Residents in Phước Hữu Commune, Ninh Phước District plant forest to develop household economy. — VNA/VNS Photo

NINH THUẬN — The south-central province of Ninh Thuận is focusing on strengthening the management and protection of natural forests, afforestation and developing the forest economy in association with building livelihoods for people in the buffer zone.

Đặng Kim Cương, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said to improve the efficiency of planted forests, the province has planted trees that can adapt to a dry climate and valuable trees like jackfruit, avocado and grapefruit.

The department reported in 2020, it has planted nearly 843ha of forest and cared for 1,294ha of forests under the sustainable forestry development projects.

Ninh Thuận signed contracts to give local households more than 66,587ha of forest under the Government's Decree No 75/2015/NĐ-CP.

On average, each household received 30ha of forest to protect and develop the economy.

Additionally, it has provided rice to households so they could protect the forest with peace of mind, Cương said.

Châu Văn Khúc, who lives in Phước Hữu Commune, Ninh Phước District, said in 2016, the Tân Giang Lake’s Protective Forest Management Board assigned his family 30ha of forest under a forest protection contract for VNĐ400,000 per hectare annually.

The family planted fruit trees and raised breeding cows to earn an annual income of about VNĐ80 million.

"My family has gradually got out of poverty," Khúc said.

The province is building infrastructure systems in difficult areas and investing in clean water supply and irrigation systems to aid people living near forests.

The director said that thanks to protecting and planting forests, the quality of local forests has improved with many poor forest areas restored and forest coverage increased to a rate of 46.8 per cent in 2020.

The management of natural forests is still being closely monitored, the director said, and local authorities have controlled deforestation.

However, forest fires and deforestation prevention has faced many difficulties due to the dry and hot climate, as well as drought.

Dangerous terrain also causes difficulties for forest management and protection, according to the director. —VNS