Protecting a Dying Treasure

The Chinese Swamp Cypress is the only remaining species in the genus Glyptostrobus. Because of its extremely valuable decay-resistant and scented wood, this species has been threatened by overcutting to the brink of extinction. There are currently only two populations of this species in the world with a total of 166 specimens, four of which are in the Bank Hall Gardens in the United Kingdom and the remaining exists in the central-western highlands of Vietnam.

Furniture made of Chinese Swamp Cypress wood. Courtesy of Lao Động.

In the 1980s, within the Đắk Lắk province of central Vietnam, there was a lush forest of Chinese Swamp Cypress in the Ea Ral Commune. In order to build the Ea Ral Dam, the forest was cut down. At the time, the value of this particular tree was still unknown in Vietnam and the cutting proceeded without any obstruction.

In the years 2009 and 2010, the Chinese Swamp Cypress fever hit a record high and hundreds poured into Ea Ral to cultivate its wood. The baseless claims and superstitions of the wood’s ability to cure cancer and the collecting hobbies of the rich in Vietnam etc. made the protection of this tree extremely difficult and pushed it to near-extinction. Those who engage in this destruction include the poor who wished to change their lives by selling the wood and fear mongers who used their claims that the wood was divine to exploit the locals and uneducated people in Vietnam. Back then, there were only eight rangers in the Ea Ral forest. Thus, even though they have fought as hard as possible, their efforts were futile in the face of overwhelming opposition.

In December 2010, the University of Tây Nguyên investigated the forest to set up a preservation plan for the Chinese Swamp Cypress. They counted 255 specimens in the entire Đắk Lắk province. Of that number, the Ea Ral forest was home to 219, there were 31 in the Trấp K’Sơ forest in the Krông Năng district and 5 in the Cư Né forest in the Krông Buk district.

Specimen No. 26. Courtesy of Lao Động.

In January 2011, the People’s Committee of Đắk Lắk approved the preservation plan from 2010 to 2015. But it took more than 18 months to set up the legal parameters for the plan with the creation of the Department of Preservation of The Chinese Swamp Cypress. The aftermath of this delay was that 93 more trees had been but down, more than one-third of the total population in a very short amount of time. All five specimens in the Cư Né forest, ranging from 400 to 600 years old, were gone.

The Department of Preservation of The Chinese Swamp Cypress oversaw the protection of the Ea Ral forest. In March, they also took over the Trấp K’Sơ forest. Now, the total area for preservation is 120 ha (1.2 square kilometres) in which the core, with the highest density of Chinese Swamp Cypress, is 80 ha.

Mr. Trần Xuân Phước, director of the Department of Information Management from August 2012, confirmed that not a single specimen this cypress has been harmed since then. In the Ea Ral population of cypress, two guard stations were built in the centre of the forest. The rangers all had equal shifts and patrolled the forest 24/7, including weekends and national holidays. They also have guard dogs to assist during patrols and criminal pursuits.

A tent of the forest rangers. Courtesy of An Ninh Thủ Đô.

In the Trấp K’sơ population, the 21 trees stand scattered around an area of 40 ha so preservation work is more difficult. Chief Ranger Nguyễn Văn Khương confirmed that during night time, each round of patrol takes at least two hours, and especially on rainy nights, there will be two to three rounds of patrol. In this population, three specimens are particularly isolated so management recruited the assistance of three households with nearby properties in protecting them.

The greatest weakness of the preservation plan lies in its number of personnel. According to Mr. Trần Xuân Phước, only seven rangers are enlisted in the plan, three of whom are in managerial positions. In April, management enlisted four more rangers. Because of this, the workload is incredibly stressful for each ranger. They are not allowed to have time off unless it is absolutely necessary.

A confiscated vehicle carrying Chinese Swamp Cypress wood. Courtesy of Công An Nhân Dân.

In another effort to preserve this precious cypress, Professor Trần Vinh, Vice President of the Western Highlands Agro-Forestry Scientific and Technical Institute, has proposed that 1000 Chinese Swamp Cypress seeds will be planted naturally in Đắk Lắk from June 2013 to 2015. His proposal has been approved by the Department of Scientific Technology of Đắk Lắk.