The Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is designing projects to preserve biodiversity and create protection corridors around sensitive ecosystems in need of conservation as part of its biodiversity action plan for 2015-2020.

The action plan focuses on effective management, conservation and sustainable development, including communication and educational campaigns to increase communities’ awareness of protecting and sustainably using biodiversity in line with socio-economic development.

The province will also increase communities’ role in managing and developing biological resources.

A number of projects will be implemented with support from the State, non-governmental organisations and local authorities’ fund.

Two projects to protect and develop the red pine tree, one of the most valuable medicinal plants in the province, will also be carried out as part of the action plan. Accordingly, the red pine tree’s distribution will be researched and mapped out, natural regeneration will be fostered, and seed germination and protection measures will be implemented.

Lam Dong is the most biodiversity-rich province in the Central Highlands and south-central region. It comprises 512,000ha of natural forest and 68.8ha of planted forest, which are home to a number of rare flora and fauna species listed in Vietnam’s Red Book.-VNA