In the first months of 2021, localities responded to the “Tet planting tree” movement, have built specific action plans on afforestation, forest protection, and scattered tree planting to protect nature and the ecological environment. As a result, the number of scattered planted trees in February 2021 increased highly, estimated at 7 million trees and increased by 9.4% over the same period last year. Directive 45/CT-TTG issued by the Prime Minister signed for promulgation on December 31, 2020, on organizing the “New Year planting tree” movement and strengthening the work of forest protection and development, set the goal of planting 1 billion new trees in the period 2021-2025, particularly the target of green tree planting in 2021 is 1.5 times higher than the implementation results in 2020, and from 2022 to 2025 is 2 times higher. This is a very meaningful program, following the tradition of more than 60 years since Uncle Ho directly launched “Tet planting trees” on November 28, 1959, in the period of resistance war combined with the national construction, Uncle Ho pointed out: “This is less expensive but has many benefits, making an important contribution to the improving people’s lives”.
Afforestation combined with forest protection is one of the very practical jobs for sustainable development. Forest development is key to protect the environment, it was estimated that in 2019, Vietnam had 14.6 million hectares of forest, of which the natural forest area was nearly 10.3 million hectares, planted forests reached 4.3 million hectares. The forest coverage rate was nearly 42%, higher than the world average (29%). In the 10 years from 2009 to 2019, natural forest areas did not change much[1], this proves that the Government is quite focused on the protection of natural forests instead of only focusing on afforestation. Newly planted forests cannot replace old forests and primary forests, because when destroyed, the vegetation layer of 50cm – 1m thick is no longer available, floods will cause erosion and flash floods when it rains. The declining forest quality is the direct cause of natural disasters, floods, causing heavy damage to human lives and property.
Afforestation should go hand in hand with the protection of natural forests, increasing the forest coverage rate is one of the indicators to assess sustainable development in countries in the set of indicators on natural resources and environment and sustainable development indicators. However, in conjunction with the rate of forest coverage, it is necessary to ensure the criteria of forest quality because the area of planted forest-covered was mainly the area of economic plantations, including industrial trees and trees for paper materials, planted forests do not have vegetation, the forest that has just been planted will be lost after 5 – 10 years of exploitation cycle. The planted forest needs to have economic value, do not affect the growth of low-rise plants to be able to replicate production models under the forest canopy such as planting rattan, growing amomum, cardamom, beekeeping… helping people to have higher income and peace of mind to keep forests.
In the 10th session of the 14th National Assembly, delegations discussed the subject “Raising the proportion of forest coverage combined with stabilizing people’s lives whose work and income mainly comes from forests”. In the past, household zone off to protect the forest received only 50,000 VND/ha/year, at the present up to 250,000 VND/ha/year, and following the next route, it should be 01 million VND/ha/year to ensure the quality of the forest coverage could be higher step by step. If the area of forest zone off and protection can reach 02 million hectares of the new area, it will gradually ensure the quality of 10.3 million hectares current natural forest. Due to the policy of forest environmental service payment, the Revenue of The Forestry each year was 30,000 billion dongs. On October 20th, 2020, Vietnam officially signed to cooperate about carbon credit from the forest, 10 million m3 CO2 was sold, 1m3 CO2 was 5 USD[2].
Deforestation has been a serious problem in Viet Nam and other countries in the world. All levels of government, functional sectors, and people in the location of forest management should raise the sense of responsibility to protect the “green lung”. In February 2021, the country had nearly 59 thousand hectares of cut, destroyed, and encroached forest. Generally, in the first 2 months of 2021, the cut and destroyed forest area was 118 thousand hectares. Some provinces with the most area of destruction and encroachment in February are Kon Tum 25.8 hectares, Yen Bai 14.7 hectares, Kien Giang 6 hectares, Bac Kan nearly 4.4 hectares, Son La 2.4 hectares, accounting for 90% of the cut, encroached area in the whole country. In the recent 10 years, the profits from forest planted for wood or short-term planted trees such as ginger, black jelly were very high. So, many households try to exploit forests, destroy natural forests illegally for land production, newly planted forest. Forest fire is another reason causing the reduction of recent forest area, in February, forest fire area was 14.2 hectares; Total fired forest area from the first year to now was nearly 83 hectares, of which Quang Ninh leading with about 10.2 hectares, following was Bac Kan 2.1 hectares, Bac Giang 1.1 hectares. Provinces that had high risk at forest fire need to monitor closely for more to respond timely when the fire happened, not only based on the level of forest fire warning by current technique but also remind directly household zone off the forest, ensure to have the notice timely and ready to act when happening the forest fire.
Environmental pollution, especially air pollution, is continuing to increase at an alarming level, seriously affecting the quality of human life as well as socio-economic development activities, at most in big cities. The rapid urbanization in our country leads to great pressure on the environment. The public green trees system at the urban level has not received adequate attention and investment, the percentage of urban green parkland is very low compared to the standard. According to the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, the current ratio of green trees per person in big cities in Vietnam is only 2-3 m2/person, while this ratio in a modern city in the world from 20-25 m2/person. To raise the ratio of green trees per person, in the draft project “Planting 1 billion trees” in the period 2020 – 2025 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development submitted to the Prime Minister for approval, set a goal in the next 5 years to plant 690 million scattered trees in urban and rural areas.
Over the past years, Vietnam has suffered many serious impacts from natural disasters, with an increasing trend of extreme weather phenomena, causing severe consequences. Therefore, the requirement to protect and develop forests, in particular, the natural primary forests is an urgent and long-term strategic task with the leading of the Government. And above all, it is necessary to have a solidarity joint force of the people to develop the country in a sustainable direction.
[1] Natural forest area (million hectares) from 2009 to 2019 was respectively 10.34; 10.30; 10.29; 10.42; 10.40; 10.10; 10.18; 10.24; 10.26; 10.29.
[2] According to the report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the 10th session, 14th National Assembly.