VietNamNet Bridge – The land grabbing has become more and more serious in mountainous areas. Local people, who suffer from hunger, try to clear forests and go get land for cultivation.

Sixty households in Dip hamlet of K’reng commune in Chu Pah district of Gia Lai province have reportedly appropriated tens of hectares of preventive forests, where they have grown crops.

There are 170 households with 800 people in the hamlet, who have been living on fishing, tilling and husbandry along the steams of Ia Blok, Ia Djrao streams.

More than ten years ago, when the Se San 3A hydropower plant was built, hundreds of households had to move their hamlets to the resettlement area.

However, the people cannot “settle down” in the new area due to the limited land fund to reclaim. The Chu Pah district authorities are considering allocating land in the Ia Ly preventive forest area to people. However, no suitable land fund has been found.

Dip hamlet’s people now live in a quarter with 50 houses, which has created a new urban area. However, they have to live in poverty and hunger, especially in the between-crop periods.

As the hunger has been hung over the people, they have tried to encroach on the preventive forests, though they know this is illegal.

The Dak Lak provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has reported that local people have appropriated 9,680 hectares of forest land in Ea Sup, Ea H’leo and Cu M’ga districts.

The 15 local forestry companies have been assigned to protect and develop 198,000 hectares of forests. However, as the companies loosened the management, immigrant people illegally devastated the forests and appropriated the forest land where they have set up residential and production areas.

Phap luat Vietnam reported that all the people in Tan Thanh commune of Huu Lung district of Lang Son province rushed to grab the land areas put under the management of afforestation yards.

Phung Van Quang, Deputy Chair of Tan Thanh commune people’s committee, said the Dong Bac Forestry Company now can control some 1,000 hectares of forests only, while the remaining land area has been encroached by local people.

“I am afraid that there would be no more forest land in two years,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Dong Bac Forestry Company admitted that it cannot do anything to prevent this.

The land grabbing occurs not only in the central or northern regions, but all over the country.

The M’Drak Forestry Company in Dak Lak province reported that 250-300 hectares of forest land put under the company’s control was appropriated in 2012. The land grabbing occurs in all the five communes where there is forest land.

In Lam Dong province, Bao Loc Forestry Company reported that 20-30 hectares of forests was appropriated, while Bao Lam Company reported 120 hectares.

According to the Forestry General Directorate, in 2012, about 7,000 hectares of afforestation yards was appropriated. However, people keep doubtful about the figure. Dong Bac Forestry Company in Lang Son province alone reported the loss of 14,500 hectares, which is double the figure.

An official of the Enterprise Renovation Committee belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said local authorities reported that 150,000 hectares out of 2 million hectares was appropriated in 2010.

Kim Chi