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Viet Nam plots eco-protection path

HA NOI — A draft national Management Strategy for a Protected Area System in Viet Nam 2002-2010, set for submission to the Government for approval, will form the bulwark for environmental protection in the country over the next eight years.

Included in the plan will be strategies for managing and developing all kinds of eco-systems – terrestrial, wetland and marine.

It will underpin the Strengthening Protected Area Management Project of the Forest Protection Department in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and will be managed by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) with funding from the Danish Government.

The plan has been drafted in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders from the central to the lowest levels nation-wide and with the active participation of professionals and experts in many sectors.

Local managers and national and international scientists will give their opinions at a two-day workshop in Ha Long city on June 26-27 got up to determine if the project meets requirements and can be practically applied.

"Its implementation will be a great challenge for Viet Nam. It requires recognition of the high economic values of protected areas and commitment by the government, coupled with continuing assistance from the international community," said Dr. Keith Williams, chief technical advisor for the project.

"The staving off of the increasing threats to animal and plant life and their habitats are key to meeting the requirements for the conservation of Viet Nam’s natural heritage, so important for its continued socio-economic development" he said.

The workshop’s agenda will include the management and conservation of bio-diversity, reform of management of protected areas, community awareness and involvement in conservation and Viet Nam’s international role in bio-diversity conservation.

It will conclude with discussion on a long-term action plan, investment programmes and the implementation of the national strategic plan and monitoring of its progress. — VNS