HEPA (Human Ecology Practical Area) Farmer Field School (FFS) is a pioneering training dedicated to strengthen indigenous youth. HEPA FFS lies at the heart of the 6 inter-thematic networks action of Mekong Community Network Action for Ecological Trading (MECO-ECOTRA).
Overuse of resources and the lack of a caring attitude towards Human-Nature relationships in many sensitive watershed ecosystems have been the major causes leading to land desertification problems, gradual erosion of social traditions, and the losses of ecological biodiversity.
Field work studying and learning about woody species in HEPA forest (phase 1)
20/07/2014
HEPA has a total area of forest land of over 400 hectares that was allocated by Ha Tinh provincial government. The mission of HEPA is to protect and preserve forest and practice ecological farming followed Human Bio-ecology theory.
FFS-HEPA has continuously invited zoologists and (ethno) botanists to come to HEPA to investigate and inventory the forests and share with HEPA students and staff on different forest topics. Most recently (the second week of June 2014) FFS-HEPA invited botanist Mr. Vu Van Can to come back to HEPA for an inventory with two main objectives: (1) to learn groups of woody trees in HEPA forest for restoring forest (2) to teach HEPA staff and students skills of identifying forest trees and relevant knowledge such as propagation, wood quality, years of harvesting and so forth.
Because the weather was unsupportive (rainy), the process stopped at stage one and focused on identifying fast growing species along the buffer zone of the forest
27 woody species were identified in this phase, including 12 fast growing, 4 medium fast growing, 10 average growing and 1 plant of slow growing. Most members who participated in this process learned well how to identify plants in the field.
Share some pictures recorded of the process of identification of trees in forest in FFS-HEPA Source: Le Hong Giang & Giang A Su
Teachers and students were together identifying trees along Rao An bank
Teachers and students were together identifying trees along Rao An bank
Identifying through characteristics such as its sap and wood colors