At the conference summarizing the 5-year implementation of Directive No. 13/CT/TW dated January 12, 2017, of the Party Central Committee on strengthening the Party's leadership over forest management, protection, and development (March 15), Mr. Tho Ba Re, Vice Chairman of the Ky Son District People's Committee, was invited to present a paper. Listening to his presentation on "The impacts of Directive No. 13-CT/TW dated January 12, 2017, of the Party Central Committee on the lives, economy, and society of local people," delivered in his distinctive Mong ethnic accent, everyone agreed it was authentic and high-quality…
According to Mr. Rê, over the five years of implementing Directive 13-CT/TW (2017-2022), the management, protection, and development of forests by the entire political system of Kỳ Sơn border district (category 30a) has seen positive changes in both awareness and action. Previously, forest management and protection were mainly left to the Forest Ranger force and forest owners. But now, this work has been strongly and synchronously undertaken by Party committees, People's Committees at all levels, sectors, and socio-political organizations. Cadres, Party members, the community, and households are also aware of the particularly important role of forests in socio-economic development and environmental protection, and are participating responsibly in forest management, protection, and development.
He said, "Ky Son has basically prevented deforestation, illegal trading, and transportation of forest products," and cited supporting data: From 2017 to 2022, 155 violations were detected and handled (6 criminal cases; 149 administrative cases); the average number of violations in the 2017-2022 period decreased by 51.9% (25.8/53.6 cases/year) compared to the 2011-2016 period. The average forest cover in the 2017-2022 period increased by 4.3% compared to the 2011-2016 period (from 46.05% to 50.88%).
Then he boasted that Ky Son is a mountainous district with very little paddy rice, and the people mainly practice agriculture on sloping land (slash-and-burn farming), but now they have become aware of the law and are gradually abandoning deforestation for slash-and-burn farming. “The cultivated area in 2017 was over 10,000 hectares, decreasing to 6,200 hectares in 2022. A significant number of young people have chosen to switch to other professions to establish themselves, with over 11,409 people going to work far from home. From 2017 to 2022, 29 communities and 1,174 households were allocated 10,580.6 hectares of forest. 188 village communities participated in forest protection work, receiving a total of over 54 billion VND in forest environmental service fees. Average per capita income has reached over 28.6 million VND/year, compared to only 18 million VND/person/year in 2017…” – he said.
One significant change in Ky Son that Tho Ba Re didn't forget to mention is that people, who used to go into the forest to harvest timber for house construction, have gradually changed their mindset, using other materials instead of wood for building houses. "The number of illegal logging cases decreased from 25 in 2017 to only 6 in 2022, which is clear evidence of this..." he emphasized.
However, Thò Bá Rê also boldly stated that, alongside the positive aspects, the implementation of Directive 13-CT/TW dated January 12, 2017, has also had impacts that are causing difficulties for a segment of the population.
He shared that Ky Son's natural area is 209,264.51 hectares, of which 191,063.67 hectares are forest and forestry land, accounting for 91.3%, with a forest cover rate of 51.91%. The district has 21 communes and towns, including 11 border communes with more than 203 km of border shared with neighboring Laos. Five ethnic groups live in the area: Thai, Mong, Khmu, Kinh, and Hoa; of which, ethnic minorities account for 95%. The lives, customs, traditions, and culture of ethnic minorities are formed, originating from, and dependent on the forest. However, in Ky Son, the transportation system is not yet complete, and the prices and transportation costs of construction materials such as sand, stone, cement, and steel are high, making it very difficult for people to cover the costs of building houses and stabilizing their lives. Because access to the forest is restricted and farming is limited, a portion of the population is forced to stay home, unemployed, at risk of starvation, and facing social problems.
Therefore, Thò Bá Rê proposed: “To maintain and build upon the achievements of the past five years of implementing Directive No. 13-CT/TW, the current land use planning in Kỳ Sơn, in general and forestry land in particular, is not in line with the socio-economic development, security, and national defense situation. We request that the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee approve the results of the local review so that the locality can develop a land use plan to promote the district's economic development. At the same time, we request that the Provincial People's Committee continue to allocate funds for the District People's Committee to continue allocating forest land with an area of 55,215.03 hectares…”.
Hearing this proposal, I found it valid. I know that not only in Ky Son, but in many mountainous districts of the province, natural forests that serve as production forests cover a large area, but a significant portion of these forests are degraded. And I understand that without rehabilitation, these degraded forest areas will not be able to develop into high-volume forests, and even less can they become productive resources to help the people in the highlands develop their economy.
I expressed my thoughts to some responsible officials, asking them: "Has the proposal from the Vice Chairman of the Ky Son District People's Committee been acknowledged and reported to the competent authorities?" These officials replied: "This conference aims to fully assess the strengths and weaknesses after 5 years of implementing Directive No. 13/CT/TW. The points presented, such as those by Mr. Re, have all been fully acknowledged…"
Photo: Thanh Cuong – Minh Quan
