State of the Environment Vietnam - issues\state_and_impact\forest_state_and

State of the Environment Vietnam - issues\state_and_impact\forest_state_and_impact.htm

Forest State and Impact

Pressure

Response

Conclusion

From the point of view of forest areas and coverage, in the 1990's the general trend in the dynamics of forest resource in Vietnam was positive with the forest cover increasing. However, natural forests with high economic and environmental value continue to decline, especially forests with high and medium volume. The existing natural forests consist of mainly poor quality trees and secondary forest growth regenerated from abandoned shifting cultivation fields, shrub lands and overlogging forest lands. At the same time the area under forest plantations tends to increase significantly

Unit: 1000 ha

No

Main forest types affecting most on environment

Dynamic of natural forests over time

Environmental consequences

1980

1990

1998

1

Evergreen broadleaf forest with rich volume stock

617,2

384,2

221,4

Forest areas drastically declined, structure of optimum ecosystem is damaged

2

Evergreen broadleaf forest with poor volume stock

1,715

1,382.4

1,647.2

3

Coniferous forest

81.3

66.5

36.8

4

Deciduous forest

1,202

935

632.8

5

Coastal mangrove forest

34.2

9.8

2.3

Source: The Forest Inventory and Assessment on periodically project/(FIPI) - 1998.

Inadequacy of forest plantation

Forest plantation development in Vietnam started in 1955 and may be divided into 3 major periods (Figure 2.3) as follows:

Period from 1955 to 1975: Around 219 thousand ha forest was planted. During the early years of this period only small, scattered areas were developed. From 1961 forest plantation was actively promoted and about 50 thousand ha of new forest was established every year.

Period from 1975 to 1985: More than 1 million ha was planted during this period. The annual planting rate increased to around 160,000 ha. Forest plantation activities were planned and directed to specific regions and for specific purposes.

Period from 1986 and continuing: About 1.5 million hectares of new forest was planted. Due to the economic renovation process and the ongoing open-door policy and widened relations with foreign countries, forest plantations in Vietnam have made remarkable progress in terms of technology, management and protection. Forest plantations are established with clear objectives, taking economic efficiency into consideration. Composition of species planted for each region is carefully studied and plantations are more concentrated and intensified. Survival rate is about 70%. The quality of the established forests is much higher than in the earlier periods.

Dynamics of forest plantation over time

Source: Annual Reports of forest Plantation (From 1976 onwards) Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) - Publication April 1999.

Box 2.1. The causes of deforestation

The causes of deforestation in Vietnam are complex and manifold. The greatest factor is probably the repeated cutting of firewood. This not only degrades the forest but also precludes regeneration and increases the forest's susceptibility to fire. These causes can be listed as follows:

- Forest fires cause the gradual erosion of the forest edge in many parts of the country.

- Overlogging both by government timber units and also illegal cutting by unofficial units.

- War damage is no longer a major cause of deforestation but this was a cause in the past. A total of about two million hectares of forest was destroyed through the direct effects of war.

- Shifting cultivation is generally blamed for most of the current forest loss in the hilly and mountainous regions.

- Grazing of livestock also prevents forest regeneration.

- Clearing of forest for shrimp ponds poses a special problem in the mangrove forests of coastal areas.

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