>> Illegal loggers plague Quang Nam
On hearing reports of illegal logging in Quang Nam, a DTiNews reporter decided to get a closer, first-hand look at the situation.
Tree trunks blatantly transported to Thanh My Township
In this second installment of an investigative series, our reporter seeks to get a more detailed look at these operations, which are destroying the forests of the Truong Son Mountain range, as well as the efficacy of the efforts to stop them.
Loose management
Arriving in the early morning, we saw around 5 motorbikes carrying heavy loads of wood from the surrounding forests headed towards Thanh My Township.
We followed one of them, a three-wheeled vehicle carrying a load of tree trunks, carelessly covered, around 1.5 metres long.
It was difficult to keep up, but speeding down the highway, we saw that the vehicle easily passed the Nam Gian Forest Management checkpoint, who had yet to begin their work day.
Two kilometres beyond, another man was waiting to unload the wood, taking it to a sawmill hidden behind a row of houses in Pa Dau Hamlet.
After the first vehicle had passed the checkpoint, the four others had no difficulties.
In order to avoid inspection, the loggers have made a path that goes around Nam Giang District\'s control agency. After authorities blocked the path, the loggers found other means of transportation, such as moving the wood from the river up to National Highway No. 14B.
Many other vehicles could be seen carrying huge, freshly cut trees straight by the local forest management branch. The wood was hurriedly being carried in and out of the township.
Forest protection a difficult, and sometime dangerous, job
The loggers\' methods seemed to be a bit haphazard, but also sophisticated.
Do Tuan, Head of the Nam Giang Forest Management Branch, told us that, “The groups of loggers have started cooperating with the local community to cut down trees for profit. Their methods are difficult to track because they are very mobile. Some of our rangers have been threatened when confronting these people."
Illegal logging has been a pressing issue in Nam Giang for some time, Tuan said, adding that there have been cases of rangers being attacked.
"The locals are often lured by the high wages they can earn. So they cooperate with the loggers by providing labour and even helping them to evade detection," he said.
He also told us that another problem is a lack of forest rangers. There are currently only 40 people responsible for protecting 184,000 hectares of forest, much of which is located on difficult terrain.
Since the beginning of this year, local forest rangers have carried out inspections, seized nearly 100 cubic metres of wood and destroyed 30 logging camps. However, it does not take them long to resume their activities.
He added that the destruction of forests adds to the cultivation area of the local people, so they may not see the destruction of the forest as a bad thing.
Loggers carrying wood to sawmills
Combating illegal logging a challenging task
Seized vehicles
Seized tree trunks
Transporting wood past forest management branch checkpoing