On March 30, information from Nghe An Provincial People's Committee said that in recent times, functional agencies have coordinated with Yen Thanh District authorities to implement many solutions to successfully protect the special-use lim forest in Lang Thanh commune.
Accordingly, before 1954, the lim forest in Lang Thanh commune was owned by a number of individuals and clans. After the country implemented the naturalization policy, households voluntarily handed over the forest area to the state for management. By 2001, the state issued Land Use Rights Certificates to 129 households for protective forests and 4 households for production forests, for a total of 106.4 hectares, for a term of 50 years.
In 2014, the lim forest in Ru Gam (Lang Thanh commune) was officially planned as a special-use forest associated with historical - cultural relics according to the decision of the Provincial People's Committee. The planned area is 112.6 hectares. By 2024, according to the Prime Minister's Decision, the remaining area of special-use lim forest will be 83.32 hectares.
Although it has been planned as a special-use forest since 2014, the state has not yet had a plan to compensate for assets on the land, nor has it revoked the Land Use Rights Certificate granted to the people. In addition, land allocation documents do not clearly state forest status, density, and timber reserves, making it difficult to manage and control the current status.
After being granted land, many households have cleared the ground, planted acacia and eucalyptus in the natural lim forest. Some households also burn ground cover, exploit raw wood, seriously affect the growth of lim and cause forest fire risk. Meanwhile, people do not enjoy economic benefits from lim forests - a type of tree that is not exploited, causing them to lack motivation to protect the forest. Pests and disease prevention work has also been neglected.
From 2015 to 2024, many violations of exploitation, incineration of forest cover, and illegal planting in special-use forests have been detected and handled. Typically, the illegal exploitation of 2.4m3 of wood in sub-area 877B (2015), or 20 households violating the planting of raw materials in special-use forests (2016). However, the encroachment continues, reflecting inadequacies in the mechanism of land allocation, benefits from forests, and on-site monitoring.
Nghe An Provincial People's Committee affirmed that it has promptly detected and handled violations. However, for Lang Thanh special-use forest - where there is a rare natural lim forest ecosystem - to be preserved and developed sustainably, there needs to be a comprehensive solution: from adjusting the land allocation mechanism, supporting people's livelihoods, increasing the forest protection contract level, to inventorying, re-classifying the forest status and establishing strict protection boundaries.
Lang Thanh Linh Forest has been exploited for an eco-tourism tour in Yen Thanh District: Ru Gam Pagoda (Xuan Thanh) - Ve Vung Dam (Dong Thanh) - Quan Hai Dam (Phuc Thanh) - Lang Thanh Linh Forest.
