Rangers patrol forest land in Loc Son Commune, Phu Loc District in central Thua Thien-Hue Province. The province plans to allocate 30,000ha of forestry land for communities to manage by 2020. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngo Lich

The provincial People's Committee said it would expand its forest management and protection project from a single village managing 405ha to several communities managing nearly 11,000ha of forest.

In 2000, to prevent residents in Thuy Yen Thuong Village in Phu Loc District's Loc Thuy Commune from illegal logging, the Phu Loc District Forest Protection Bureau in consultation with the provincial People's Committee allocated 404.5ha of natural forest in the village for local villagers to manage and protect.

Under the decision, villagers would protect the area in accordance with the law and have certain rights to forest resources as an income source for a period of 50 years. The allocated area consisted of reasonable quality forest that was about a fifth of the village's total forest area.

Thua Thien – Hue was the first province to initiate such a project.

Before 2000, up to 90 per cent of the villagers had been involved in illegal logging activities. Since the project began, they have managed the forest well and no illegal logging has been reported.

Every day, villagers do security and maintenance patrols and harvest non-wood forest products, honey and fish, allowing them to earn an average income of VND20,000-30,000 a day per person.

Huynh Ngoc To, head of the village's Forest Protection Team and a former illegal logger, said the provincial People's Committee recently decided to allow villagers to harvest nearly 100cu.m of wood as part of their income for doing forest management and protection.

"This not only helps 450 households in the village eliminate poverty in a sustainable way but also changes their awareness of responsibility in forest protection," To said.

From now to 2020, the provincial People's Committee plans to continue allocating 30,000ha of natural forest and forestry land for communities to manage, under Government Decision 178/TTg issued in 2001.

(VNS, 15/1/2011)