The ASEAN community
must co-operate more profoundly at all levels to promote sustainable forest
management and development, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development
Cao Duc Phat said.
Phat was speaking at the opening of the 15th meeting of
senior ASEAN officials on forestry, an annual meeting chaired by forestry
leaders in the region.
He said that although the forestry sector created jobs
and contributed to the economic development of ASEAN countries, there were many
common problems.
Phat said that the use of forest land for hydro-power
plants, roads and agricultural production had reduced the quality and quantity
of natural forests. And illegal logging and trading in wildlife were still
popular pursuits.
Phat said ASEAN countries should share information,
experiences and effective policies to help each other.
Nguyen Ba Ngai, deputy director of Viet Nam
Administration of Forestry, said the destruction of forest land for other
economic purposes occurred in many ASEAN countries. He said the Philippines is
now coming to terms with the massive construction of hydro-power plants and
cocoa farms on former forest land.
“Both countries agree that increases in the price of
timber products will prevent people from eradicating forest land for other
crops,” he said.
He said ASEAN members should raise their voices over
trans-border forest protection.
Viet Nam has signed a co-operative agreement with
Cambodia and Laos on trans-border forestry protection and illegal logging
prevention. Last year, four cases of illegal logging between Viet Nam and Laos
were reported.
The forest coverage in ASEAN nations is reported to be 48
per cent, 19 per cent higher than in the rest of Asia.
Laos has the highest coverage with 67 per cent – and
Singapore the lowest with three per cent. Viet Nam ranked seventh with 42 per
cent.
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