Rare vegetation and animals need to be protected

The ecosystem of Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve is being abused, the vegetation and the source of rare and precious animals are being poor and exhausted. If not overcome soon, in the future there may be nothing left to preserve?

Lung Ngoc Hoang is a submerged forest land, 5,100ha wide, located in Phung Hiep district (Hau Giang), where researchers have confirmed that there are many values ​​of conservation of submerged forest. On August 1, 2002, the Government approved the pre-feasibility project of the national reserve of Lung Ngoc Hoang wetland, with an initial estimate of nearly VND 4 billion for this project.

Poor people live on forests

Hunting for wild animals and deforestation at one time has created a " vulnerable " nature reserve. Most of the wild animals caught are brought to Phung Hiep wholesale market, then moved everywhere. Nowadays, the market of snake and Phung Hiep bird market is empty because of the decision to ban the exploitation of rare and precious animals of the local government.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Tho, Director of Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve worried to tell me: " Now the hunting of wild animals and deforestation has decreased, however, the form of" destruction "has become increasingly sophisticated. than.

The staff of the NR is thin, and it is very difficult to catch wildlife hunting, fish and shrimp behavior, due to the wide area, many canals, mixed with Melaleuca forests.

The violators often easily hide, evict, hide fishing equipment. Getting the violator is difficult, it is more difficult to handle. Recently, many children come to the NR to catch fish and shrimp. When we caught it, we only made a record and invited the parents of the children who came to bail to pledge not to repeat the offense, but could not handle it in any other way because the offender was a child ".

In addition to worries about the status of shrimp and fish exploitation, wildlife hunting, Lung Ngoc Hoang NR is also facing many other risks. Currently, there are 19 households exploiting illegally 14.12 ha of Melaleuca forest located in 3 sub-zones: ecological restoration sub-zone, administrative and tourist service subdivision and experimental science subdivision. Total area of ​​2,805 ha of Melaleuca forest in the NR is under management, there are 99 households growing Melaleuca with a land area of ​​65.7 hectares, of which only 23 households planted 34.61 hectares of Melaleuca forests are acquired by Phuong Ninh SFE ( old) allowed, the rest is spontaneous.

In 2002, the Prime Minister signed a decision to merge Phuong Ninh SFE and Spring Forest Enterprise, establishing Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve with a total area of ​​2,805ha.

Lung Ngoc Hoang has 315ha wobbly with many types of perch, snakehead fish, cotton fish, white catfish, waterfalls. Particularly diverse flora and extremely rich animal populations, including more than 200 species, the most attractive are water birds with 135 species, including many rare and precious species such as cheekbones, petals and seniors. In particular, the cauldron, each of which has thousands of children always lurking in the green forests. Some households continue to exploit melaleuca in their land previously planted in the NR due to difficult economic conditions.

Director Nguyen Hoang Tho said: " We are assigned to protect the ecosystem of the NR but the people are still living right in the core zone, so it is very difficult to protect and preserve.

No one can confirm, make sure that the violations of the NR do not come from the people living right in the NR?

We proposed to the Provincial People's Committee the solution to protect the NR, forced to organize, relocate and relocate households who are living in the forest outside the buffer zone under the "land for land" plan. The provincial leader agreed to this proposal but the implementation was difficult, not possible due to lack of funding . "

Estimated, to implement this project, Hau Giang province will have to invest from 5 to 10 billion VND. Protection in the " forest gut " has been complicated, in the buffer zone is equally difficult if not said to be floating.

The whole buffer zone of KBT is nearly 8,900 ha, including 7 communes of one town, bordering the territory of Soc Trang province and a population of nearly 40,000 people.

Up to now, there has not been any specific regulation to distinguish between people in the " forest " and the buffer zone. The situation of people still living in the NR, the protection and preservation of the ecosystem of Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve will not be effective.

Ever at risk of destruction?

Of the 5,100 ha of the total area of ​​the NR, there are 2,815 ha that need to be strictly protected, which is the main area to be included in the project, the rest is buffer zone, administrative area and experimental area.

In the past years, two Phuong Ninh and Spring Forest Enterprises have just protected, renovated and rehabilitated forests, and been allowed to exploit forests to increase their incomes and ensure their daily life. Hundreds of households from other places also migrated here to exploit forests and buy land for business.

Currently, Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve has 360 households as " people of origin ", more than 240 households migrate freely from other places, of which the proportion of poor and hungry people is over 55%. Without early settlement of population issues associated with the planning of construction and development of ecological conservation zones, it will cause many negative effects in forest protection and management.

Hundreds of people still enter the restricted area for hunting birds, animals, turtles, turtles and other seafood. The number of staff and staff who are staffed on non-administrative basis "of the NR Management Board is still very difficult.

Without the participation of local propaganda and functional education, the rare fish and shrimp species will be destroyed by human hands. The most urgent issue now is the early deployment of resettlement areas, migration out of the core zone of Lung Ngoc Hoang NR.

In the context of Hau Giang province having difficulties in funding sources, should the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment need urgent measures to help the locality protect the NR in a timely manner. nature.

Thus, Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve is truly protected from the risk of destruction and destruction of human wetland ecosystems. If the relocation of people out of the NR area is not carried out early, the ecosystem of Lung Ngoc Hoang NR is destroyed, which is entirely possible. Therefore, it is necessary to have a master plan with reasonable policies and measures to move and relocate households who still live on forest capital , limiting to the lowest level of destruction. and exploiting natural resources indiscriminately and indiscriminately.