Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) has funded $2.7 million to plant mangrove forests in Vietnam’s coastal areas in 2011-2015 in an effort to curb disaster risks in the Southeast Asian country which is listed among five hardest-hit nations by climate change. This is the next step of the project on planting mangrove forests to create a green belt along Vietnam’s coastal provinces of Thai Binh and Nam Dinh launched in 1994 by the VRC which was first funded by the Danish Red Cross Society. Since 1996, the project was expanded to another six provinces and received supports from the JRCS through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). So far, more than 9,400 ha of forest including 8,961 ha of mangrove forest have been planted to protect nearly 100 km sea dykes in Vietnam’s coastal area. The project has also helped improved people’s awareness of natural disaster and climate change, said Doan Van Thai, the VRC’s deputy head. As a result, nearly 350,000 Vietnamese people have benefited directly from the project so far, Thai added. (Dan tri Apr 23)
