Forests paid for protection are still being cut down

(Baonghean) - Many cases of deforestation have occurred in areas that are covered by protection payments from the forest environmental service fund. Therefore, it is necessary to tighten the implementation of payments from this fund.

Paid protection,still let the forest be encroached

According to a separate investigation by Nghe An Newspaper, the protected forest areas that are paid for forest protection from the forest environmental service fund are being encroached upon in Ky Son and Tuong Duong districts.

In Ky Son district, in February 2017, in sub-areas 499, 500C, 500A, along Nam Can and Nam Pung streams in Nam Can border commune, the authorities discovered a case of illegal logging. Through inspection, it was determined that a total of 36 sa mu trees had been cut down with a total volume of wood of 147m3. In the 3 sub-areas with illegal logging, sub-area 499 is a protective forest area that pays for forest protection from the forest environmental service provision fund.

Checking the scene of the encroachment on the protective forest in sub-region 681 (under the Tuong Duong Protective Forest Management Board). Photo: Nhat Lan

In Tuong Duong district, the case of illegal logging was discovered by the authorities in February - March 2017, in the border primary protection forest area, in the two communes of Tam Hop and Luu Kien. In this case, the subjects cut down 189 trees of various types (154 trees with intact trunks at the scene) in 4 different areas with a total volume of 288.6m3.

In which, the area belonging to block 17, sub-zone 681, administrative boundary of Luu Kien commune is a protective forest area that is paid for forest protection from the fund for providing forest environmental services. In block 17, sub-zone 681, 82 trees were cut down in many different lots with a volume of 118.01m3; besides, there were 41 sawn timber bars with a volume of 7.7m3.

Regarding the time frame of the two illegal logging incidents in Tuong Duong and Ky Son districts, the incident in Nam Can commune was determined to have occurred around the end of 2016; and the incidents in Tam Hop and Luu Kien communes were determined to have occurred a few years ago.

However, for the areas where illegal logging occurred (sub-area 681 and sub-area 499), the forest owners, the Tuong Duong Protective Forest Management Board and the Ky Son Protective Forest Management Board, have accepted that the protection work has been completed well; the forest has not been damaged, burned, or infected with pests. At the same time, organizations, village communities, and household groups that signed forest protection contracts have been paid for forest protection from the 2016 forest environmental service fund.

Need to tighten management

According to regulations, to be protected by forests providing forest environmental services, organizations or village communities, groups of households (contracted parties) must submit an application for forest protection to the forest owners (contracting parties).

In the application, it is necessary to demonstrate the capacity and commitment to do a good job of forest protection. That is, “… not to allow the exploitation of forest products in the protected area; properly implement the forest patrol and guard regime to protect and develop the protected forest; if there is any violation of the commitment, we will take responsibility before the law and refund all the forest owner’s payment for forest environmental services…”.

Based on the application, the contracting party will execute a contract on forest protection with the contracting party. The contract will clearly state the location, area, and current state of the forest that needs to be protected; the contract value, time, and payment method. In addition, there are provisions on the rights, obligations, and responsibilities of both parties. In particular, if the contracting party violates, the contracting party will decide on compensation for damages based on the level of violation.

According to a responsible official, the content of the application for forest protection and the contract for forest protection principles have stated in great detail the obligations and responsibilities of the contracting party and the contracting party. Therefore, when the forest is encroached upon, the contracting party will not be paid for forest protection; and the contracting party may even request compensation for damages.

Evidence of a deforestation case in Tam Hop commune (Tuong Duong). Photo: NL

In these cases, it is necessary to clarify the implementation of forest protection commitments of organizations, village communities, or groups of households that have signed contracts with forest owners. From there, they are forced to implement the provisions of the contract and commitments; as well as consider responsibilities according to the provisions of the law. Through these cases, it has been shown that the acceptance work of forest owners is not in line with reality. Therefore, it is necessary to re-evaluate the acceptance work and consider the responsibilities of forest owners.

According to a representative of the Forest Protection and Development Fund, the Fund has also received information about the cases of forest encroachment on the border of the two districts of Tuong Duong and Ky Son. Currently, the Fund is urgently requesting relevant forest owners to inspect, report in detail in writing and propose a form of handling.

The representative of the Forest Protection and Development Fund said: “The source of funding for forest environmental services is a lifesaver in the context of the state budget for forest protection work still facing many difficulties. Therefore, for the cases in Tuong Duong and Ky Son, the Fund will ask forest owners to clarify and handle them according to regulations. From the cases that have occurred, there will be solutions to more closely review the acceptance work at the grassroots level associated with field inspections of forest owners…”.

Regarding the incidents that have occurred in the past, the competent authorities have directed the functional forces to focus on investigating and clarifying in order to strictly handle organizations and individuals who have violated the law. However, from many verified sources, the situation of the border primeval forest being encroached upon does not only occur in Nam Can, Tam Hop and Luu Kien communes.

Therefore, it is necessary to continue to direct the review and correct assessment of the current situation of the core border forest area, and rectify forest protection work; at the same time, there are effective measures to force organizations and individuals who benefit from forest protection funding sources to fulfill their responsibilities to the forest.

According to the Forest Protection and Development Fund, currently the whole province has about 300 thousand hectares of forest that are covered by the forest protection payment policy from the forest environmental service fund. In 2016 alone, the forest environmental service fund collected from the units signing the entrustment contract (hydropower production facilities, clean water production and supply facilities, forest use conversion funds) was over 50 billion VND; the total disbursement was over 75 billion VND.

Nhat Lan