Immediately after the flash floods occurred in Ky Son district on October 2, we went up the mountain to find the cause of this terrible flood. Through field surveys, together with the sharing of the people, it was shown that the biggest cause of the unprecedented flash floods in Ky Son was due to landslides in the upstream. The mountainous area where the flood originated had almost no trees left, only rocks and soil. This was the swidden production area of the people in the villages of Ta Ca commune for many generations. For livelihood and many other reasons, the upstream forests that have the function of retaining soil, retaining water, preventing landslides and flash floods were gradually cut down, or replaced by production forest land and swidden fields. As is known, without trees, the forest land no longer has the "function" of retaining water, cannot prevent landslides, and has no protective effect... every time there is prolonged heavy rain.
According to data from the Nghe An Forest Protection Department, Ky Son district currently has 191,186.43 hectares of forestry land, of which 109,669.57 hectares are protective forest land. However, in the total forestry land area of this border district, there are currently 82,705.19 hectares of bare land, accounting for 43.25%. This is the area of swidden land, bare land without trees, or forest land that has not been planted or replanted after harvesting (according to statistics up to December 31, 2021). Regarding land planned for protective forests, Ky Son currently has 41,675.23 hectares of bare land, accounting for 38%. Although as of September 2022, Ky Son planted 508.76 hectares of scattered trees compared to the registered plan of 650 hectares (reaching 78%), the total number of planted forests compared to the district's forestry land area as of September 2022 only reached 308.02 hectares, corresponding to a rate of 0.16%, which is too low.
Thus, one of the core and urgent issues that needs to be addressed now is to regenerate upstream forests, plant forests to cover bare land and bare hills. Forestry is Nghe An's strength, so all levels, sectors and localities need to review the effectiveness of the long-standing forestation implementation; further promote investment in forestation in vulnerable upstream areas, border areas, and areas at risk of landslides.
Therefore, the mountainous districts in the West of the province in particular need to speed up the speed of afforestation, especially for areas planned for protective forests, planted forests in weak upstream areas, areas with high risk of landslides; research and propose to adjust the forestry land use planning, allocate land and forests appropriately in the direction of preserving and regenerating upstream forests and stabilizing production for the people. Along with enriching upstream forests, streams and creeks need to be kept flowing, promptly overcoming blockages even in small streams.
On the other hand, people also need to be equipped with knowledge about the meaning and importance of afforestation and preserving upstream forests; they must see that protecting forests means protecting their own lives and the community's.
Creating livelihoods and developing the economy for people in disadvantaged areas to limit deforestation and forest depletion is also an important solution. In many mountainous localities, there have been steps in transforming the economic structure, towards producing eco-tourism services based on the potential and strengths of the locality. For example, in Tuong Duong district, one of the goals of the Resolution of the District Party Congress on economic development is to develop tourism services. Currently, Tuong Duong district has formed a number of tourist attractions, creating livelihoods for people, reducing dependence on forests.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hai - Secretary of Tuong Duong District Party Committee said that over the years, people in the district have fully recognized the value of forests, conserving many forests with ecological value. Ethnic minorities in the district have gradually raised their awareness of the value of forests, in addition to protecting the ecological environment, they also exploit tourism, grow medicinal plants under the forest canopy... Besides, people also enjoy the State's policies on forest protection and environmental services, so the work of forest protection, forest protection and regeneration in Tuong Duong has developed strongly, from the restoration has created hundreds of hectares of regenerated forests. Up to now, the forest coverage rate in Tuong Duong has reached 79.26%.
In Ky Son district, with the support of the Global Environment Fund, the Standing Committee of the Ky Son District Party Committee has also identified one of the economic development strategies for the 2020-2025 term and the following years of the district will focus on developing medicinal plant cultivation and ecotourism services. The district is currently piloting in some communes such as Muong Long and Na Ngoi and has had positive signs; people have begun to access tourism services to create sustainable income, reducing dependence on forest resource exploitation for livelihoods.
Currently, the total area of forest and forestry land planned in the whole province is 1,160,242.4 hectares, accounting for 71.6% of the total natural area. With 965,056.87 hectares of forested land, of which natural forest land is 784,339.69 hectares; planted forest land is 180,717.18 hectares; non-forested land is 270,901.59 hectares (including 31,781.25 hectares of planted forest land that has not yet become forest). Forest resources in Nghe An are rich and diverse, the value of forest resources is a potential source of raw materials for industries producing goods from forest products and environmental services in the area; playing an important role in environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and also a potential means of production for hunger eradication and poverty reduction, social stability and national defense and security protection.
In recent times, with the objectives in the strategic orientation for forestry development in Vietnam approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 18/2007/QD-TTg dated February 5, 2007; based on the actual conditions of the locality, Nghe An Forestry sector has achieved many results in forest protection and development, forest cover is increasing day by day, biodiversity is conserved, watershed protection capacity, environmental protection, job creation, income increase, hunger eradication and poverty reduction for ethnic minorities in mountainous areas and forest workers. The Forestry sector has had strong growth in forest planting, protection and protection, forest cover by 2019 reached 58.5%.
However, the management and protection of forest resources and the organization of forestry production currently have many limitations and shortcomings, failing to fully exploit the potential and advantages of the industry. The most obvious manifestations are that the quality and efficiency of planted forests are still low, and the area of planted forests for large timber business is still limited. The industry of exploiting and processing wood and non-timber forest products has not yet fully developed from raw materials to production and consumption of products. Planted forest products are mainly exported as raw materials or simple preliminary processing, so the value chain of goods is still low. Deforestation, encroachment on forest land and illegal logging still occur. The investment value for forestry is still low, so it has not met the development needs.
After more than 10 years since 1999, forest investigation and inventory work in the province has just been carried out. The 2015 forest investigation and inventory work has basically collected information reflecting the results of forestry production activities in Nghe An province; served well the calculation of statistical indicators at the provincial and district levels of the forestry sector; met the requirements of management, planning, planning, and formulating policies for forestry production development at all levels and sectors; at the same time, promptly updated and monitored annual changes in forests and forestry land in the province, including forest allocation, forest leasing associated with land allocation, and issuance of forestry land use right certificates.
During this period, the policy of land allocation, land lease, and issuance of forest land use right certificates was implemented, but in reality, the allocation and lease of forest land was not linked to the allocation and lease of forests. Therefore, the conversion, transfer, and illegal exploitation of forests still occurred, and the forests still did not have real owners.
According to the data in the Forest Allocation Project associated with Forest Land Allocation, the report of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the forest resource inventory data, up to now, the District People's Committee has organized the allocation of land to households, individuals and communities for forestry purposes for 330,999.04 hectares. Of which, 241,328.05 hectares have been granted Land Use Right Certificates, accounting for 73% of the total forest and forestry land area allocated to households, individuals and communities, accounting for 19% of the total forest and forestry land area in the whole province.
The province currently has 14 Management Boards of protective and special-use forests, 1 Pu Mat National Park with a total area of forest and forestry land assigned for management and use of 421,667.39 hectares, accounting for 34.11% of the total area of forest and forestry land in the province; there are 12 agricultural and forestry LLCs, including 5 forestry companies and 7 agricultural companies, with a total area of forest and forestry land assigned of 59,385.4 hectares, accounting for 4.80% of the total area of forest and forestry land in the province. Currently, agricultural and forestry companies are reorganizing and innovating their operations according to Resolution No. 30 of the Politburo and Decree No. 118/2014/ND-CP of the Government. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment is presiding over and coordinating with departments, branches, and People's Committees of districts and towns to organize the appraisal of land use plans for agricultural and forestry companies in the province as a basis for recovery.
In general, for highland areas such as Ky Son, Tuong Duong, Con Cuong and Que Phong... preserving upstream forests is urgent and needs to be done immediately. These localities are not only the core areas of the Western Nghe An Biosphere Reserve, protecting biodiversity, but also areas with advantages for developing ecosystem services. This is also an area with a large forestry land fund of 757,238 hectares and a large proportion of natural forest area with a total area of 617,966 hectares, accounting for 37.5% of the total natural forest area in the whole province... which is a condition for sustainable forestry economic development according to ecological zones to promote potentials, advantages and limit the difficulties and challenges of each region.
