Finding prosperity under the forest canopy

1/4/2022 - 10:59:02 AM

(HBO) - Hoa Binh’s land area allocated for forestry amounts to 298,013 hectares, covering 64,66 percent of the province’s natural land surface, creating huge potential and opportunities in developing and exploiting the forest ecological system’s values, such as timber, non-timber products, environmental services, ecological tourism and carbon dioxide storage.

The H20 Vietnam traditional medicinal herbs Cooperative (Hoa Binh City) affiliates with local residents in procuring materials for precious remedies.

Over the past years, the provincial authority attached great importance to the work of forest protection and development, improving the people’s awareness in safeguarding forest’s resources, and expanding forest planting areas. The annual average area of newly-planted forests or those replanted after exploitations is around 6,000 – 7,000 hectares. Many "under the forest canopy economic models” (UFCEMs) have proved feasibility like poultry and cattle farming, honey bees keeping.

The province is home to 225,468.4 hectares of forests (including natural and planted) available for non-timber products, medicinal herbs. The local people conduct extensive investments in planting some herbs like Wurfbainia longiligularis, Morinda officinalis, Reynoutria multiflora, Polyscias fruticosa or Ming aralia, Curcuma zedoaria, Millettia speciosa Champ, Ocimum tenuiflorum commonly known as holy basil, Phrynium placentarium. Some local cooperatives have affiliated with the villagers to procure herbal materials, investing in production equipment and standardized processes, creating a network of promotion and consumption for herbal medicine brand-names.

Some localities take advantage of the natural and magnificent sceneries of diversified forest ecologies along with the uniqueness of the Thai, Muong, Dao, Mong ethnic minorities’ cultural identities to develop tourism in the forms of community tours, spa resorts, ecological tours combined with historical and spiritual discoveries. Some local tourism businesses in Pa Co, Hang Kia (Mai Chau), Da Bia, Hien Luong, Sung hamlet (Da Bac) organize experiential tours for visitors to enjoy the pristine forests.

Future directions in improving the effectiveness of UFCEMs focus on selecting suitable plants and animals for expansion. Constant scientific surveys and reviews are planned to construct a complete distribution picture of the non-timber products, medicinal herbs of high values for intensive investment towards commercial production in compliance with market demands. Enterprises are encouraged to invest in promoting non-timber production, medicinal herbs farming under the forest canopy. Extra assistance will be provided in creating new cooperative and production groups for products of high economic values, emphasizing on the work of propaganda and mobilization for the people’s participation in actively developing UFCEMs./.

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