The Government reported that the program to plant 5 million hectares of forest from 1998-2010 has achieved significant results. All criteria have been met and forest coverage has increased from 32 percent in 1998 to 39.5 percent in 2010. The project helped raise public awareness of protecting and developing forests, improving the ecological environment and creating material zones for the timber processing industry and other forestry products. However, the hot issue is how the actual coverage affects the environment.

The Government authorized the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to report on the project during the ongoing National Assembly working session. Thirteen years after the project began, 4.675 million hectares of forest have been planted or replanted, which was 93.5 percent of the plan. Forest areas increased from 10.4 million hectares in 1998 to nearly 13.4 million hectares in 2010, of which natural forest rose from 9.5 million to 10.3 million hectares, increasing the forest coverage from 32 percent to 39.5 percent. The VND32,000 billion project also had a positive impact on the living conditions of rural and mountain people.

However, the concern was raised regarding how much economic efficiency the project has brought to the country and whether forest coverage can change the environment.

Chairman of the National Assembly Ethnic Council, Ksor Phuoc, said many places he visited 10 years ago were living green forest but now many have disappeared. Dak Nong, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An only have a few hectares of forest left today. Therefore he said he has doubts about MARD's figures, particularly related to natural forest areas.

Furthermore, many hectares of primeval forest have been destroyed over the past 13 years. In 1998 alone, 18,377 hectares of forest were cut down. Although the average cutting areas have now been reduced, each year many thousands of hectares of old forest become land for cultivating coffee.

 

Dozens protected forests have been destroyed to harvest their valuable timber in Ha Tinh, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan provinces.

At a recent meeting in Dak Lak, MARD Minister Cao Duc Phat said Central Highland and Southeastern provinces lost more than 158,000 hectares of forest from 2006-2010. In 2011 alone, these provinces detected 1,710 cases of forest destruction as of September.

The 39.5 percent forest coverage rate is good news, but the actual quality of the forests is not the best as most areas plant forests to produce materials for industrial and economic purposes. Five or ten years after exploitation, the hills that were covered by industrial trees are bare.

The Government proposed that the National Assembly stop the project to plant 5 million hectares of forest and turn to caring for and protecting existing forests and allocate an VND49,000 billion in capital for the new project. The Government expects to increase the country's forest coverage to 44-45 percent by 2020 in order to meet environmental requirements for sustainable development and promote forestry as a key economic sector.

Raising forest coverage should be in line stabilizing the living conditions of local people. Therefore, the Government should have policies to expand economic forest areas to improve the incomes of local people and create materials for export and the processing industry. The agricultural sector should also upgrade production methods to help local people raise their incomes and feel secure so they will be more likely to preserve and protect the forests.