Hanoi (VNA) – TheMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development on May 4 announced the NationalREDD Action Programme, which aims to increase forest cover to 45 percent ofnational territory and contribute to an 8 percent reduction of greenhouse gasemissions by 2030.

The programme is to trim greenhouse gas emissions by stemmig deforestation andforest degradation, sustainable management of forest resources, conservationand enhancement of forest carbon stocks by 2030.

It also targets improved quality of natural and planted forests to increasecarbon stock. Another goal is job creation to improve living conditions andensure security and national defence.

Vo Dinh Tuyen, Deputy Director of the Department of Sectorial Economy under theGovernment Office, said the programme would be implemented across the country,with priority given to hot spots of deforestation and forest degradation, andregions affected by climate change, as well as areas having the greatestpotential for forest carbon stock enhancement.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of NaturalResources and Environment, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of PublicSecurity, the Ministry of Justice and provinces and cities people’s committeeswill all join the programme.

To reach the targets, Tuyen said, the land use master plan and land use planswill be continuously reviewed and updated to ensure the target of 16.24 millionhectares of forest land is achieved by 2020.

Participants will also promote sustainable and deforestation-free agricultureand aquaculture, as well as improve forest governance and livelihoods forpeople living near and in forests.

Enhanced forest production and long-term rotation timber plantation businessmodels will be evaluated and replicated.

At the conference unveiling the plan, the Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment also announced Directive No 13 of the Central Party Secretariat onstrengthening the Party’s leadership in forest management, protection anddevelopment.

Nguyen Quoc Tri, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry,said that in the context of global climate change, Vietnam is expected to beone of the five countries hardest hit by climate change.

In recent years, increasing demand for timber and forest products was a driverof illegal logging and illegal timber trade, and a major threat to thecountry’s natural forests. Demand also grew for conversion of forests andforest land to other uses, he said.

“Directive No 13 aims to mobilise a strong engagement by the whole politicalsystem, empowering and demonstrating the determination of the whole society toovercome the above-mentioned shortcomings, to meet the requirements of countrydevelopment and timely response to climate change,” said Tri.

Under the directive, concerned organisations and ministries will strengthencommunication to encourage considerable changes in awareness and sense ofresponsibility of Government officials and Party members, businesses,communities, households and individuals in forest protection and development.

Actions will be taken to suspend and reclaim land in projects involving forestland conversion in violation of the ecological system, seriously affectingproduction and the lives of people in the project area.

According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan,about 25 million people are living in and near forest and mountainous areas inVietnam.

Thanks to efforts to prevent deforestation and plant forests, the country's forestcoverage increased from 33.2 percent in 2010 to 41.19 percent in 2016.-VNA