Biodiversity Conservation Center Opens in Northwest Vietnam

A rescue and conservation center was opened in Hoang Lien National Park in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai. The Hoang Lien Center is part of the park's biodiversity conservation and rescue project. The center is entrusted with the tasks of rescuing, protecting and breeding plant and animal species; providing advice on rescue and conservation measures; establishing a biodiversity database, and increasing international cooperation in the field of conservation. Nguyen Quang Vinh, director of the Hoang Lien National Park, said the establishment of the center was particularly important since the park was given an "A" rating - the highest rating possible - by the Global Environment Fund for the value of its biodiversity. The 30,000ha park was recognized by the ASEAN Secretariat as a regional heritage site in 2006. The park is surrounded by a buffer zone of 38,724ha, which borders a number of communes in the northern province of Lai Chau. (Vietnamnews.vn Sept 1)