Vietnam Net Bridge : US$ 30mil for wetland conservation in Mekong Delta

Source : Vietnam Net Bridge, 17 Jan '06
By : Profauna

US$ 30mil for wetland conservation in Mekong Delta

An internationally-funded project to boost the management of marshes in two Mekong Delta provinces will be deployed from 2006-08, said the World Conservation Union (IUNC).

The project will draw public involvement in protecting the Bird Sanctuary in Dong Thap province and the Lang Sen Natural Reserve in Long An province. It aims to help local authorities and citizens who depend on forest products protect the Mekong wetland ecology, said the IUNC.

The project is part of a 30 million USD initiative to conserve the biological diversity of marshes in the Mekong basin in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. The project is funded by the Global Environment Fund (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Netherlands.

Under the project, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) has already begun helping the two target provinces hold training courses for managers working in the bird sanctuary and natural reserve, set up natural management teams and evaluate the local ecosystem. The commission has also helped write programmes for eco-tours, which increase local income and help enrich marshes for the future.

The project will open doors for Vietnam’s international cooperation in nature conservation and bio-diversity protection, said the IUNC. It cited projects to control illegal trade in marsh wildlife and effectively protect flagship species of Mekong wetland biodiversity such as Siamese crocodiles.