The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) and the United Nations Development Programme in Viet Nam (UNDP) organised the closing workshop of the project titled "Conservation of Critical Wetland Protected Areas and Linked Landscapes" in Hanoi on November 26.

The wetland area in Thua Thien-Hue (Photo: zing.vn)

The project, which was funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through UNDP, was implemented from 2015 to 2020 with the two objectives of establishing new wetland protected areas and minimising the existing and emerging threats from linked landscapes by strengthening capacity to effectively manage protected areas.

It was implemented by the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE) in coordination with the Biodiversity Conservation Agency (BCA) under the Viet Nam Environment Administration (VEA) and the DONREs of Thai Binh and Thua Thien-Hue.

Over its five years of implementation, the project has achieved major outcomes according to its set objectives, including: establishing two new wetland protected areas (WPA), Thai Thuy WPA in Thai Binh and Tam Giang - Cau Hai WPA in Thua Thien-Hue; building and issuing policies on wetland management and conservation; supporting to integrate wetland conservation and management into main plans of the two provinces; developing livelihood for communities in Thai Binh and Thua Thien-Hue; and raising awareness and capacity building in conservation, management, and sustainable use of wetlands at the national and provincial levels.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan said despite challenges, the two wetland protected areas were established in the two provinces, demonstrating the harmony between socio-economic development goals and nature conservation, biodiversity and environmental protection.

The two WPAs in Thai Thuy, Thai Binh province, and Tam Giang - Cau Hai, Thua Thien-Hue province, are the first WPAs to be established under the provisions of the 2008 Law on Biodiversity. The promulgation of the Government's Decree No. 66/2019/ND-CP dated July 29, 2019 on the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and its guiding documents have contributed to fulfil Viet Nam's legal framework for wetland management and enhance the efficient management of WPAs in the face of development pressures and the increasingly severe global impacts of climate change.

“As this project closes, the momentum for the protection and sustainable use of wetlands must continue and collaboration among all stakeholders must be enhanced. We count on the leadership of MoNRE to mobilise financial resources from both the public and private sector to ensure adequate resources for the efficient protection and management of wetlands,” highlighted Ms. Sitara Syed, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Viet Nam.

More than 70 delegates attended the workshop, including representatives from MoNRE, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, UNDP, line agencies in Thai Binh and Thua Thien-Hue provinces (Departments of Natural Resources and Environment [DONRE]), Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Management Board of Wetland Protected Areas in Thai Binh, and the Management Coordination Board of Integrated Coastal Areas in Thua Thien - Hue, as well as international organisations, experts, universities, and research institutes.

Source: VNA