Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnam will mark four years of natural forest closure thisJuly, a measure to reverse severe deforestation.

A total 58 localities closed their natural forests from July 2016, followingPrime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s order which aimed to halt wood exploitationby State agencies, including those certified by the Forest Stewardship Council,and offer assistance mechanisms to switch to alternative materials.

The order banned entry to forests without permission and banned loggingaltogether.

More than 27,260 cases of deforestation were reported annually from 2011 to2015 with some 2,640ha of forest destroyed each year. The number reduced by 35 percentbetween 2016 and 2018 as the policy was adopted. Legal proceedings werelaunched in 363 cases in the same period.

Some 628,000ha of forest were planted, including 44,000ha ofprotection forest and 577,000ha of production forest. The country’s forestcoverage rose to nearly 42 percent by the end of 2018, according to Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

TheCentral Highlands, for the first time in 45 years, witnessed an increase offorest area, standing at 2.5 million hectares in 2018.

As much as 332 billion VND (14.2million USD) was allocated in 2017 from the State budget to support localitiesand cover profit losses of forest owners due to the closure order as well asthe expenses of management and protection.

The MARD is developing forest carbon sequestration payments, focusing onhighly polluted industries, a measure set to be filed to the Government by theend of 2020.

Payments for ecosystem services have been accelerated in the centralprovinces of Nghe An, Quang Nam and Ha Tinh.

The Vietnam Forest Protection and Development Fund also works with the Vietnam Forestand Delta Programme and Green Truong Son Programme supported by USAID toimplement payments in other localities including Thanh Hoa, Quang Ninh and ThuaThien-Hue.

More than 2.9 trillion VND (124.1 million USD) of service fees were collectedin 2018, 71 percent more than the previous year as 43 percent of thecountry’s total forestry area enjoyed the payment in 2019.

Despite incentives and measures taken to protect forests, deforestation,especially in the Central Highlands, continues.

Fokienia – an indigenous type ofplant found at an altitude of 1,500m in Dak Lak province – is among themost endangered.

Offering high economic values, fokienia forestshave become ideal prey for illegal loggers, despite harsh terrain.

Sub-area 1219 in Krong Bong district,home of ancient fokienia trees,has suffered tree massacres for years. In the latest case, 19 fokienia trees were found chopped intopieces, pulled down to a nearby valley to be brought out of the forest thisApril. All of the trees belonged to the protection forest.

Although the destruction is clear as day, loggers seem to disappear into thinair and most cases are closed without culprits being punished.

Chu Minh Quang, deputy head of Krong Bong Forestry Company’s Segment 2 – who isin charge of the sub-area 1219, said to approach the area, it usually takesguarding forces two days of walking. Therefore, despite regular inspections, itis impossible to stop loggers from chopping down precious fokienia trees.

Only 13 people, divided intoteams of three to four, manage more than 12,000ha of the forest, Quang said.Each shift lasts two to three days and the loggers take advantage of shiftchanges to fell trees.

Bui Quoc Tuan, the company’sdirector, said under the impacts of climate change, local residents have lostlivelihoods and become dependent on the forest’s natural resources.Many have established gangs of loggers, joining hands to demolish thenatural habitat.

“Until now, none of loggers have been arrested. The helplessness sets a hugechallenge to stop the crime,” said Tuan.

Le Van Long, head of Krong Bong district People’s Committee, said to encouragepeople in Yang Mao, Cu Dram and Cu Pui communes outside of the forest notto trespass and exploit wood, local authorities have implemented assistanceprogrammes to help them start businesses and earn sustainable livelihoods.

The district People’s Committee has investigated local civil servants andresidents who gave loggers tip-offs to escape from law enforcement.

The Dak Lak province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development askedforest managers to strictly handle organisations and individualsinvolved in illegal logging, especially Krong Bong Forestry Company whichwas unable to protect 19 fokienia treesfrom being felled.

The lack of sanctions to monitor migration flows and stop forestry land frombeing illegally traded creates loopholes for deforestation. Meanwhile,benefit-sharing mechanisms are not attractive enough to call for privatesector participation in protecting and planting forests, according to theMARD.

From 2021 to 2030, Vietnam hopes to sustainably manage forests, increaseforestry coverage and ensure people’s livelihoods in the face ofenvironmental damage caused by climate change, according to a plan signed byDeputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung in mid-April.

The plan focuses on accelerating civic engagement in forest protection anddevelopment which hands over forestry areas to local residents, especiallyethnic minority groups, to manage and plant trees. The General Department ofLand Administration will work as a monitoring body to instruct and inspectlocalities, organisations and businesses to tighten management over forests./.