Illegal logging of mangrove trees for producing charcoal in Ca Mau Cape National Park, a UNESCO world biosphere, has worsened this year and forest protection authorities could not control the situation. Mangrove forests in the park in the southernmost Ca Mau Province's Ngoc Hien District, especially those close to residential areas, have become denuded because of illegal logging for coal kilns set up right in the park.

Tran Quoc Tuan, director of the park, told Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper that the forests had never seen such destruction before and the logging had gone out of control.

The forest protection forces have found and destroyed more than 300 kilns so far this year.

Each kiln has a capacity of 40-60 kilo a day, meaning hundreds of trees are cut down every day for producing charcoal.

Tran Van Le, a resident of the district's Dat Mui Commune, said: "We have witnessed illegal logging of forests for producing charcoal for very long.

"This area seems to have an abundance of trees when seen from outside but most large trees have been cut down and there are only small trees left."

Forest protection forces pulled down illegal kilns when they discovered them, but that did not resolve the situation, he said.

Illegal loggers, who work individually or in groups, often cut down mangrove trees in an area and set up the kilns right there, he added.

The loggers have become sophisticated while the forest protection staff are too few in number in relation to the size of the park.

The park has an area of 41,000ha, including 8,000ha of mangrove forests, but has only eight forest protection stations with four rangers each and one mobile inspection team.

Le Quoc Chon, head of the Cai Doi Forest Protection Station, said loggers had switched from axes to power saws now.

They lived mostly in the park and quickly got information about raids by rangers and moved their charcoal out in time, he said.

Huynh Thanh Sinh, deputy head of the park's Forest Protection Force, said competent agencies should adopt measures to protect forests, like creating jobs for people living in the park and keeping out migrants.