300 forestry violations in 6 months
On July 23, Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee Ho Van Muoi issued a directive requesting departments, branches, and localities to strengthen the management and protection of forests and forestry land, and strictly handle violations.
According to the Lam Dong Provincial Forest Protection Department, in the first 6 months of 2026, the whole province detected 300 cases of violations of forestry law, an increase of 46 cases (18%) compared to the same period in 2025.
To date, functional forces have handled 296 cases, including 282 cases of administrative violations and 14 cases of criminal handling.
Notably, there are 13 prominent and complex violations including 6 cases of deforestation, 4 cases of illegal forest exploitation, 1 case of illegal storage of forest products and a number of other cases that are continuing to be investigated and handled according to regulations.
According to the Provincial People's Committee, the situation of deforestation, poisoning and killing forest trees, encroachment on forestry land, illegal construction on forestry land and illegal transfer of land belonging to agricultural and forestry projects still occurs in some areas.
Tighten management responsibility, strictly handle violations
The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee assigned the Department of Agriculture and Environment to review the entire area of land and forest encroached upon or used illegally; advise on recovering the violating area and consider the responsibilities of organizations, individuals, and forest owners for violations.
The Forest Protection Department is assigned to strengthen patrols and inspections, coordinate with local authorities to promptly detect and handle acts of deforestation, illegal forest exploitation and encroachment on forestry land; and at the same time inspect and clarify the responsibilities of forest owners.
For the Provincial Police, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requested to focus on fighting and eliminating lines, groups, and subjects who lead, broker or protect forest destruction activities.
Strengthen patrols and inspections to promptly detect and strictly handle cases of illegal exploitation and transportation of forest products and encroachment on forestry land; accelerate the investigation and handling of related cases.
Local People's Committees are required to strictly manage the current status of forests, effectively implement forest fire prevention and fighting according to the "4 on-site" motto; and resolutely not to legitimize land areas with violating origins in order to issue land use right certificates in violation of regulations.
Leaders of the Provincial People's Committee emphasized the strict handling of forest encroachment acts, associated with raising the responsibility of local authorities, forest owners and functional forces to prevent violations and protect forest resources in the area.
