From October 11-12, in Hanoi, the Government Office, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, organized a conference to review the implementation of the “Project to Plant 5 Million Hectares of Forest.” At the conference, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that from 1998 to 2005, forest coverage in Vietnam reached 36.7%
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A corner of the forest in Cat Tien National Park |
According to the report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, from 1998 to 2005, Vietnam’s forest coverage reached 36.7%, an increase of 3.5% compared to 1999.
The project to plant 5 million hectares of forest is a major initiative approved by the National Assembly, emphasizing that forest planting should prioritize the protection of existing forests and aim to increase forest coverage to 43% by 2010. This initiative contributes to ensuring environmental security, mitigating natural disasters, enhancing water retention capacity, conserving genetic resources, and maintaining biodiversity, especially for rare plant and animal species.
Mr. Hua Duc Nhi, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, stated that the project’s progress has been slower than planned. Over the course of 7 years (1998-2005), newly planted forests only reached 49% of the target set, totaling 1.39 million hectares; it has not met the needs of the wood processing industry; while natural forest areas have increased, forest productivity has been inconsistent.
The planning for forest and forestry land use alongside the establishment of processing facilities has lacked synchronization; the planning for raw material forest development in many localities has not been linked with factory construction. Incentive policies encouraging local people to participate in forest protection and development are limited, particularly for impoverished communities living in and near forests.
The reform of state-owned forestry management has been hesitant in many areas, resulting in ineffective business operations concerning forest and land areas.
Despite these challenges, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s evaluation, significant progress has been made in forest management and protection, with the total forest area across the country recovering rapidly. Notably, in the mountainous midland areas of the North and the provinces in the North Central region, the area of devastated forest has decreased.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the leading entity in implementing the project, has followed the government’s directives to implement policies on forest allocation and contracting, allowing local people to benefit significantly from the forests, thereby alleviating pressure on budgetary resources and enhancing public awareness of forest protection.
At the aforementioned conference, representatives will evaluate the achieved results, identify existing difficulties, and propose solutions for the project’s implementation during the period of 2006-2010.
