It belongs to the people, so it must be returned to the people.
(Baonghean.vn) - Not long ago, at a discussion session of the Provincial People's Council delegates at the mid-year session, a leader of a mountainous district expressed his concerns when talking about the livelihoods and lives of people living in mountainous areas.
This person said, regarding the problemforest restorationFor 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 "too well" by localities.
According to the leader, the areas that regenerate on forestry land are called forests, and sometimes, due to lack of knowledge, people have cultivated on forest land and forestry land. The government is right to prohibit this. But in many cases, the authorities also prohibit people from cultivating on their own agricultural land.
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Green lim forest in Hoi 1 village, Chau Hoi commune is being put into conservation and development of native timber trees. Photo: Van Nhi |
The district leader affirmed that the authorities are still confused on this point. And he seemed worried when stating the reality: Land for agricultural production of the mountainous people was already limited, now it is even narrower. Meanwhile, the area of forestry land and forest land is increasing. This shows that the state authorities are managing the forest very well. Forest cover in Nghe An is constantly increasing, some districts have a forest cover rate of up to 85%. Violations of forestry laws are also very rare. This is a good thing. But the worry also comes from that. That means people residing and living in mountainous areas are increasingly limited in finding a livelihood. Workforest management"Too good" also makes the opportunity for people to exploit secondary forest products disappear.
Another reality was also mentioned by the leader of the mountainous district: People who cultivate on forestry land are banned and fined. So, how do state agencies resolve the issue of forest protection and regeneration on people's agricultural land? Will they pay for the protection and regeneration? Will they exchange other land for people to produce? - the leader of the district stated. The contradiction is that people lose their land for production but do not receive the money for forest protection and regeneration on that land area. Meanwhile, the rapid regeneration and recovery of forests is thanks to the role of the people.
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| People of Tien Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district exploit acacia. Photo: Van Truong. |
The above concerns still have no exact answers, and this story shows that it is time for forest management and protection agencies and forest owners to survey and re-evaluate the planning work. What belongs to the legitimate interests of the people must be returned to the people.
