Forest cover in Vietnam, 1990-2010. Primary forest—the most biologically-rich and carbon dense form of forest—is a top conservation priority for Vietnam. Nevertheless primary forest cover declined by 5.9 percent from 2005-2010. mongabay.com

www.mongabay.com
November 01, 2010
   
Illegal logging is rampant in Vietnam, according to a new report from the the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s General Forestry Department. As reported by Viet Nam News, there have been 2,463 illegal logging cases across Vietnam so far this year. Action to address logging has resulted in 44 forest rangers being injured and four deaths. Illegal logging was worst in the northern provinces of Bac Kan, Lang Son and Thai Nguyen; the central provinces of Quang Binh, Quang Nam and Khanh Hoa; and the Central Highland province of Dak Lak, according to the report. Despite the report, Vietnam has seen a reversal in net forest loss in recent years due to reforestation. According to the FAO, forest cover increased by roughly 50 percent between 1990 and 2010, including 2.5 million hectares of new planted forests. But old growth forests have continued to fall, with primary forest cover plunging 79 percent over the period. Today about 80,000 hectares of primary forest remains in Vietnam.

Illegal logging rampant in Vietnam