What belongs to the people must be returned to them.
(Baonghean.vn) - Not long ago, during a discussion among delegates of the Provincial People's Council at the mid-year session, a leader of a mountainous district expressed his concerns about the livelihoods and lives of people residing in the mountainous forest areas.
This person stated that, regarding the issue...forest restoration and regenerationFor a long time, localities with forest land and forestry land have been implementing Circular No. 29/2018 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. This circular, along with other regulations related to forest restoration, is being implemented "very well" by these localities.
According to the leader, areas of regeneration on forest land are called forests, and sometimes, due to a lack of understanding, people have cultivated fields and gardens on forest land. The government's prohibition of this is correct. However, in many cases, the authorities also prohibit people from clearing land for cultivation on their own agricultural land.
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The green ironwood forest in Hoi 1 village, Chau Hoi commune, has been included in the conservation and development of native timber species. (Photo: Van Nhi) |
The district leader affirmed that the authorities are still confused on this point. He expressed concern, pointing out the reality that the land available for agricultural production in mountainous areas, already limited, is shrinking even further, while the area of forest land is increasing. This shows that state agencies are managing forests very well. Forest cover in Nghe An is constantly increasing, with some districts reaching 85%. Violations of forestry laws are also very rare. This is good news. But the worry also stems from this: people residing and living in mountainous forest areas are increasingly limited in their ability to find livelihoods.forest management"Too much" also means that people no longer have the opportunity to exploit non-timber forest products.
Another issue raised by the leader of the mountainous district is that people are prohibited from cultivating fields on forest land and are fined. So, how will the state agencies handle the protection and regeneration of forests on the people's agricultural land? Will they be compensated for the forest protection? Will they be given alternative land for production? – the district leader asked. The contradiction lies in the fact that people lose their agricultural land but do not receive compensation for protecting and regenerating the forest on that very land. Meanwhile, the rapid regeneration and recovery of the forest is thanks to the role of the people.
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| Residents of Tien Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, harvest acacia trees. Photo courtesy of Van Truong. |
The concerns mentioned above still lack satisfactory answers, and this story also shows that it is time for forest management and protection agencies and forest management units to survey and reassess their planning work. Anything that rightfully belongs to the people must be returned to them.