Hanoi (VNA) 🐼- A ceremony was held in Cao Lanh city in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap on May 12 to launch a campaign on the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands in Vietnam.

The ceremony was co-organised by the Centre for Natural Resources and Environmental Communication under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Vietnam, and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Dong Thap province. Speaking at the event, Cao Minh Tuan, Deputy Director of the centre, said the event was one of the activities to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity (May 22). This year, the Day is themed “From Agreement to Action: Build Back Biodiversity” to honour the value of biodiversity to human life, spread the world’s messages to the community to boost practical actions to conserve and bring into play the value of biodiversity to sustainable development, and improve public awareness of the issue. To effectively carry out the conservation and sustainable development of wetlands, it is necessary to step up communications to raise public awareness of the importance of those sites, he noted. He expressed his hope that the campaign will receive strong support from people of all social strata in Dong Thap and across Vietnam at large. Following the launch, a conference was held to disseminate information about the issue. The Centre for Natural Resources and Environmental Communication also coordinated with relevant units to organise the signing of the community commitment to conserving and sustainably developing the Tram Chim National Park in Tam Nong district of Dong Thap province. An exhibition also took place to showcase the prize-winning works of the 2022 photo contest on the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands in Vietnam. According to the MoNRE’s Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Agency, Vietnam is home to nearly 12 million ha of wetlands, not to mention seasonally flooded rivers and streams, hot springs, mineral water sources, accounting for 37% of the country’s total area. They are located across all ecological zones and boast rich biodiversity. The Mekong Delta accommodates the largest wetland area, nearly 49%, while the Central Highlands the smallest, 3%. Wetlands in Vietnam consist of artificial and natural ones. Artificial wetlands make up the majority, 72% of the total wetland area (with 67% being rice farming land). Of natural wetlands, 18% is coastal and 10% inland ones. There are an estimated 1,030 fish, 850 bird, and 800 invertebrate animal species in freshwater ecosystems of Vietnam. Coastal and marine wetlands harbor more than 11,000 species, including 6,300 benthos, 2,500 fish, 650 seaweed, 300 coral, 94 mangrove, 15 sea snake, and 25 mammal species, statistics show. The country has nine wetlands recognised as internationally important ones (Ramsar sites) by the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, namely Xuan Thuy National Park (Nam Dinh province), Bau Sau Wetlands and Seasonal Floodplains (part of Cat Tien National Park in Dong Nai province), Ba Be National Park (Bac Kan province), Tram Chim National Park (Dong Thap province), Lang Sen Wetland Reserve (Long An province), U Minh Thuong National Park (Kien Giang province), Mui Ca Mau (Cape Ca Mau) National Park (Ca Mau province), Con Dao National Park (Ba Ria - Vung Tau province), and Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve (Ninh Binh province). In 2020, Vietnam established two more wetland reserves, namely Tam Giang - Cau Hai (Thua Thien-Hue province) and Thai Thuy (Thai Binh province). The country also has 47 planned wetland sites nationwide at present. Vietnam was the 50th in the world and the first in ASEAN to join the Ramsar Convention in 1989. Since then, it has issued many documents related to wetland management, creating a legal basis for the management and sustainable development of these sites, said the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Agency./.