A representative from PanNature suggested clearly defining the non-profit status of science and technology organizations to facilitate research, technology transfer, and application. This clarity would also enhance international collaboration and attract funding.
In Vietnam, management of wildlife diseases has garnered attention from both the State and the public. This is evident through a comprehensive system of regulations addressing diseases that can be transmitted from wildlife to humans spanning a range of documents, from laws to decrees and circulars. However, despite these efforts, the practical implementation of wildlife disease management still encounters numerous challenges and shortcomings.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed a decision this month to fully retain Tien Hai Nature Reserve, in a rare example of environmental protection winning over development in the Southeast Asian country. Located in the northern coastal province of Thai Binh, the reserve gained attention in 2023 after the provincial government announced a plan to remove protection from almost 90% of the area. This would have reduced the reserve area from 12,500 to 1,230 hectares (nearly 31,000 to just over 3,000 acres) to open up space for a proposed residential, resort and golf course complex called the Con Vanh Ecological Urban Area.
On the special flight, Vietnam Airlines conducted various activities to raise awareness and promote environmental protection among passengers. The passengers were also presented with a special gift: a plush toy representing the critically endangered white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys) - one of the world’s rarest primate species. This gesture aligns with the "Contribute Leaves to the Forests - For a Green and Sustainable Vietnam" campaign.
Mr. Trinh Le Nguyen, Director of People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature), shared grim news with the media, stressing that Vietnam has lost many once-pristine natural areas, often regarded as 'paradises on earth'. This transformation serves as a costly lesson about human responsibility. “Forests have been cut down for agricultural land, and unsustainable resource exploitation has drastically reduced biodiversity, disrupted ecosystems and degraded the environment,” he said.
Less than three months after the initiative was launched on World Environment Day (June 5) this year, the project achieved its goal of planting 25 out of the total 50 hectares planned.
Director of the People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature) Trinh Le Nguyen said mineral resources were public assets owned by the entire people. Thus, local people in the area that mining activities happened had the right to know specific information about the mine, what type of minerals, and who was assigned to exploit them by the State and local authorities, and what benefits the State, businesses and communities would enjoy from the mining activities, he said.
As the writer of reports winning high prizes at competitions, Hoang Van Chien, born in 1988, has experienced many hardships to become a journalist aiming to protect wildlife named in the Red Book.
No construction work has followed the decision, and the issue went largely unnoticed until August, when Trinh Le Nguyen, executive director of the environmental NGO People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature), began writing about it on Facebook. In a post dated Aug. 11, Nguyen noted that Tien Hai is part of the broader Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve. Established in 2004, the biosphere reserve spans 137,261 hectares (339,179 acres), including a core area, buffer zone and transition zone across terrestrial and marine areas. “The core area, the heart of the biosphere reserve, includes Tien Hai Nature Reserve and Xuan Thuy National Park,” Nguyen wrote.
Bach Ma National Park, recognised as an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2022, holds the world’s only breeding area for the saola, a critically endangered species. The park is also home to Viet Nam's second bear rescue centre.