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Environmental effort: Workers tend young trees at a sapling nursery providing plants for the Ha Giang Province forestation programme. — VNA/VNS Photo Phuong Dong

HA GIANG — The northern province of Ha Giang is not what you would call welcoming territory: the land is rocky, steep and often unforgiving.

But local farmers are trying to change all that, by planting new forests and taking better care of those already standing.

Land that used to be barren is now covered with trees, and forests that had suffered at the hands of man or nature are making a steady recovery.

In the past six years, forest coverage has grown from 29 per cent to 36 per cent - a feat the farmers have every reason to be proud of.

And the secret to this success is convincing the locals that looking after forests is in their best interests.

Some 68,000 households have taken on a piece of forest land to protect and maintain, with another 900 co-operatives doing their bit.

The workers can cultivate the forest for profits, but also ensure that the resources are used sustainably and correctly.

Local authorities have even granted land use certificates to half the households involved in the scheme, to give them security in their work and a sense of responsibility.

Visitors to Lung Pu Commune in Meo Vac District used to be greeted by bare mountains, sharp and uninviting.

Now they see fertile mounds, covered with greenery and thriving once again.

The programme is more than just environmentally-minded, residents felt the degradation of their forests keenly.

Barren land could not retain water, resulting in lean harvests and droughts.

This made life harder for the impoverished mountain residents, who already have a tough job making ends meet.

But with a new and healthy forest coverage, the commune can breathe easier again.

Authorities divided the damaged forest into small parcels of land and entrusted them to farmers.

Each hamlet and village in the commune also laid down strict rules to punish those found logging illegally or practising slash and burn farming. The regulations, and the common sense of responsibility, have seen these damaging practices wiped out.

And now, many households are the proud owners of spectacular forest land.

Ranging far and wide

Aside from the farmers, forest rangers are doing an admirable job of keeping the forests safe.

In late 1998, a network of forest rangers was formed from grassroots to the provincial level, to help local authorities manage and protect their natural resources.

This network now employs 191 people, most of whom are young and strong.

They are chosen by locals and given a monthly stipend from the provincial coffers for their work.

The rangers have so far uncovered 350 violations of forest law and put out 500 deliberately-lit forest fires.

They also supervise logging, ensuring that all the loggers have proper licences and only work on their plot.

Training courses have helped these rangers improve their knowledge on inspection, protection, fire prevention and planting techniques.

Locals say the combined force of farmers and forest rangers has worked wonders.
"The locals are actually the owners of the forest. They are completely committed to managing, protecting and developing the forests," said Lenh Xuan Cuong, director of Ha Giang Province’s Forest Ranger Agency.

Forests have always played an important role in Ha Giang.

They cover 592,000ha and are home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. Natural forest accounts for more than half of the province’s forested areas. — VNS

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