The sacred mission of preserving the forest.

This is a special award, recognizing the tireless efforts of forest rangers and the community who have overcome difficulties and dangers to maintain peace in the forests.

Chu Yang Sin National Park is one of Vietnam's important biodiversity conservation areas. However, protecting the forest there is not easy. With an area of nearly 60,000 hectares and only about 100 forest rangers, each ranger has to protect an average of more than 600 hectares of forest.

Forest Ranger Station No. 10, the furthest station, located 120 km from the main headquarters – one of the most challenging stations in Chu Yang Sin National Park – is where Do Van Lam and 10 colleagues must protect 5,000 hectares of forest. Each trip to the station takes the rangers more than 4 hours on rugged mountain roads.

The rangers of Chu Yang Sin National Park are always tirelessly striving to fulfill their sacred mission.

Living conditions at the station are harsh, with no electricity or phone signal. To communicate with the outside world, rangers have to walk about 16 km to find a place with a signal. The market is very far from the station, so even getting a "fresh" meal is a challenge. Rangers often have to prepare their own food in advance, and when it rains or the roads are cut off, their meals mainly consist of dried fish and a few wild vegetables. "We don't have many amenities, and living and working conditions are extremely difficult, but because of our duty to protect the forest, we encourage each other to overcome difficulties to complete our assigned tasks," Lam shared.

Regularly participating in numerous forest patrols with the forest rangers of Chu Yang Sin National Park, Le Quoc Thuong, Species and Habitat Manager at WildAct, is truly impressed by the efforts of the forest management and protection force: "Climbing mountains and wading through streams to reach remote and isolated areas for days on end is commonplace for forest keepers. Many ranger stations even lack clean water for daily use. Despite this, their passion for the forest has never diminished."

Besides material hardships, forest rangers in Chu Yang Sin National Park also face numerous dangers from those who illegally exploit and hunt wildlife. They have encountered extremely dangerous situations, from threats to conflicts with forest destroyers. A prime example is the incident in 2018 where a ranger was injured by gunfire, or the near-miss in early 2022 when seven rangers confronted a group of wildlife poachers.

Forest patrol in Chu Yang Sin National Park.

Despite the difficulties and dangers, driven by a sense of responsibility and dedication to their profession, the forest rangers of Chu Yang Sin National Park tirelessly patrol, traversing high mountains and deep ravines to maintain security in the forests. According to Mr. Loc Xuan Nghia, Director of Chu Yang Sin National Park, the park schedules patrols and routes monthly, allowing stations and teams to deploy personnel. These trips last from 5 to 10 days, reaching areas at risk of forest encroachment, and promptly preventing and addressing any acts of damage to forest resources.

At the 2nd "Chư Yang Sin Forest Keeper" Award Ceremony on the afternoon of April 4th, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, Founder and Director of WildAct, affirmed: "This year, we continue to support forest keepers, helping them take firmer steps on their journey to protect nature. Each story, though from different perspectives, all points towards a common mission - preserving the green lungs and protecting the biodiversity of the country. Behind every protected forest are arduous patrols day and night, moments of facing danger, but also the joy of dedicating oneself to every green patch of nature," Dr. Trang shared.

The second "Chư Yang Sin Forest Guardian" award not only honors forest rangers but also recognizes the efforts of the local community in protecting the forest. Over the three months of implementation, the award received enthusiastic participation from nearly 60 candidates, both individuals and groups, with outstanding achievements in protecting the ecosystem of Chư Yang Sin National Park. The organizing committee awarded 10 prizes totaling 100 million VND to outstanding individuals and teams. "It is a great honor to receive this award; it motivates me to continue dedicating myself to forest management and protection," said Mr. Tran Duy Manh, Head of Forest Ranger Station No. 7, one of the recipients in the Specialized Patrol category, unable to hide his joy.

Individuals with outstanding achievements in forest management and protection were honored at the 2nd "Chu Yang Sin Forest Guardian" Award Ceremony.

This award not only honors the park's forest rangers but also recognizes individuals and communities involved in managing and protecting the Chu Yang Sin forest. These individuals and communities are crucial "eyes and ears" for the park in patrolling, detecting violations, and disseminating forest management and protection laws to communities living near the forest. Mr. Giang Seo Thang, from Cu Dram commune, Krong Bong district, a member of the community forest patrol team (a group honored at the award ceremony), said that his team consists of four members and receives funding from WildAct to participate in patrols with the Chu Yang Sin National Park rangers. On average, the team participates in two patrols per month with the National Park rangers, each lasting 5-7 days. Team members use their experience in the forest to advise rangers on areas at risk of poaching, and work together to patrol and address these issues. This collaboration has proven highly effective; on some patrols, this team, along with forest rangers, has discovered and dismantled 400 animal traps of various kinds.

“By participating in forest protection, besides earning extra income, we also understand the immense value of forests to the human living environment. From there, we also spread the word to our fellow villagers not to listen to bad people who illegally exploit forest resources, but to work together to protect the forest and preserve the precious values of nature for future generations,” Thang said enthusiastically.

According to Mr. Loc Xuan Nghia, the work of protecting forests always faces difficulties and dangers. Therefore, in addition to the efforts of the forest protection force, sharing and understanding from the community are essential. The individuals and groups honored are not only a recognition of the persistent efforts of the forest protection force, but also a source of inspiration to spread love for nature and awareness of forest protection to the community. When these silent contributions are spread and honored, more people will join hands, contributing to creating a more sustainable future for the ecosystem here.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/tin-noi-bat/202504/thieng-lieng-su-menh-giu-rung-c7e17e2/