Monitor developments and announce the current status of forests in the province.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Hai has just signed a document requesting the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development; People's Committees of districts, towns and cities to implement the work of monitoring forest developments and announcing the current status of forests in the province.

Accordingly, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development shall preside over and coordinate with the People's Committees of localities to inspect and review locations where natural forests have been reduced in 2023 to determine the causes, thereby finding solutions to restore the reduced forest area and establish records of changes according to regulations. Direct the forestry agency to guide and urge localities to monitor forest developments, establish forest management records; apply technology in forest management and monitoring to ensure that the Provincial People's Committee issues a decision to announce the forest status in 2024 and the following years, ensuring quality and progress according to regulations.

*Ham Thuan Nam forest area seen from above.*

In addition, districts, towns and cities must strengthen forest management and protection; strictly monitor, update and announce the forest status annually to ensure quality and time as prescribed; direct the People's Committees at the commune level to regularly monitor forest change warning information in the area to promptly detect forest change locations in the locality. The Chairman of the People's Committees of districts, towns and cities is responsible to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee if there is deforestation or encroachment on forestry land within the management scope of their locality but is not detected and handled promptly, as well as the delay in announcing the forest status according to regulations...

Previously, on March 20, 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced the national forest status in 2023 with the forest area (including forest area that does not meet the criteria for calculating the coverage rate) being 14,860,309 hectares, of which natural forest is 10,129,751 hectares and planted forest is 4,730,557 hectares; the national forest coverage rate is 42.02%. Of which, in Binh Thuan , the total forest area is 349,069 hectares, including natural forest of 296,915 hectares and planted forest of 52,153 hectares; the forest coverage rate is 43.08%.

K. HANG

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