Lying in the north-eastern mountainous region, Dien Bien province boasts rich natural resources with more than 760,000 ha of forest, making up nearly 80 percent of the local total natural area of 956,290 hectares.
A tree full of bee nests in Pung Nghiu village of Thanh Chan commune, Dien Bien district of Dien Bien province (Photo: VNA) .
According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, 41 local floral species are listed in Vietnam’s Red Book and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.Dien Bien is home to 55 species of mammals, 188 species of birds, 38 species of reptiles, 14 species of amphibians, and 175 species of fish.However, rapid population growth and unplanned migration are posing serious threat to biodiversity, as more and more forests are being cut down for rice fields or for reservoirs and hydropower plants.Recognising the significance of natural resources protection, local authorities have integrated biodiversity conservation into socio-economic development programmes.The province has approved a number of forest protection and development projects in nine districts, towns and cities, along with many policies and legal documents on biodiversity conservation such as the detailed planning scheme for the Muong Nhe nature reserve, an action plan on biodiversity conservation through 2015 with a vision towards 2020, and Decision No/837 QD-UBND on establishing the management board of Muong Phang historical relic site.Dieu Mong Hai from the provincial office for environmental protection said Dien Bien is taking measures to improve the legal system and management institutions under the biodiversity conservation plan in the period 2015-2020.The locality is also mobilising capital from central and local budgets to carry out sub-projects in the plan, while conducting surveys and studies to evaluate the level of biodiversity.It will apply science-technology in forest protection and raise public awareness of the need to preserve forest and biodiversity, he said, adding that the forest ranger force will closely coordinate with local authorities to promptly discover and prevent law violations in the field.-VNA.
