New generation inspires village reforestation in Viet Nam’s Central Highlands

Ten Nie loves planting trees. In 2018, her family planted one hectare of forest. In 2020, they planted another hectare of trees—Hopea odorata, a native species to the area that grows up to 45 metres tall.

The forest means everything to their way of life. This is why Ten organized reforestation efforts in August 2020 in her community in Tul, a village in Viet Nam’s Central Highlands.  

“I want to plant more, but I need help,” says H Ten. “That’s why I mobilized community members to plant trees in Tul. I started planting forests so that people will see the benefits and want to follow me to grow their own seedlings.”

Ten is a pioneer in reforestation, the process of planting trees in areas that have been degraded. She advises local people to plant forests to protect the land and water for their children. 

“I recommend they plant short-term crops such as acacia to restore soil fertility by improving nitrogen fixation and as a means to earn money from harvesting non-timber products,” she says. 

In 2020, People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature) provided the ethnic minorities of Tul with more than 4,000 indigenous plants and fruit-bearing trees to promote sustainable farming methods and reforestation. The majority of community members supported the reforestation efforts.  

Ten was eager to participate in tree planting activities with other women in the village. Not only did they plant in the watershed forest, but they also restored forests burned or destroyed after fires, landslides and flash floods, which regularly occur in the area. 

Women can contribute to forest protection. Their daily work is conducted in areas near the forest, such as caring for the cattle, managing the crops and collecting non-timber forest products. Their daily proximity to the forest allows them to easily detect any changes and illegal activities in the forest. 

Nai Nie loves the forest like Ten. Currently, Nai is the leader of the forest plantation group in Tul. With the government’s investment in seedlings for reforestation, he can increase green cover in the village.

"I want to maintain the village's reforestation movement,” says Nai. “I am young and healthy so I can patrol the forest despite the difficult terrain, storms and floods. I am always willing to raise people's awareness of forest protection, and its importance in providing forest products for local people such as wood, bamboo shoots and fruits. This is a good way to contribute to a better future where people live in harmony with the forest and the environment.”

Nai wants to remind the younger generation to protect the forest and take care of it like a family member.

Ten and Nai are just two of many people in Tul who want to protect and sustainably manage the forest. 

Thac Nie, a senior community member of Tul, expressed his optimism. Thac believes that the more descendants who live responsibly with the environment, the brighter and more sustainable the future will be.

“I hope young people continue improving their knowledge of forest protection,” says Thac. “Our forefathers and my generation have already protected and planted trees for a better future, now the young people in Tul should do the same thing for the next generation.”

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Hien Ngoc Nguyen is a Communication Officer at the People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature), a partner of the Voices for Mekong Forests (V4MF). She attended a communication course that helped develop this story. The course was funded by V4MF. The story was originally published on PanNature's website, here.

This story is produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its content is the sole responsibility of PanNature and it does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union. To find out more about this and other activities under the EU-funded V4MF, visit the project page.