Tan Lac district has assigned forestland to local people under contracts with a view to protecting the forest and generating stable incomes for its residents, especially those in areas with special difficulties. The district is now home to more than 53,000 hectares of land, including over 18,300 hectares of natural forests and nearly 7,200 hectares of planted ones. Together with afforestation, the district has carried out an array of measures to better manage and protect forest land.
An officer from the district forest protection bureau instructs local residents with forest protection measures.
Ngo Luong commune has the largest forest area with nearly 2,780 hectares. The Ngoc Son – Ngo Luong natural reserve, set up in 2004, is housing 979 species of vascular plants, 429 species of Vertebrata, and nearly 60 animals listed in Vietnam’s Red Book and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Thanks to the effective communications work, inspection and forest fire prevention and control, the forest land has been protected and local biodiversity maintained.
The commune has set up communications groups and joined hands with competent authorities to encourage local residents to strictly follow the State regulations on forest protection and fire prevention.
Along with establishing a steering board on forest protection and development, it also sketches out plans to protect the forest land and prevent forest fires.
According to Bui Van Thuan, head of the forest protection group of Bo Tram commune, Ngo Luong district, as local residents always see the forest as their source of living, they understand that they are responsible to protect it.
The forest protection group has worked closely with local forest rangers to enhance communications work, helping local people get a deeper insight into the necessity to protect the forest, he added.
While in Tan Lac district, there are more than 14,700 hectares of forest land. From the outset of this year, the district has grown 1.5 million seedlings of all kinds.
Do Van Dinh, deputy head of the district forest protection department, said with a view to protecting the existing forest, the bureau has recommended the district People’s Committee issue documents directing communes and towns in the forest protection work; organise communications campaigns to raise public awareness of their forest protection responsibility; ask the forest protection force to carry out regular patrol in areas with high risks of forest fire; and prevent illegal transportation and trade of forestry products, among others.
From the outset of the year, the district’s forest rangers joined hands with relevant sides to organise 121 communications campaigns, and carry out 85 patrols in areas prone to deforestation and degradation.
As part of the efforts to improve forest quality and forest coverage, the district forest protection bureau will continue coordinating with competent authorities to keep a close watch on forest land, carry out forest protection and development policies, and help forest owners and local residents earn stable incomes.
Additionally, it will work to detect and handle violations in the forestry sector.
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