Young people in the southern province of Ben Tre plant trees under a protected forest project. (Photo: VNA) Ben Tre (VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of BenTre planned to grow an additional 171 ha of forest this year and expected aforest coverage of 2% by 2025, according to the provincial Department ofAgriculture and Rural Development.
Director of the department Doan Van Danh said that WorldBank’s funding will be used to grow 151 ha of forest, while that from theState budget and private sector will be for the rest.
The province currently has more than 7,830 ha of forestand forest land stretching along the coast of 11 communes in three districts ofBa Tri, Binh Dai, and Thanh Phu.
Now, the province's forested land area is more than 4,470ha, of that there is nearly 2,247 ha of protection, 1,868 ha ofspecial-use, and 355 ha of production forests. The local forests aremainly mangroves with common species with low economic value. However, theforests play a very important role in protecting production areas andresidential areas from wind and sea waves, contributing to creating landscapesand protecting coasts.
With amodest area, the coastal mangrove forest in the province greatly helps thelocality to mitigate the impacts of climate change and sea level rise whilecreating biodiversity and livelihoods for the people.
Bui Quoc Thong, director of Ben Tre protection forest andspecial-use forest Management Board, said that more than 2,800 ha of forest was allocated to households, individuals, and organisations for management andprotection.
The forest land is allocated to poor households, thosewith little production land, or those who have to change their livelihood.
The allocation brings benefits as the forests are managed and exploited more effectively. Moreover, the households can use thewater surface in the forests to raise aquaculture and have a stable livelihood.
Since 2021, Ben Tre province has implemented a projectof planting 10 million trees by 2025. The province's afforestation activitieshave grown strongly thanks to the use of capital sources. In 2022, the provinceplanted and rehabilitated 395,000 forest trees, equivalent to 140 ha./.
