness of conservation among the community...

According to Mr. Ngo Dinh Hieu, from the beginning of 2025 to the present, the station has conducted 48 patrols, totaling 111 days and 74 nights, or over 317 hours, covering a patrol distance of 768.87 km. The area under the station's management is primarily inhabited by ethnic minorities, whose lives are difficult and whose livelihoods depend on the forest.

Therefore, clandestine intrusion into the forest by local people is inevitable. Recognizing the crucial need for public awareness campaigns, the station regularly collaborates with local authorities and relevant units to integrate community activities and village meetings into the dissemination of information on forest management, wildlife protection, and raising awareness about livestock and animal grazing practices.

According to Pham Van Tan, Director of the Center for Forest Protection and World Heritage (under the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park Management Board), the unit is responsible for managing and protecting over 123,300 hectares of special-use forests, over 3,153 hectares of protection forests, and 407 hectares of production forests. The current state of forest resources in the area largely consists of rich and medium-density forests. This area also boasts high biodiversity, preserving many endemic, rare, and precious plant and animal species listed in the Vietnam Red Book and the IUCN Red Book.

“The unit has closely monitored and strengthened forest protection work at the source, implementing monthly plans to effectively carry out tasks; organizing inter-agency patrols and raids at hotspots and sensitive areas throughout the National Park (especially the plan for protecting the Cypress trees); constantly changing patrol and inspection methods in a flexible, secret, unexpected, and timely manner to resolutely arrest and handle violators.”

"The unit has effectively applied and utilized the SMART software in patrolling, managing forest protection and biodiversity monitoring; inspecting, controlling, and protecting boundary markers and adjacent areas, and thoroughly preventing encroachment on forest land...", said the Director of the Center for Forest Protection and World Heritage.

Since the beginning of the year, the forest protection stations under the Center for Forest Protection and World Heritage have organized more than 160 awareness campaigns; mobilized and educated on laws to more than 120 residential areas, villages, and hamlets in the communes, with the participation of over 3,200 people; coordinated with forest protection teams in the communes to organize more than 300 patrols, checkpoints, and control activities on forest protection in the forest area of the National Park and border areas; coordinated with functional forces to carry out 7 patrols and forest protection activities in the border area; conducted more than 870 patrols and forest protection activities with a patrol distance of over 8,800 km; deployed 114 patrols to manage and protect the cypress tree population throughout the forest area. Through these efforts, they promptly detected and removed more than 200 snares and many illegal makeshift shelters and resting places...

Ngoc Hai

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/tang-cuong-quan-ly-bao-ve-rung-di-san-196357.htm