The mangrove forests in Xiangyang will be specially protected.

(Baonghean) - The cajuput forest located along both sides of National Highway 7, in Quang Thinh village, Tam Dinh commune (Tuong Duong) will be managed under the special-use forest system, with strict protection planning and sustainable development until 2020.

People passing through and returning on National Highway 7, through Tuong Duong district, cannot help but be amazed by the beauty of the lone, lush mangrove forest, the fresh air, a charming "green valley" of the Western Nghe An region.

The cajuput forest is located right next to Highway 7, creating an attractive ecological highlight.

No one remembers exactly when the forest appeared, even the people of Quang Thinh village (Tam Dinh, Tuong Duong) can only guess that it is probably hundreds of years old.

Mr. Vi Vo Tuan - Head of Quang Thinh village shared: "The cajuput forest plays a very important role in people's lives. It not only has landscape value and the effect of limiting flash floods, but is also a symbol of the cultural and spiritual life of the Thai people, which is harmonious and close to nature".

Forest rangers measure and count the growth rate of cassia forest in Tuong Duong.

For that reason, since 1995 and 1996, Quang Thinh villagers have established a village covenant to preserve this cassia forest, with strict regulations and sanctions. The cassia forest is a natural forest, basically pure, with an area of ​​over 53 hectares in the core zone. Mr. Vi Vo Tuan said that most of the area is cassia trees 30 - 40m high, with a circumference that can be hugged by a person, and many times they are at risk of being encroached upon by the bad intentions of a group of people, mainly outsiders.

One of the reasons for the encroachment on the mangrove forest is that the planned forest is located within the production forest system, so the protection contract mechanism for forest owners is still limited.

Mr. Vi Van Thang - Chairman of Tam Dinh Commune People's Committee said: "In previous years, the work of protecting the cajuput forest mainly relied on the tradition and enthusiasm of the people of Quang Thinh village. However, the village only has 184 households, economic life is still difficult, so forest protection cannot be focused.

Officers of Tuong Duong District Forest Protection Department patrol to protect the casuarina forest.

To improve the effectiveness of forest protection, in 1999, the commune government proposed to the competent authorities to consider funding support for a specialized forestry officer in the commune. However, the allowance received was too low, only 150,000 VND per month, so it was very difficult to devote all of one's heart and soul to forest protection work. The good news is that from 2013 to now, funding for the protection of cassava forests has been increased; each year Tam Dinh commune receives 48 million VND.

Mr. Vi Van Thang said that the money was used to pay allowances for two people from Quang Thinh village, who were elected by the villagers to be forest rangers, with the task of guarding, protecting and clearing the vegetation.

Another problem with the planning of Tuong Duong cajuput forest in the production forest system is that the sanctions against those who encroach and illegally exploit the forest are not strong enough to deter them.

The Chairman of Tam Dinh Commune People's Committee added that the fines were implemented in accordance with Decree 157/2013/ND-CP regulating administrative penalties for violations of forest management, forest development, forest protection and forest product management. In fact, when the authorities sanctioned subjects who violated the forest, the fines were still low, not enough to deter the subjects and the risk of re-offending was still high.

Concerned about the current situation of protecting the small-scale cajuput forest, stemming from the legitimate aspirations of local people, in 2014, the small-scale cajuput forest in Tuong Duong was converted from a production forest to a special-use forest. At the same time, the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district developed a plan for the conservation and sustainable development of the small-scale cajuput special-use forest until 2020, and assigned it to the district Forest Protection Department for management.

Mr. Vo Sy Lam - Head of Tuong Duong District Forest Protection Department said that, different from the purpose of production forests, special-use forests are determined to preserve nature, standard samples of forest ecosystems, plant genetic resources, scientific research, protection of scenic spots, and tourism; therefore, forest protection is given top priority, along with the development of forest area.

Forest rangers and people of Quang Thinh village (Tam Dinh, Tuong Duong) are delineating the core of the special-use forest of cassia.

Currently, the total area of ​​the planned conservation and sustainable development of the Sang Le special-use forest is more than 1,300 hectares, of which the area of ​​the special-use forest is 241.6 hectares, including strict protection of more than 53 hectares of pure Sang Le forest and ecological restoration of nearly 188 hectares. This entire area is located within the administrative boundary of Tam Dinh commune.

The Head of the Tuong Duong District Forest Protection Department affirmed that the basis for successfully implementing the goals of strict conservation planning and sustainable development of Tuong Duong Sang Le special-use forest is to propose specific, drastic and synchronous solutions. Accordingly, the core of the planning is to preserve the forest from the root, that is, based on the tradition and enthusiasm of local people for forest protection, from which, there are support mechanisms to spread that spirit throughout the community.

When the special-use forests are planned for conservation and development, the shortcomings in the current forest protection work will be eliminated. That is, the penalty framework will increase, with more seriousness and deterrence; the mechanism for forest protection will have many positive changes; the status of forest protection will be placed in a particularly strict category...

Hopefully, with the above-mentioned radical solutions, the Tuong Duong cajuput forest will be enhanced in natural beauty, becoming an ecological symbol and an attractive tourist destination in the Western region of Nghe An.

Phuong Chi