Tham Luong - life revived from the forests

With the participation of local people in forest protection, many hundreds of years old trees in Phu Canh Nature Reserve, Da Bac district are well protected.

Sad memories of a time of mistakes

Nestled among lush green forests, Tham Luong hamlet was once known as a "hot spot" for deforestation. But it is also here that the Dao ethnic people are writing a miraculous story of revival.

Looking towards the dark green forest, Tham Luong hamlet chief Ly Van Tam still cannot forget the sad memories of the time when the whole hamlet followed each other to cut down and fell ancient trees that were as big as a dozen people hugging in the middle of the Phu Canh old forest just to get a bowl of rice mixed with cassava. He said in a low voice: Before 2011, the lives of the people of Tham Luong mainly depended on the forest. Hunger and poverty left many households with no other choice but to go into the forest to exploit wood, cut down forests and burn them for farming. The peak was in 2011, when the whole hamlet went into the natural forests of Phu Canh Nature Reserve to cut down and destroy them. Hundreds of years old precious trees fell one after another. The incident was discovered and prosecuted by the authorities. Out of 65 households at that time, up to 60 had people prosecuted and tried. Many people had to pay the price with severe prison sentences.

In the minds of the Dao people in general and the Dao people in Tham Luong in particular, the forest is not only a resource, but also a soul, a sacred place. In order for the "mother" forest to always be a protective arm, providing a source of life for their people and ethnic group, the Dao people have set forth traditional laws passed down from generation to generation. One of them is to strictly prohibit indiscriminate deforestation. The forest is governed by a spirit, whoever destroys the forest is offending their ancestors.

According to Mr. Ban Van Tien, a prestigious person in Tham Luong, that customary law was passed down by our fathers and ancestors. Those who came before us preserved and protected the forest as a source of life for the next generation to enjoy. But when hunger overcame reason in their heads and even surpassed sacred teachings, the forest was destroyed. Mr. Ban Van Tan, one of the people present at the trial that year, "trial of the whole village", looked with heavy eyes at the forest in front of him and recalled: When we were called to court, none of us dared to look straight. Not only were we afraid of the prison sentence, but we also felt ashamed. Because we felt we had betrayed the sacred customary law, the teachings of our ancestors, our fathers...

That event was like a big shock that awakened the whole Dao Tham Luong village. After dark days, the people of Tham Luong realized the truth that "deforestation cannot make you rich, nor can it escape poverty".

Life revived from the forest

After the end of the "trial of the whole village", returning from the People's Court of Da Bac district, an urgent meeting was held at the house of Mr. Ban Van Tien, the head of Tham Luong hamlet at that time, with the presence of 100% of the households in the hamlet, and it was an internal meeting organized by the people themselves, without the participation of the leaders of the Party Committee, the commune and district authorities, only witnessed by local forest rangers. During the meeting, the stories, arguments, and customary laws of the ancestors were once again brought up. The same words, the same arguments that people previously ignored, but now permeate each person. After the meeting, the whole hamlet pledged not to destroy the forest anymore. They joined hands to make a "knife-cutting-stone oath" to revive the forests that had been destroyed.

Said and done. Immediately after the meeting, the Tham Luong people brought knives, machetes, hoes and shovels to the forest. On the vacant land, under the roots of ancient trees that had been sawed and chopped down to exchange for a bowl of rice mixed with cassava, young trees were planted. On the contracted land, Bodhi and betel trees were planted. Mr. Ly Van Toan, Secretary of the Tham Luong hamlet Party Cell, shared: We not only replanted and greened the forest area that had been cut down, but also expanded the forest area to develop the family economy . Over the years, thanks to the revived forests, the lives of the Tham Luong people have gradually improved and risen.

From hunger and lack of clothing, many households have "food and savings", built solid houses, bought many means of transport such as motorbikes, some households bought cars. Children can go to school, many households such as Ly Van Lien and Ly Van Toan have risen from poverty to become typical examples of good economic performance thanks to afforestation. Currently, the whole hamlet has a total area of about 700 hectares of forest, of which 460 hectares are planted forests. On average, each household in the hamlet has nearly 4 hectares of planted forests. With an exploitation cycle of 6 - 7 years, each hectare of planted forest can bring in an income of 120 - 135 million VND/cycle. That has turned forest trees into "green gold", bringing change to the lives of the people of Tham Luong.

Protect the forest with faith, sweat and self-respect

Not stopping at planting forests, Tham Luong people also promote the spirit of community solidarity, joining hands to protect the forest.

Since 2013, the hamlet has signed a contract to protect the forest with the Phu Canh Nature Reserve Management Board. After receiving the protection and protection, the hamlet established a forest protection team with the participation of 100% of households. The forest protection team is divided into 12 groups, each group has 9-12 households taking turns to assign people to organize forest patrols and protect them on a monthly basis with the spirit of "protecting the forest like protecting your home". Thanks to that, in the middle of the old Phu Canh forest with hundreds of years old trees, the trunks of which are 5-6 people long to hug, once threatened by bad guys from other places, still stand tall in the middle of the forest as a clear proof of the oath to protect the forest of the people of Tham Luong.

Looking at the lush green forests, Mr. Ly Van Tam, Head of Tham Luong Hamlet, said: That area is the core zone of Phu Canh Nature Reserve, where many households live. Although they are in the middle of a "green gold" warehouse, under the shade of ancient forest trees, for decades, absolutely not a single branch or firewood has been cut down or taken out of the forest. Before, I did not think that there would be a day when the whole hamlet would work together to protect and replant the forest. Now, no one wants to destroy or encroach on the forest anymore. Because the forest has blended into the lives of the people like a "green roof". The deep green forests not only protect the land, keep water for the source, but also support the community of people in Tham Luong to overcome poverty and build a prosperous life...

The revival of the poor hamlet of Tham Luong was not by miracles, but by faith, sweat and self-respect. The people have overcome themselves and overcome hardships and darkness to bring about change in this land...

Manh Hung

Source: https://baohoabinh.com.vn/12/202194/Tham-Luong-cuoc-song-hoi-sinh-tu-nhung-canh-rung.htm