BÌNH PHƯỚC – Authorities in the southern province of Bình Phước have apologised for deforestation violations in the province.

The apology was delivered by Nguyễn Văn Trăm, chairman of the provincial people’s Committee at a meeting with a working group led by Mai Tiến Dũng, Minister and head of the Government Office yesterday.

Trăm attributed the shortage of forest rangers to ineffective forest management, adding that each ranger was responsible for 700ha of forest.

Nguyễn Văn Lợi, the province’s Party Secretary, admitted shortcomings in forest protection work.

He has promised to clarify the responsibilities of relevant officials and take drastic measures to overcome shortcomings.

Addressing the meeting, Dũng said the provincial authorities did not follow an order by Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc last June to close natural forests nationwide.

Specifically, hundreds of ha of natural forest area had its designated use changed illegally, he said.

Dũng asked provincial authorities to strictly implement the Prime Minister’s instructions on forest protection.

"The natural forest should be closed and shifting from so called "poor" forest which means forest suffering exhaustion for other purposes should be considered carefully," he said.

The Ministry of Public Security’s Environmental Crime Police Department in August last year detected various violations by provincial authorities relating to turning over 575 ha of forest into land for husbandry and cultivation.

The project was later suspended.

According to the department, provincial authorities granted a licence to an enterprise exploiting the natural forest without compiling a report on the environmental impact.

The provincial authorities violated regulations on forestation when allowing Sông Bé Rubber Company to exploit the natural forest before the project’s approval.

Bình Phước Province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development also erred when granting a license to an enterprise that was not authorised to perform husbandry. — VNS