An international seminar on preserving forest biodiversity is being held in Ba Vi, Hanoi on May 21-22, as part of activities in the UN International Year for Biodiversity 2010. The discussion focused on the situation, role and challenges of forest biodiversity in Vietnam, as well as a new financial mechanism for forest biodiversity, including reimbursement for biodiversity. Sharing experiences in sustainable preservation of forests in Vietnam are on the agenda at the seminar. Vietnam ranks 16th in the world in terms of biodiversity but the country has seen its biodiversity and ecological systems, especially in tropical forests, degrade seriously in the recent past due to different causes, including population increase, pollution and climate change. The country’s primeval forests, home to many rare and precious animal and plant species, have shrunk in both acreage and quality, leading to the decrease in number of species living there. Hua Duc Nhi, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development said that over the past years, the forestry sector has exerted great efforts to preserve biodiversity. A preservation fund was established and two decrees were issued to regulate the management of special purpose forests and payments for environmental services.
With assistance from the international community, Vietnam has established 2.2 million ha of special purpose forests including 160 forests representing the most important inland, wetland and sea ecologies. As a result, a large part of primeval forests and many animal and plant species have been protected. Juergen Hess, Co-Chairman of the Forest Sector Support Partnership (FSSP) said that the seminar was an FSSP initiative to prove its commitment and contributions to global efforts in biodiversity preservation, particularly those in Vietnam. The same day, over 300 students of the Doan Thi Diem primary school in Hanoi planted trees for the Green Wave program and the UN International Year for Biodiversity. The Green Wave program, launched by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) Secretariat, aims to provide knowledge and skills to young people in Vietnam and around the world about the role of biodiversity today and in the future.
