The burning of vegetation and smoking out of bees nests near Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park has become a dangerous fire hazard.
Burning vegetation can pollute the environment and may lead to wildfires (Photo was taken on August 19 at Ho Chi Minh Trail)
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh Province is under threat of wildfires due to the habits of locals who have long practiced using fires to burn crops and smoke out bees to collect honey.
The People’s Committee of Quang Binh Province has requested local forest enterprises and residents from 13 communes in the buffer zone of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park not to burn vegetation because it can pollute the environment and may cause wildfires in the national park.
However, one month since the request was issued, burning vegetation which results in forest blazes in the buffer zone of the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park still continues.
On August 19, there were 3 columns of smoke coming from the buffer zone caused by vegetation fires. The largest one came from a hill located right next to a farm.
The blaze spread very quickly over the hill causing dense smoke to rise covering part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail running through Hung Trach Commune, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province.
Burning vegetation and the natural forest in the buffer zone is a violation however, local authorities have not imposed any punishment to stop the recent violations.
On July 22, 4 hectares of pine forest in Son Trach Commune were burned after only a few hours. The pine forest was very near Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. However, the actual reason has not yet been discovered. Meanwhile, the owner of the forest presumed that locals had used fires to smoke out bees and caused the fire.
In 2009, 3 hectares of the forest here had been burned by honey collectors.
At present, the height of dry season is over but the danger still exists and if these habits cannot be prevented, especially in the buffer zone of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, wildfires could happen anytime in the national park.
Vegetation fires which occur in the dry season can quickly turn into fierce wildfires
What’s left after a July forest fire in Son Trach Commune
It’s necessary to impose serious penalties against violators to protect the forest
| Phong Nha - Ke Bang is a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bo Trach and Minh Hoa districts of central Quang Binh Province. The core zone of this national park covers 857.54 km2 and a buffer zone of 1,954 km2. The park was created to protect one of the world\'s two largest karst regions with 300 caves and grottoes. It also is home to the ecosystem of limestone forest of the Annamite Range region in north central coast of Vietnam. |