1. Concept of forest

Forest (According to the Forestry Law 2017) is an ecosystem including forest plants, forest animals, fungi, microorganisms, forest soil and other environmental factors, in which the main component is one or more Number of species of trees, bamboo, and palm trees whose height is determined according to the flora on soil mountains, rocky mountains, wetlands, sandy soil, or other typical flora; Contiguous area of 0.3 hectares or more; Canopy degree of 0.1 or more.

2. Forest classification

According to Article 5, Law No. 16/2017/QH14, natural forests and planted forests are classified into 3 types as follows:

• Special-use forests include:

+ National park;

+ Nature reserve;

+ Species and habitat conservation area;

+ Landscape protection area includes forests to preserve historical, cultural relics and scenic spots; belief forest; Forests protect urban environments, industrial parks, export processing zones, economic zones, and high-tech zones;

+ Forest for scientific research and experimentation; National Botanical Garden; national seed forest.

• Protection forests, including:

+ Watershed protection forests; Forests protect water sources of residential communities; border protection forests;

+ Protection forest to block wind and flying sand; Protection forests to block waves and sea encroachment.

• Production forests

3. Current status of forests in Vietnam

The area of natural forest ecosystems across the country has been seriously reduced. In particular, according to statistics, forest coverage is only 42%. The surface area of the primary forest ecosystem is about 10%. According to data from the Report of the National Forest Resources Investigation, Monitoring and Assessment Program (NFIMAP) cycle III. More than two-thirds of Vietnam’s natural forest area is considered poor forest. The rate of forest loss in Vietnam is 200,000 hectares/year, of which 60,000 hectares are due to land reclamation, 50,000 hectares are due to fires and 90,000 hectares are due to overexploitation of timber.

4. What is the solution to save the forest?

• Promote propaganda work on mass media, raise awareness of forest protection and development among the people along with continuing to strengthen the management organization system associated with increased protection forest resources and forestry land;
• Assign responsibility for implementing forest fire prevention and fighting. Promoting digital transformation, applying high and modern technology in forest management and protection, early detection of deforestation and forest fires to ensure effectiveness; When a forest fire occurs, direct the investigation and determine the cause and cause of the forest fire for strict handling according to the provisions of law;
• Closely monitor the conversion of forests to other purposes, especially the conversion of natural forests. Strictly manage and inspect wood processing facilities, especially using natural forest wood; Strictly handle, in accordance with the law, resolutely suspend the operation of wood processing facilities that violate State regulations;
• Additional resources, ensuring policies and regulations, and timely encouragement so that the Forest Ranger force and specialized forest protection force can work with peace of mind, meet task requirements, and be consistent with practical conditions and situations. local;
• Control degradation of rare wild forest animals and plants.

[REFERENCES]

1. Law on Forestry 2017.
2. https://www2.hcmuaf.edu.vn/data/quoctuan/Rung%20va%20vai%20tro%20cua%20rung.pdf, October 26, 2023.