In the context of the country strongly implementing the policy of merging administrative units at the commune and district levels to streamline the apparatus and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of state management, the work of forest management, protection and development in many localities is facing many new challenges.

Merger - dual opportunities and challenges

The merger of communes and districts with large forest areas or complex terrain is creating fundamental changes in administrative boundaries, organizational structure, as well as the scope of management of local forest rangers. In fact, after the merger, many forest rangers in charge of the area said that they had to manage a forest area that doubled or even tripled, while the human resources and resources remained the same.

Increased risk of forest encroachment

According to data from the General Department of Forestry, in the first 6 months of 2025, the number of forestry law violations in merged localities increased by an average of 15% compared to the same period last year. Most of the cases were related to illegal exploitation, encroachment on forest land, and deforestation of natural forests.

The reason is said to be the interruption in the process of handing over and unifying forest management records between the old and new administrative units, combined with the fact that the forest ranger force is thin and has not yet adapted to the new management scope. In addition, some people and bad elements have taken advantage of the administrative "transition" period to profit from the forest.

Difficulties in inter-sectoral coordination and databases

The merger also entailed changes in the coordination mechanism between forest rangers and local authorities. Some places recorded the delay in issuing new coordination regulations between units after the merger, causing the inspection and handling of violations to be inconsistent.

In addition, the system of forest management boundary maps between old communes and districts is not unified, leading to confusion in determining responsibilities when disputes or incidents occur. Many forest management records have not been updated correctly with the new administrative boundaries.

Recommendations and solutions

- To overcome these shortcomings, many localities have recommended the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as well as the Government:

- Adding forest ranger staff to localities with large forest areas after the merger.

- Speeding up the construction of a digital forest boundary database consistent with the new administrative boundaries.

- Issuing clear inter-sectoral coordination regulations between forest rangers and the government after the merger.

- Enhancing the application of technology such as satellites, drones and digital forest monitoring systems to support forest rangers.

- In addition, communication work and raising public awareness, especially among people living near forests, need to be further promoted, avoiding the idea of "taking advantage" when the state apparatus is not yet stable after the reform.

Conclusion

The merger of administrative units is a major policy, with long-term strategic significance, but in the short term it is creating many loopholes in forest management. Without timely adjustments in organization, personnel and databases, the risk of deforestation and forest degradation is likely to increase. It is time for a comprehensive assessment and fundamental solutions to ensure that administrative reform does not come at the expense of precious natural resources.