Hundreds of localhouseholds near the Ru Cha mangrove forest in central Thua Thien-Hueprovince's Huong Phong commune have benefited since 2012 from a two-yearproject to plant about 23,000 mangrove trees.
Ru Cha is a mangrove forest located along the Tam Giang lagoon in the province's Huong Phong commune.
It is also a protection forest, home to different types of aquaticspecies, a breeding ground for migratory birds and a potentialdestination for ecological tourism.
The project, which isaimed at raising awareness of the local authorities and residents ofmangrove forest and also conserving biodiversity in the lagoon areas,was jointly sponsored and implemented by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)and Microsoft.
It was designed to help the area and itsresidents adapt to climate change by following measures such asprotecting transport roads and dykes, and buildingenvironmentally-friendly aquaculture ponds, the WWF said.
DangDuy Manh, a local farmer living in the Huong Phong commune, said thatevery year during rainy season, the dykes and other infrastructuresystems were damaged by storms.
He had to spend a lot of money to reinforce dykes to protect his aquaculture pond, he said.
"Since about 1,000 mangrove trees were planted around my aquacultureponds over the past two years under the project, I saved hundreds ofmillions of dong each year," he added.
Pham Ngoc Dung, head ofthe Economics Office of the provincial People's Council, said that themangrove area of Ru Cha was known as an important breeding ground foraquatic organism and a barrier against storms.
However, this area had been seriously reduced in recent years, and was estimated to be only 4.65 ha, he said.
The project, aimed at increasing the forested mangrove area up to 20ha, had a positive effect on the surrounding environment and yieldedeconomic benefits, he said.
According to the WWF, thereduction of the Ru Cha area has led to a decline in biodiversity,degradation of aquatic resources and fewer migratory birds.
The decline has also made the region more vulnerable to damaging impactof climate change because the land here is in the low terrain andlocated near the Thuan An estuary and Tam Giang lagoon.
Everyyear, during floods season, sea water intrudes into this land, causingerosion, bringing down houses and damaging crops and aquaculture ponds.
Van Ngoc Thinh, WWF Vietnam Country Director, said that theWWF and Microsoft shared a vision to reduce vulnerabilities and buildresilience to counter the impacts of climate change in Vietnam.
"We believe that this partnership is an excellent example of howbusiness can step up and help support national efforts in addressingchallenges in an area," he said.-VNA
Ru Cha is a mangrove forest located along the Tam Giang lagoon in the province's Huong Phong commune.
It is also a protection forest, home to different types of aquaticspecies, a breeding ground for migratory birds and a potentialdestination for ecological tourism.
The project, which isaimed at raising awareness of the local authorities and residents ofmangrove forest and also conserving biodiversity in the lagoon areas,was jointly sponsored and implemented by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)and Microsoft.
It was designed to help the area and itsresidents adapt to climate change by following measures such asprotecting transport roads and dykes, and buildingenvironmentally-friendly aquaculture ponds, the WWF said.
DangDuy Manh, a local farmer living in the Huong Phong commune, said thatevery year during rainy season, the dykes and other infrastructuresystems were damaged by storms.
He had to spend a lot of money to reinforce dykes to protect his aquaculture pond, he said.
"Since about 1,000 mangrove trees were planted around my aquacultureponds over the past two years under the project, I saved hundreds ofmillions of dong each year," he added.
Pham Ngoc Dung, head ofthe Economics Office of the provincial People's Council, said that themangrove area of Ru Cha was known as an important breeding ground foraquatic organism and a barrier against storms.
However, this area had been seriously reduced in recent years, and was estimated to be only 4.65 ha, he said.
The project, aimed at increasing the forested mangrove area up to 20ha, had a positive effect on the surrounding environment and yieldedeconomic benefits, he said.
According to the WWF, thereduction of the Ru Cha area has led to a decline in biodiversity,degradation of aquatic resources and fewer migratory birds.
The decline has also made the region more vulnerable to damaging impactof climate change because the land here is in the low terrain andlocated near the Thuan An estuary and Tam Giang lagoon.
Everyyear, during floods season, sea water intrudes into this land, causingerosion, bringing down houses and damaging crops and aquaculture ponds.
Van Ngoc Thinh, WWF Vietnam Country Director, said that theWWF and Microsoft shared a vision to reduce vulnerabilities and buildresilience to counter the impacts of climate change in Vietnam.
"We believe that this partnership is an excellent example of howbusiness can step up and help support national efforts in addressingchallenges in an area," he said.-VNA
