This not only helps better the environmental situation, but also improves the livelihoods of local people, while raising their awareness on environmental issues.
24 thousand hectares of forests have been grown and developed in 10 provinces of Vietnam. This contributes to protecting around 100 kilometres of sea dykes and mitigating the effects of climate change. These are the results of the project “'Mangrove Plantation and Disaster Risk Reduction", conducted by the Vietnam Red Cross Society, with support from the Danish Red Cross since 1994 and Japan since 1997.
"Besides growing forests, the locals here also manage and protect forests well. I think the project is being implemented effectively, and I hope this will continue", said Tsuyoshi Kimijima, head of Northern Kanto’s Red Cross Society, Japan.
Here is the Phu Tho Province-based forest developed with the support of Japan International Forestry Promotion and Cooperation Center (JIFPRO). Started in 2012, the project contributed to planting 400 hectares of forest, with the participation of 200 households. Having joined the project for over 3 years, Lê Thị Hồng’s family has planted 2.7 hectares of forests. Most of them are acacia.
"The project gave us technical support to grow and take care of forests. Besides, I also shared with other locals about the importance and benefits of forest planting", said Le Thi Hong, Resident, Thanh Ba District, Phu Tho Province.
JIFPRO is one of 5 forest planting programs by Japanese agencies in cooperation with the management boards of forestry projects in Vietnam since 2006. Until now, this program has expanded to 6 other provinces, with the total area of forests reaching 3 thousand hectares. In the harvesting stage, timber yield is expected to stand at 100 cubic meters per hectare.
"Regarding environmental issues, the project helps stabilise the local ecosystem by increasing the forest area, which is expected to reach 25% soon. On top of that, we encourage the locals to switch to big timber trees, which have higher economic value", said Phung Duc Toan, Head Ranger, Thanh Ba District, Phu Tho Province.
Such projects not only help protect the environment, but also help the locals gain more experience in forest planting, thereby boosting their income.
