VietNamNet Bridge – Scientists believe that it is necessary to restore the coastal windshield casuarinas belt, which is considered as putting armor on to protect not only villages and houses, but also the rubber forests.

Quang Tri pays a heavy price for chopping down casuarinas forests

The Quang Tri provincial department of agriculture and rural development has advised local people to chop down the rubber trees damaged by more than 70 percent in Nari typhoon and grow other trees. Meanwhile, the other 7,000 hectares of rubber trees, which survived the violent typhoon, need to be protected well.

Scientists pointed out that if there had been a windshield forest belt, the damages caused by Nari would have been lower. However, Quang Tri’s people only tried to expand the rubber growing area, while they did not think of protecting rubber trees – the most valuable assets for every family there – by creating a belt that helps prevent strong wind.

A lot of broken rubber trees can be seen in the communes of Vinh Linh district. Scientists said rubber trees should not be grown in the area which is close to the sea and has the weather unsuitable to the trees. However, farmers, who wanted to optimize profits, still grew rubber and ignored the recommendation on the protective belt.

The casuarinas forests which stayed on the coastal line have been chopped down by farmers. At first, the forests were replaced with shrimp ponds. Shrimps brought more money to farmers, but their living environment got worse.

After that, the areas turned into the titanium exploitation sites. A lot of casuarinas were cut and thrown away. Only a few casuarinas trees remain alive, but they are not strong enough to protect the immense rubber forests behind them. They also cannot protect the villages from sand, wind and storm any more.

As a result, when Nari rushed down, rubber trees were broken, and cultivated crops were damaged. Vinh Thai was the biggest sufferer from Nari with 600 out of the 700 existing houses unroofed.

Protect trees, so that trees can protect people: scientists

According to Hoang Duc Doanh, Head of the Quang Tri provincial Forestry Sub-department, titanium exploitation has been allowed in many other countries as well. However, exploiters are always required to make high commitments on rehabilitating the earth and restore the biodiversity in the localities after the exploitation.

Meanwhile, in Vietnam, due to many reasons, the initial natural conditions cannot be restored. The mulch and moisture in the soil have been washed away, while it would take hundreds more years to regain the necessary substances for trees to develop and serve as the windshield for people.

Doanh emphasized that protective tree belts need to be created not only in Vinh Linh district, but in all districts of Quang Tri province. Local people understand that their rubber trees need a protection shield, but they would rather grow rubber on any available land areas, than growing casuarinas which do not bring money to them.

Tran Luu, a farmer in Gio Linh district, said that at first he developed a protective forest belt to defend his 2 hectares of rubber. However, as the rubber latex price skyrocketed, he decided to destroy the belt to grow rubber, and then suffered from Nari.

Mai Chi