DIRECTIVE NO. 12120031CT"-ITg OF MAY 16, 2003 ON ENHANCING URGENT MEASURES TO PROTECT AND DEVELOP FORESTS Over the past years, the Prime Minister has adopted many undertakings and measures on socio- ecoriomic development in mouritainous areas as well as on forest protection and development. Annually, the Government has concentrated efforts on implementing many important programs aiming to socially and economically develop mountainous areas and to attract all people to participate inforest protection and development, thus raising the forest coverage, step by step establishing the eco- environmental equilibrium, creating many jobs for, and stabilizing the life of, ethnic minority people in mountainous provinces as well as remote and deep- lying areas. However, recently, the situation of forest destruction and wild animal hunting has spread widely over the country, particularly in primitive forests, special-use forests and headwater-protection forests. Forest destroyers have arrogant...