Protecting forests, creating sustainable livelihoods in Nghe An border area
For many years, the forests in the border commune of Nam Giai (Que Phong) have been strictly protected by the local people. The firmly protected "green shield" creates sustainable livelihoods for the community in the Western region of Nghe An.
Protect forests to maintain "dual benefits"
Nghe An has 27 border communes bordering Laos and these communes all have large forest areas. With the participation of all levels, sectors, local authorities and each person, the work of protecting forests along the border is being carried out with a high sense of responsibility, the primeval forests are becoming greener day by day.
Mr. Luong Van Tung, a resident of Mo village in Nam Giai border commune, is a member of the village's forest protection team. Mr. Tung said that every week, the village's forest protection team organizes patrols in the primeval forests bordering Laos...
The Mo village primary forest protection team was established in 2014, with 90 members, divided into 4 groups. The State assigned them to manage and protect 2,483 hectares of primary forest in the border area, mainly high mountains, dense forests, the roads are just trails, so each patrol, the groups have to walk through the forest for 2 consecutive days. The patrol task is to control the cutting of trees, hunting animals and monitoring the exploitation of secondary forest products by indigenous people.
“The groups all have notebooks with full information on the number of people patrolling; if there are signs of deforestation or trapping of wild animals, they take pictures and record them carefully to report to the local authorities. Thanks to good patrol work, the border forests are no longer “bleeding”. In the primeval forests in this border area, there are still hundreds of years old trees, tens of meters high, with trunks measuring over 2 meters in diameter. These are a series of sa mu, tau, sen trees... and under the cool green canopy of the forest are many precious medicinal plants such as Bon bo, ginseng, wild banana, dong leaves... which are the source of livelihood for the people”, said Mr. Luong Van Tung.
Indeed, on the way to the villages in the border commune of Nam Giai, under the forest canopy are vast bon bo trees. The people of Mo village said that there are countless bon bo trees in the forest, and their fruits are the source of income for the villagers. The houses are near the forest, so all members are responsible for protecting each forest tree, and when they discover strangers entering the forest, they immediately report to the village cadres. Therefore, every year the villagers have a source of income under the forest canopy and the greater benefit is that the natural forest produces an abundant source of water for the villagers to produce. In addition, other forest products such as cotton, bamboo, rattan, song, giang... also help the villagers have more income from traditional handicrafts. Roots used to make medicine include bon bo fruit, yellow flower tea and countless ung chac chieu, cogon grass roots, u bo tree, thach xuong bo, hoai son...
Not only are the forests in Nam Giai the green lungs of the border area, they also bring great economic benefits to local people. Mr. Lo Minh Tuong - Chairman of Nam Giai Commune People's Committee said: As a border commune bordering Laos, there are nearly 12,000 hectares of forest. Of which, natural forest is nearly 8,000 hectares. Although the mountainous terrain is fragmented and rugged, the villages have done a good job of zoning and protecting forests, so the forest cover rate of the commune has increased every year, currently reaching 83.73%. One of the important factors contributing to good forest protection is that the commune has established 6 community forest protection teams in 6/6 villages. Thanks to that, people's awareness of forest protection has been raised, and for many years, there have been no cases of violations of forest laws in the commune.
Nowadays, more and more people in the commune are building concrete houses, bringing many benefits: no deforestation, no termites, long-term use, more solid houses... Illegal logging has stopped, natural forests are getting denser, so Nam Giai commune never lacks water for daily life. The whole commune has more than 200 hectares of land for wet rice production, each year planting 2 crops for high productivity because of adequate irrigation water. Not to mention, almost every house in the commune has a pond for raising fish, full of water all year round...".
Lo Minh Tuong - Chairman of Nam Giai Commune People's Committee
The rational exploitation of forest resources has helped people have a stable income. Bon bo fruit - a precious medicinal plant - is a typical example. Implementing a non-governmental project, since 2013, people in Nam Giai commune have planted over 200 hectares under the forest canopy, which is currently well protected, bringing income to people from picking fruit. According to the Chairman of Nam Giai commune People's Committee, currently, people have a steady income under the forest canopy every year by planting precious medicinal plants and other forest products, not to mention the whole commune receives over 2 billion VND each year from forest environmental service payments.
Community together
According to information from the Que Phong District Forest Protection Department, currently in the district there are more than 153 thousand hectares of forested and unforested land, of which natural forest is more than 143.5 thousand hectares, planted forest land is more than 2,877 hectares, planted forest land is not yet forested is more than 7,244 hectares, the forest coverage rate is currently 77.65%.
To achieve such results, the people in the district have done a good job of protecting the forest, especially the ethnic minorities in the 4 border communes, who have not been afraid of difficulties and hardships in patrolling and protecting each forest tree... Statistics show that the district currently has 8 groups of households and 47 community forest protection teams. Every year, the forest rangers, military, border guards... regularly coordinate with the People's Committees of communes, villages, and organizations and individuals who are contracted to patrol and inspect the forest. Currently, the area has no hot spots for deforestation and illegal exploitation of forest products. Violations of forestry laws are detected and handled promptly.
Protecting forests is not only protecting the ecological environment but also protecting the livelihoods and lives of the community. The people of Nam Giai commune in particular and Que Phong district in general have proven that when everyone is responsible for the forest, the forest will continue to be green and lush, bringing long-term benefits. With the model of community forest protection teams, the cooperation of the government and reasonable support policies, the forests will continue to be a solid "green shield" at the border, contributing to the sustainable development goals of Que Phong district./.
