Recreate the middle tropical jungle

For the first time, scientists carried out the reconstruction of a typical Vietnamese tropical forest based on plantation. 30ha of eucalyptus forest, pine tree, acacia mangium . on the Soc Son hill, Hanoi is being 'transformed' into tropical forests.

Soc Son used to have tropical primitive forests. Since ancient times, Soc Son primitive forest together with Tam Dao and Ba Vi forests and southern forests of Hoa Binh, Tuyen Quang and Yen Bai provinces have formed a green corridor covering Hanoi. It used to exist in tropical primeval forests, with trees typical of tropical evergreen broadleaf forests with many valuable forest products and medicinal plants.

This pine forest in Soc Son has just been replanted about 30 years ago.

With mountains, forests and many natural lakes, tropical forests in Soc Son play a particularly important role in regulating the climate for Hanoi City.

However, due to the war and many other historical causes, the natural forest here was destroyed, the land became arid and infertile. On nearly 2,500ha of bare hills, people have grown into eucalypt forests, acacia mangium, pine forest .

Currently, the forest species here are mainly fast growing trees, mainly aiming to green bare hills, but the economic value is not high, does not work to increase the fertility of the soil. as well as biodiversity. The current vegetation is not suitable for the ancient and sacred temple of Giong and does not meet the criteria for biodiversity conservation, environmental protection and other functions of tropical forests.

According to engineer Pham Bao, Center for Natural Resources and Environment under the Institute of Ecological Economy, currently there are only 1.4 million hectares of tropical forests nationwide, accounting for 13% of the forest area in Vietnam. Many places only have tropical forests, and the inside can no longer keep the forest's ecology.

The world's first artificial forest regeneration

Tropical forests are characterized by many different species of species and age. In the forest there are many canopy, including tall trees, including shrubs, very different from pine forests.

Mr. Nguyen Duy Chuyen, Deputy Director of Institute of Ecological Economy, Toyota Project Director - Ecoeco said, three years ago, scientists of the Institute of Ecological Economy recreated 5 ha of tropical forest in the temple area Giong, Soc Son. Up to now, many trees have grown and grown very well. After successful testing, the Institute announced this project online, Toyota has read and discovered this is a good topic, so they funded to recreate 25ha more on the basis of all kinds of planted and special forests. is pine forest. Technically, the change of the forest group was previously available, but in order to re-create a complex into tropical forest based on plantation as this project did, this was the first project.

According to engineer Pham Bao, the re-establishment of tropical forests by artificial methods has never happened in any country in the world, because people have to spend too much effort to do it.

Researching on tropical forests since 1983, Mr. Pham Bao said, in pine forests, eucalyptus or acacia, depending on the biological characteristics of the forest, the scientists put them here. Support each other to develop. The soil in Soc Son forest is too bad, so at every tree base you plan to plant, they have to dig all that soil, put alluvial soil into 30 kg of manure and then plant trees. Each newly planted tree here has a record showing the coordinates, growth process and six months of checking trees once. Trees are labeled with the type of tree, date of planting .

As these trees gradually grow, pine, eucalyptus and acacia trees will be gradually removed, returning the ecological environment of tropical forests to Soc Son. Mr. Pham Bao hopes that when the forest is restored, the birds and animals in the tropical forest will be restored.

Now, with the support of Toyota with funding in the period of 2010-2013 up to four billion, scientists at the Institute of Ecological Economics have had the opportunity to realize the dream of regenerating forests.

Forest regeneration for 30 years later

The project of regenerating 30 hectares of tropical forest in Soc Son hill, embellishing the landscape of Giong Temple is carried out with the aim of reestablishing tropical forests with rare and precious tree species from different ecological regions with structure. endemic, mixed, multi-storey, different age, and high biodiversity.

The project will be implemented for seven years from 2010 to 2016, with the content: Recreating and planting 25 ha of tropical forests with different ecological zones; Take care, manage and preserve 5 ha of experimental models to restore tropical forests planted from 2006-2008 and 25ha of new plantations; Building a specimen display area and introducing biodiversity conservation in Soc Son tropical forest and Toyota - EcoEco environmental protection education.

The forest will be divided into plantation areas of the Northwest, Northeast, Northern Region 4, South Central, Central Highlands, and South Vietnam, and have a whole forest to grow all of Vietnam's bamboo species. . The plants are bought from many places, there is a nursery to sow and care for precious plants.

Mr. Akito Tachibana, General Director of Vietnam Automobile Company, said the exhibition area will be the place to carry out outdoor activities for young people in order to educate and raise awareness of environmental protection. These activities will not only be in the time of the Project but will continue for many years to come.

According to engineer Pham Bao, it must be at least 30 years later to become a tropical forest. Therefore, the propaganda of awareness for people right now to keep the forest as the leader of Toyota Vietnam said it is not really a problem.

This reforestation project will also help the community, especially the people of Hanoi, and the Red River Delta provinces, as well as the youth to see the unique and diverse structure of tropical forests in Vietnam. The restored forest area will become a museum of natural rainforest in the heart of Hanoi.