As many as 2,000 students and locals in Kien Giang Province in the Mekong Delta last Sunday took part in an Environment and Mangrove Planting Day.
"This event aims to increase people’s awareness about the environment and environmental protection," said director of the province’s natural Resources and Environment Department Thai Thanh Luom at the launching ceremony.
The event was part of a project for sustainable preservation and development in the Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve Area, which is funded by Australia through the German Technical Co-operation Agency (GTZ). The 1.7 million euro (US$2.28 million) project has been being carried out from 2008-11.
At the ceremony, the project’s chief advisor Sharon Brown said that mangrove forest planting would help prevent saline submersion and rising sea levels.
"If environmental protection is executed properly, it will attract more tourists to the province," she said.
Vo Hoang Anh Thu, a sixth-grade student from the area, said that they were more responsible for environmental protection.
The project has been implemented in three important areas in the Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve Area, which includes U Minh Thuong National Park, Phu Quoc National Park and Kien Luong, Hon Chong coastal area. The project aims to sustainably manage the natural resources in the reserve areas.
The three areas have distinct biodiversity. The land and resources in these areas have been threatened by insufficient management. The U Minh Thuong National Park is one of the submerged lands in the Mekong Delta, with an area of 150,000ha.
According to the director of the province’s Science and Technology Department, Luong Thanh Hai, biodiversity in the park has decreased sharply due to the overexploitation of natural resources.
"In addition, cattle raising and the increase of deforestation for rice fields and aquaculture breeding has affected the biodiversity in the mangrove forest," he said.
He added that the Viet Nam International Committee on Climate Change had stated that the country could potentially be one of the most affected nations by climate change and rising sea levels in the world. The province’s 208km of coastal line would likely be the most affected areas.
In an effort to tackle the issue, Germany’s Government signed an agreement with the province to continue carrying out the project.
The 1,146ha area is the biggest reserve in Southeast Asia and is home to a myriad of rare species.