However, expanding production areas must be tied to strictly managing forestry land, protecting existing forest areas, and meeting increasingly stringent demands of export markets. In the face of those requirements, the Điện Biên Phủ Forest Ranger Station has intensified forest management and protection solutions, guiding residents to produce in accordance with regulations without causing deforestation.

According to the Điện Biên Phủ Forest Ranger Station, when developing coffee and macadamia, households and organizations must clearly identify land origin, avoid deforestation, refrain from encroaching on forest land, and not arbitrarily convert forestry land use purposes for production. For macadamia trees cultivated on open land zoned for protection forest, a minimum density of 500 trees per hectare must be ensured. Agroforestry models on unforested forestry land must also comply with prescribed forested area proportions.

This requirement is associated with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Accordingly, when participating in the supply chain, coffee and macadamia must be guaranteed not to originate from deforested or forest-degraded land after December 31, 2020. Therefore, the management of land use right records, determination of coordinates, and timing of growing area establishment are focused on by the Điện Biên Phủ Forest Ranger Station, serving traceability and helping agricultural produce meet market demands.

Lò Văn Thành, Head of the Điện Biên Phủ Forest Ranger Station, stated that implementing regulations on deforestation-free production is both a requirement for local agricultural products to satisfy export standards and a responsibility in protecting forest resources. The ranger station has directed local rangers to intensify their presence at the grassroots level, coordinating with ward and commune authorities to review and monitor forest changes, while concurrently disseminating information, guiding people to develop the economy legally, and resolutely penalizing violations.

In Mường Phăng commune, dissemination, inspection, and supervision tasks are implemented in connection with each residential area. The forest ranger in charge of the area coordinates with local authorities, departments, and village heads to disseminate regulations to 354 person-times across 8 villages, mobilizing households to sign commitments to forest protection. The forest ranger force organized 21 field patrol and inspection rounds with 212 participants in key areas such as Che Căn village, Phăng village, Huổi Hẹ village, Nà Pen village, Bua village, and the Pu Tó Cọ mountain area. Along with direct patrols, monitoring forest fluctuations via satellite imagery is maintained, enabling functional forces to promptly detect areas showing abnormal signs for inspection and verification. This is considered an important solution given the reality where production areas and forestry land interlace, posing many difficulties for management at the grassroots level.

Bạc Cầm Quốc Thành, forest ranger in charge of Mường Phăng commune, stated that the area is vast and the forest area is large, while residents’ production land is interspersed with forestry land, placing considerable pressure on management work. Therefore, the forest ranger force identifies prevention as primary, focusing on dissemination, guiding residents to determine forestry land boundaries, managing planting zone dossiers, and complying with regulations during production.

The efficacy of dissemination work quickly spread to every village, generating a clear change in community awareness. Quàng Văn Khiêm, Head of Huổi Hẹ village, shared that through on-site guidance from the local forest ranger, residents have gained a clearer understanding that coffee and macadamia production must be tied to forest protection. Farming must have clearly demarcated boundaries without clearing or encroaching upon forest land. Villagers have committed to protecting the forest together, agreeing to immediately report deliberate violations to functional agencies.

To harmonize economic development with forest resource protection, tightening management, raising public awareness, and strictly controlling the origins of cultivation areas will contribute to firmly maintaining existing forest areas, while laying the foundation for Điện Biên’s agricultural products to penetrate deeper into demanding markets.