The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has recommended that Vietnam goes through the necessary procedures so that the coastal areas of the Mekong delta provinces of Soc Trang, Tra Vinh and Ben Tre can be recognised as a world biosphere reserve.

WWF was reported by the Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on January 5 as saying that this recognition would help Vietnam to expand its coverage of mangrove forests and create opportunities for sustainable development in the three provinces.

Soc Trang, Tra Vinh and Ben Tre provinces share a 202 km coastline and lie on the Mekong estuary which runs into the East Sea through the two biggest rivers in the Mekong delta, the Hau and the Tien.

They are home to 17 million people and important for the country’s food security as well as the world at large and their mangrove forests protect the coastline from the sea, acting as a buffer zone./.