Quang Nam would like to reduce 1,600 hectares of protection forest

Explaining this, Chairman of Quang Nam province Le Tri Thanh said that the coastal protection forest located in the east of the locality has an area of ​​more than 3,600 hectares. Of which 2,875 ha have forests; 761 hectares of bare land, seasonally flooded.

The leader of Quang Nam province informed that this is not a natural forest but has been planted since the 1990s. The forest area is sandy soil “cannot grow anything to create a livelihood, only growing acacia trees, windproof cassava, sand” and lying down. in particularly disadvantaged coastal communes that do not have infrastructure.

The forest is planted with no one to take care of. “In 2020, due to the influence of storms, 292 hectares fell, so the actual area is 2,583 hectares”, Mr. Thanh cited and said, currently in the coastal protection forest, the transport infrastructure is synchronously invested. favorable conditions for economic development.

Quang Nam identifies the eastern region, where protection forests are located, as the driving force for development, of which the core is Chu Lai Open Economic Zone. However, this has encountered many obstacles and difficulties due to the acquisition and conversion of forest land use purposes and afforestation instead.

Quang Nam proposed the Prime Minister to unify the policy of adjusting the planning of coastal protection forests from 3,600 hectares to 2,000 hectares on the basis of being consistent with the current status of forests eligible for recognition as forests in this area. Mr. Thanh said that if adjusted, it will create a land fund of 1,600 hectares to develop functional areas.

Mr. Thanh proposed the Government to allow Quang Nam to rearrange protection forests along roads, surrounding functional areas and residential areas; allows the province to carry out activities of afforestation, protection and development of coastal protection forests in the form of public – private cooperation. This will be done through contracting to businesses implementing projects to ensure regular planting, care and management, combining economic development with disaster prevention functions.

Before this proposal, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that if regulations were formal and rigid, they would not be able to develop, “must recognize this fact directly”. “Quang Nam has to speak in other forums, but I understand it here,” he said, adding that practitioners understand, but there are those who do not fully understand it, and will think “a forest is a forest”, while It was recorded 20 years ago, but in fact “only a few sparse trees”.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha, said “totally agree” with the Prime Minister. He explained that there were many places that were not previously protected forests, but because of economic interests, inaccurate data was included in the planning.

The Prime Minister said the reduction of forest area needs to be considered. He assigned the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment to appoint a deputy minister to Quang Nam to review the specific assessment and together with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for comments.

In addition to the above proposal, Quang Nam raised the current bottlenecks and obstacles in the local development and proposed to the Prime Minister to remove such as a specific mechanism to preserve and promote the value of world heritage; invest in and develop Chu Lai airport; seaport system; adjusting the general planning on construction of Chu Lai Open Economic Zone; land policy when implementing investment projects in Chu Lai Open Economic Zone…

Concluding the meeting, the Prime Minister suggested that the ministries and branches deal with them within their competence, and coordinate with the province not to prolong, not to petition many times.

Dac Thanh