The Natural and Cultural Reserve in Dong Nai province has set up a project to build an electronic fence around a forest to protect the living environment of both local residents and the dwinling elephant population.
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| A wild elephant in Dong Nai province |
The Natural and Cultural Reserve in Dong Nai province has set up a project to build an electronic fence around a forest to protect the living environment of both local residents and the dwinling elephant population.
The fence, which is expected to be 30 kilometers long, will be built in the forest areas in Phu Ly and Ma Da communes, Vinh Cuu district with a total cost of about VND9 billion (US$432,000), said Tran Van Mui, the reserve’s director, said on Friday.
About 20 kilometers of the fence will be stationary while the rest will be movable, Mui said.
The project is aimed at preventing a herd of more than 10 wild elephants from attacking or causing damage to locals, while also protecting the animals from being harmed by poachers, Mui said.
About 1,500 warning signs will be installed along the fence to inform local residents of the area where the wild animals live.
The fence will have eight gates for forest rangers and people to pass through.
However, the project has yet to be developed since many households have objected to it. They complain that the fence will block the normal paths to their cultivation areas in the communes, Mui said.
Therefore, the reserve’s management board is continuing to negotiate with opposers to come to final agreement with them about the fence, he said.
According to statistics, Vietnam now has between 75 and 130 wild elephants, mainly in Dong Nai, central Nghe An province and the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak.
(Source: TTNews)
