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Vietnam tackles desertification threat 13th June 2008
Thousands of hectares of land are being threatened with desertification
in Viet Nam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hua
Duc Nhi said in Ha Noi yesterday.
About 20 million people in Viet Nam have been affected by
desertification, Nhi told representatives at a conference on the launch
of a national action programme to fight the process. The plan is funded
by the World Bank, Global Environment Fund and Tropical Forest Fund.
The deputy minister said the first part of the programme included a
US$250 million forest management plan, scheduled to be submitted to the
Government this year.
The country has invested about VND1 trillion ($55.6 million) in growing
200,000 ha of forest per year. As a result, forest coverage increased
from 28.3 per cent in 1995 to 38 per cent in 2007. But challenges remain
in recovering forest, especially in Truong Son Province and
south-western regions which were heavily bombed and sprayed with toxic
chemicals during the French and American Wars.
Landslides were also a big problem, the meeting heard. According to a
ministry survey, landslides claimed about 350 ha of land per year,
racking up thousands of billions of dong in damages. According to a
survey conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and
UNESCO, the country has 462,000 ha of sand along its coasts, more than
419,000 ha of which is concentrated in the ten central coastal provinces
from Quang Binh to Binh Thuan. In the past 40 years, about 10 to 20 ha
of agricultural land was annually encroached by sand.
Viet Nam is the 134th member of the United Nations Convention to combat
desertification, joining in 1998. Representatives for Viet Nam would
take part in more forums on the prevention of desertification and
increase sustainable development in the region and the world, the
meeting heard. The country would also boost training for officials and
workers in the field of environment management through international
co-operation projects.
Source: VNS
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