ADB Funds $7.96M for Biodiversity Conservation in Central Vietnam

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has financed $7.96 million for a biodiversity conservation project in Vietnam’s central province of Thua Thien-Hue. The $8.83-million project includes $487,000 from the provincial budget and $410,000 from the project’s beneficiaries. The project will be implemented in 10 communes in the two mountainous districts of Nam Dong and A Luoi. It is aimed to boost institutional and community capacity in managing the biodiversity corridor; restore the biodiversity corridor, protect the ecosystem and sustainably manage natural resources; and improve livelihood and small-scale infrastructure for local residents. It also targets to increase forest coverage to restore eco-diversity corridors; improve living conditions of local people and reduce poverty incidents among ethnic minorities there. A report on Vietnam environment monitoring 2002 by the World Bank showed that the country is among the world’s top ten countries with rich biodiversity, making up 10% of the world’s known species while its acreage is less than 1% of global land area. However, biodiversity in Vietnam is in the trend of vanishing quickly, experts warned, adding that 882 endangered flora and fauna were listed in Vietnam’s Red Book in 1997, an increase of 161 species from the red book in the period of 1992-1996. (Dat Viet – National Land Dec 20 p9, vietnamplus.vn Dec 19)