Comrade Vuong Van Ninh, Head of Ham Yen Forest Protection Department, said that currently, the policy of supporting forest protection contracts for people according to Decree No. 75/2015/ND-CP of the Government on mechanisms and policies for forest protection and development, associated with the policy of rapid and sustainable poverty reduction and support for ethnic minorities in the period 2015 - 2020 has expired. However, the forest rangers in the communes still closely coordinate with forces such as the police and military to build a close relationship with the people in forest protection work, relying on the people to protect the forest. Many localities have had creative ways to promote the proactive and self-aware spirit of the people in forest protection work, so in these communes for many years there have been no forest fires or acts of encroachment on the forest.

Minh Khuong commune people and forest rangers patrol to protect the forest.

Minh Khuong Forest Ranger Station currently has only 2 forest rangers. The station manages the forest area in 3 communes: Minh Dan, Bach Xa and Minh Khuong with over 1,500 hectares of natural forest. Comrade Doan Cong Tu, in charge of Minh Khuong Forest Ranger Station, shared that although the policy of forest protection contracting for households has expired since the end of 2024, in forest patrols and controls, there is very active participation of village cadres and households. The communes still effectively maintain the commune's mobile forest protection team and mass forest protection groups in the villages. In the mass forest protection groups of the villages, in addition to police officers and village chiefs, there is also a large participation of households. The village chief is the person with a very important responsibility in mobilizing people to participate in patrolling and protecting forests in the villages under his management. “The cadres control the village chief, the village chief controls the households” - this is an innovative model in Minh Khuong. Mr. Tran Van Xuan, Head of Xit Xa Village, Minh Khuong Commune said: “As a village chief, I also have to understand the people’s thoughts. When people go to plant trees on the fields and discover strangers entering the forest or someone entering the forest with strange behavior, they must also report to the village chief. This has become a commitment between the village chief and the households, becoming an “unwritten law” - Mr. Xuan said with a smile.

Ham Yen district forest rangers patrol to protect the forest.

Yen Lam and Yen Phu communes currently have over 19 thousand hectares of forest land, managed by Yen Lam Commune Forest Ranger Station. Yen Lam Station currently has 4 forest rangers working. For many years, there have been no forest fires or violations of forest protection laws in Yen Lam commune. Comrade Vuong Van Hung, a local forest ranger at Yen Lam Commune Forest Ranger Station, shared that the local forest rangers are always close to the people's lives to propagate and grasp the situation of forest protection. Through the Village Development Board and the village security and order team, the forest rangers build a core force among the people to protect the forest. Households in the villages take turns patrolling and protecting the forest with the functional forces.

Thai Khao village chief Ly Van Thong said that over the years, the village has always strictly protected the forest with the important contribution of the people. Thanks to the "eyes and ears" of the people, acts of encroachment on the forest have been promptly detected and prevented. People are aware of the importance of protecting the forest, so they also propagate to each other and effectively support the authorities. Mr. Thong himself, the village chief, also considers the task of protecting the forest as an important task of his, so he can fulfill his role.

Experience from the grassroots in Ham Yen is that relying on the people to protect the forest has been creating solid "defensive" lines to protect the forest in the areas. And the reality in Ham Yen also shows that only when there is active and proactive participation of the people, then the coordination between the Party Committee, the government, and functional forces in forest protection work can be truly effective.

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/ham-yen-dua-vao-dan-de-giu-rung-210903.html