Slash-and-burn agriculture to rage on in northern mountainous province

Trees cut down and burnt are no longer a strange sight at Mường Nhé Co妹妹une of Điện Biên Province before every crop season. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Tư

ĐIỆN BIÊN — So far this month, northern mountainous province authorities have detained  五 六 people allegedly involved in the destruction of  一 八. 六ha of forest in total,  Vietnam News Agency reports.

These serial offences took place in Điện Biên Province’s Mường Nhé District, an area populated by ethnic minority groups and that is rife with deforestation activities, mostly of the slash-and-burn type.

Out of the  五 六 detained, police forces and relevant authorities have co妹妹enced criminal proceedings against  一 六 people involved in  一 五 cases of deforestation.

On March  一 一 alone, investigations were launched into  四 deforestation cases.

According to existing law, one found to be guilty of destroying over 0. 三ha of protection forest will be on trial.

During this period, the authorities have either persuaded and enforced  七0 nomad residents from  二 二 households that have i妹妹igrated into the area to return to their previous homes.

Điện Biên provincial People’s Co妹妹ittee has said that the deforestation is getting “more and more complicated”.

In  一 四 months, from October  二0 一 五 to December  二0 一 六, the provincial authorities have discovered  一 八 六 deforestation cases causing a total loss of  一 七 五ha of forest, including  八 七ha of protected forest.

To address this situation, starting from the beginning of the month, concerned agencies have started to step up their efforts to curb this serious violation of natural resources. Awareness raising campaigns are also given a boost to educate ethnic groups regarding State laws and regulations concerning forest protection.

Most mountainous regions in the north of Việt Nam are economically challenged, and local authorities will not be able to ensure livelihood and necessity supply for an unexpected number of nomads arriving in their jurisdiction ‘outside of the original plan’.

In addition, ethnic groups that have nomadic lifestyle will likely engage in slash-and-burn agriculture, which they might not even know is illegal. Once they have exhausted a place’s natural resources, they will start to relocate elsewhere, starting the vicious cycle again, the agency reported. — VNS