In the Media
Protecting preventive forests remains a thorny struggle in Vietnam
February 13, 2012
VietNamNet Bridge
Local residents and illegal lumberjacks have been ignoring the laws and destroyed the forests. Meanwhile, local authorities say they do not know about that because they are not reported.
Tens of hectares of the preventive forests in the two communes of Dak Somei and Ha Dong of Dak Doa district in Gia Lai province have been destroyed. According to Dan Viet, the total destroyed forest area may reach 50 hectares. Hoang Trong Thai, an officer of the Kon Ka Kinh National Park in Dak Doa district, said that the Dak Doa preventive forest has been destroyed most seriously since several days before Tet. The illegal lumberjacks deliberately cut down trees during that time, because they wanted to escape from the management of the state management agencies which were away for Tet holiday.
Lao dong newspaper has also reported that the time just before Tet and Tet holiday is the “time of illegal lumberjacks”. In the districts in the west of Quang Nam province, the local forests have been destroyed, while timber has been carried by both the land and waterways to the cities, where it sells to traders.
The local forest rangers have discovered 80 cases of illegal timber trade and carry, seizing more than 100 cubic meters of timber. However, local residents said that this is just the tip of the iceberg, while the deforestation is more serious than it is seen in the locality which is considered richest in forests in Vietnam.
Dealing with illegal lumberjacks is really a violent struggle. Nguyen Dinh Thuan, Deputy Secretary of the Ia Rsai commune Communist Party Committee, said on Phap Luat TP HCM that even forest rangers cannot suppress the lumberjacks, let alone the commune’s authorities.
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Keywords: Asia, Communities, deforestation, degradation, illegal logging, logging, preventive forest, Vietnam