Worrying for Forest Land!

• “… It is said, land and forest allocation is for people to take care the forest and forest products take care people in return. And yet, over half of life we have engaged with forest and all we have seen is absurd and contradition: “living with forest but forest belongs to outsiders or our livelihood relies on forest but forest belongs to outsiders”, looking toward to the green hills of eucalyptus trees with eyes full of melancholy Elder Dan, Ho Rong hamlet, Minh Son commune, Huu Lung District, Lang Son shared. In the callous arms of the men, who has hoeed and planted forest over half-way through his life, the soft soil mixed with dry leaves becamed warmed….
  
  Reclaimed forest land is forced to cease…!
  
  Sitting on the land which has been reclaimed before by the family, now owned by State Forest Enterprise, the village Elder of Tay ethnic group in Ho Rong hamlet was troubled: “The new policy to allocate land and forest to ethnic minority people, we have just only heard but not seen. It is said, land and forest allocation is for people to take care the forest and forest products take care people in return, that rights and that benefits we haven’t received yet. On the contrary, all the land that we have reclaimed and planted forest before, now belong to state forest enterprise!”
  
  As said by Elder Dan, since 1970, when the first Tay households from Lam Son, Chi Lang, Lang Son came to the Ho Rong hamlet to reclaim, there was a wealth of land and forest was enormous. Following the Elder, more than ten households in Ho Rong hamlet started to reclaim the wild forest land, made plantation of cassava, maize, rice paddies and formed the village next to forest and earned living by the forest products.
  
  However, since 1974, when the Forestry Vocation School settled in Minh Son, Huu Lung, Ho Rong hamlet became under ‘management area’ of the School. For a long time before 1996, local people were allowed to farm on the land that they have reclaimed. They grew longan tree, cassava and some other forestry trees. The real shock to Ho Rong population came along with a “movement” of production plantation and transformation, which mainly set up eucalyptus plantations. “The land that we have been cultivating for our livelihood became the land of the School in an obvious way!”
  
  Up to now, natural/primary forests almost disappeared and instead, there are only mono eucalyptus plantations grown by state forest enterprise or so called contract with villagers. “State forest Enterprise owns land, if we want to plant trees, we have to do contract with State forest Enterprise, pay back some portions of crop. It looks like we are hired to work on our own land “– The Village Elder of Ho Muoi hamlet queried.
  
  Similar to story of the Village Elder of Ho Rong hamlet (Minh Son commune), Elder of Ho Muoi hamlet (Minh Son commune), Elder village of Voi Xo hamlet (Hoa Thang commune) were wavering as villagers are from mountainous area but they do not have neither land, nor forests. From our exploring, the entire forest land of Ho Muoi hamlet is under management of Huu Lung State forest Enterprise II (founded 1993), and the whole forestry land of Hoa Thang commune belong to Huu Lung State forest Enterprise III (established 2000).
  
  Forest land calls for help, no more tear to cry ..!
  
  So far, no one denied the economic outcomes of the transforming policy on mono-crop of eucalyptus trees in Huu Lung district. There are the practical benefits such as low investment costs, high profits, easily cultivating, easily alive, the less care and be able to harvest through many cycles without replanting, easy to trade (private traders to purchase can take place) .. According to studies, every hectare eucalyptus plantation needs investment of 2-3 million and after about five years, it can get 45-60 million.Therefore, eucalyptus planting became a movement in Huu Lung. This policy came up from The plan to develop production wood area in Northeast by Decision No. 149/1998/QD-TTg, due to the comfortalbe trafic road to transport wood products to China and to Quang Ninh province, at the same time three State Forest Enterprises have upgraded to the concentrated production area.
  
  However, beside to the short-term economic efficiency the harmful affects from the mono -eucalyptus area are as clear as day: the root of eucalyptus dehydrated the soil and depleted water resources and the founa, increase erosion, after harvesting eucalyptus the soil is unfertied for any other trees at all. “If possible to compare groundwater with tears of the forest, then the forest of Huu Lung is seriously crying for help as vegetation is deformed, the land is erosed rapidly, groundwater is gradually exhausted” the Elder of Voi Xo (Hoa Thang commune) hesitated.
  
  “Forestry Development Agency only slashed and cut down the tree to plan the cash crop, so that made the soil erosion at all. They should have to protect the forest, keeping the plant grows wild, planted more trees such as canarium, nut tree, Khao tree, Bakich tree… In the fact now, the whole forest is Eucalyptus, Acacia … Forest is warning for erosion, impoverished soil but no measures in time, also how we and our future generation will can survive as living next to forest but we do not have neither land nor forest?” A villager from Ho Rong hamlet could not cover his fuming and irritated shared with us.
  
  What can bare hands bring?
  
  Public opinion for sure certainly hasn’t forgotten the fight newly happened in April 2009 between Huu Lung I State forest Enterprise and neighboring villagers. Primary cause is, due to lack of land and forest, villagers organized invades State forest Enterprise’s land to farm. According to statistical figure (not yet completed) at least there was 370 ha land is invaded.
  
  The encroachment of state land occurs for many years and not only happened in the district Huu Lung, but also occurs in other companies from district of Loc Binh and Dinh Lap. As a result, people occupied the land, take plant stolen, burned forest, causing great damage to State Forest Enterprise and villagers, especially when state agency started to investigate and play their function. This fact once again rings the bell on land resources management in the forestry field and requires adequate policies for the people who live surrounding the forest.
  
  In fact, there are now many programs to support the reforestation such as program 661, program 327, scattered tree planting … implemented in Huu Lung. But very few local people benefitted from these programs because these programs only support people who already have the right to use land, while most of the area of forest land managed by Forestry School of Forestry and and other forestry organizations.
  
  Lack of cultivation land, loss of natural forests has affected not only the livelihood of the people here but also the cultural practices and traditions were gradually disregarded. Hunger, poverty often goes along with illness, illiterate. Knowledge and quality of life of villagers is increasingly and seriously declined. “Previously, the temple of this village is very sacred. People who just cross the temple, are not allowed to speak loudly, they must also take off the hats. Each year there are four times of worshippings to celebrate for good crop, for stability. Temple is also a quiet place to meet and exchange experience on livelihood. Since the old trees on the land of temple were cut down, the temple seemed to lost his high sacredness, living condition of people is more struggling … “- The village Elder of Ho Muoi hamlet confided.
  
  “How our future generation can survive without land and forest?”- This big question requires the answers from authorities, specialized agencies and related oorganizations, who care about the life of all ethnic minorities in the remoted area all over the country.
  
  CIRUM