Land revitalization tree Ninh Thuan

From the 1990s onwards, with the opportunity to travel to Ninh Thuan on the occasion of Tet, the traveler would be stunned. On the two sides of the North – South natural road, especially the section passing Ca Na mountain, reaching out to the sea, there is a vast yellow apricot forest. Now the horror, tomorrow, white mai are different. If only the rock is bare, in the Cham sun, the eyes are dazzlingly dazzling.
For about ten years now, every time I go back to Phan Rang to welcome Tet, I have a long-awaited dream: to revive Panduranga apricot forests with immense gold. But not possible. The desertification speed is happening very quickly, turning the part of the valley running through National Highway 1, close to the Ninh Thuan hills and mountains into a desert.

There is no tree species that can withstand the fierce heat of the land when there are 16 months without a drop of rain (as in 2007). The native vegetation is almost dust. The rare geysers in the ancient mulch forests that I used to know are now gone. The soil flakes off and becomes dust, leaving behind a layer of gravel with no nutrients … Meanwhile, a guy reading books like me does not have much understanding of geology, geography or plants … The dream of flowers like Panduranga pebbles, turns sand and passes slowly through his fingers. But not only me, there are many other people, especially young people who work in science, are constantly thinking and finding ways to combat desertification, covering the barren barren green. of Ninh Thuan land effectively. I was very happy to read from the disaster risk reduction and climate change expert Nguyen Ngoc Huy that: he and his friends in the Living Foundation are researching and experimenting with regeneration. green, proceed to green barren hills, revive forests and vegetation for Ninh Thuan. Holding PhD in disaster risk reduction and climate change at the University of Tokyo (Japan) in 2010, Nguyen Ngoc Huy has more than 15 years specializing in research on natural disasters and climate change in other countries. Asia-Pacific region. Acacia has a strong vitality in dry areas. His FB Huy Nguyen page has become a reputable channel for reporting disaster warning and extreme weather for more than 10 years. Especially during the rainy season – storm – flood in 2020, Nguyen Ngoc Huy’s forecasts proved very accurate and timely, helping people in impending natural disaster areas to foresee, to take steps to prepare and prepare. appropriate room, minimizing the loss of life and property. In addition, he has established and participated in a number of groups to help and improve the environment in the face of the extreme impacts of La Nina or the Solar process in the country … In Ninh Thuan, Huy’s program and the Living Fund have two main activities. One is afforestation with the participation of indigenous peoples and the Provincial Forest Conservation Management Board (MB). Second is a cultural activity combining afforestation with the participation of people outside Ninh Thuan. Their aim is to create vegetation first, and then bring in the trees. But because the people’s goats and sheep graze eating socks, threatening to gnaw everything, they plan to have to plant trees over the canopy and cover the vegetation close to the rice field. In the immediate future, in 2021, the Living Fund group plans to experiment with 10 hectares, planting about 20,000 trees, mainly Neem trees and Thanh That trees. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Huy said: “Thanh That tree has been tested by the forest protection board, so we can confidently plant it.” Neem, which is an exotic tree, like Sau Dau, has long been proven to be a “champion” tree that can withstand drought, which can grow very well on arid Ninh Thuan. However, this plant, up to now, has been extracted medicinal ingredients for the production of toothpaste, pesticides, cosmetics … but has not brought about significant benefits, except for the creation of green arrays. The Neem tree is quite large, but can not take any wood. Firewood also does not. Its leaves are bitter and poisonous, and goats and sheep do not eat. Moreover, under the Neem canopy, there is no native vegetation or tree species that can symbiotic. Although planting Neem can create green patches, Neem trees can grow on dry land but cannot solve the problem of soil retention and anti-desertification. Sharing with Nguyen Ngoc Huy and the Living Fund team, I think indigenous Tree can be a viable solution. Cay Dep also has many other names such as Keo Dau, Binh Linh, Tran Apple, Apple Nhon, Flea, Keo Worm … It has the scientific name of Leucaena Leucocephala (Lam.) De Wit; Fabaceae, Fabales, grows in the tropics. In Ninh Thuan and many other rural areas, trees are often planted as fences. The canopy is wide, the bark is gray. The leaves are twofold, with potted glands on grade 1 stalks (a typical feature of the virgins subfamily). Flower head to head, white corolla. The fruit forms clusters. When the seeds are green, they can be eaten and are often used as medicine for worms (when I was a child I ate them all the time, each time I boiled the whole pot), when the fruit was ripe, the seeds turned dark brown. Wikipedia notes: “It is also a very efficient plant for nitrogen fixation, with masses greater than 500 kg / ha per year. The fruit and acacia leaves can be used as animal by-feed. Ecology can regenerate seeds very well, so people often use Acacia as a pioneer tree for forest rehabilitation. Easy to live and for wide canopy, Acacia is widely grown as a fence. Acacia seeds will be scattered on land that has lost the properties of forest soil, germinating Acacia and will gradually improve the soil properties here, creating conditions for other trees to grow. […] Acacia grows well in well drained soils, less acidic, and can adapt to salty and coastal soils. Rooster is very drought tolerant but does not tolerate waterlogging, especially when young “. All the characteristics are described in the document proving that D Chop (Keo Dau) is very suitable for being a native tree species creating green patches for the recovery of vegetation in Ninh Thuan. In the years 1980 – 1990, the dried flat beans were collected by Ninh Thuan people and used a lot to make the prices (long, small, chewy stalks) to replace green beans, black beans, which are quite expensive. This proves that Keo Dau is easy to germinate. Acacia Seeds are easy to collect in large quantities so that they can be used as a source of seed bombs to spread on barren hills and wasteland in the early rainy season. Pile roots, deeply ingrained, resistant to drought, can grow in meager holes stuck between rocks, with little rainfall left behind. When growing, it will keep mountains and hills for this meager amount of land and water, enabling other shrubs to grow. Growing Acacia Rooster, certainly goats and sheep will have a favorite dish. However, woody trees regenerate buds and leaves quickly, so if protected well, this is not a concern. In the fences, bushes, when this plant has stood on its feet, vines such as leprechaun, vase, or flowers of five colors … are also very easy to symbiotic and develop. Fortunately, when I transferred the information and hesitantly suggested it, Huy Nguyen and his team were both quite interested. Huy Nguyen texted back: “I have passed your suggestions to the Forest Expert of the Living Fund. He will discuss with the local people and planters to find a way to experiment.” Hopefully, with the suitability and rapid growth of this indigenous tree species, the opportunity to revive the pioneer vegetation for Ninh Thuan will be closer. And from that, the indigenous genetic resources, other suitable plants will also have the opportunity to reproduce, return the green color, the vegetation, the forest … for the Panduranga plain to reduce the burning sun. Who knows, one day not far away, passing Ninh Thuan during the Tet season, my profuse forest is bursting with gold, causing travelers to collapse, passersby and souls …