ADB-funded project helps set up biodiversity corridors in central region hinh anh 1A target ethnic minority-inhabited area in Quang Nam province (Photo: baotainguyenmoitruong.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) - A biodiversity conservation corridor project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has made positive changes to forest protection in the central provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien-Hue.

The Greater Mekong Sub-region Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Project (BCC) - Phase 2 was the first loan project in the environmental sector in the three provinces and was carried out from 2011-2020, focusing on setting up and managing biodiversity corridors towards the sustainable management of the Central Truong Son landscape.

According to Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan, the target area is very special, as the Central Truong Son landscape plays a leading role in biodiversity in Vietnam but is difficult to approach and is home to ethnic minority groups.

Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Environment Administration Nguyen Hung Thinh said that 35 communes in six districts in the three provinces have benefited from the project, which had total investment of 34 million USD, including a 30 million USD loan from the ADB.

Three provincial-level biodiversity conservation corridors were established, managing 298,000 ha of forest.

Over 4,600 ha of forests were also recovered during the period. Meanwhile, 1,146 households were given technical assistance and cash to improve agricultural productivity. Per capita income in the six target districts reached 25.3 million VND (1,090 USD) in 2018 as a result, up 158 percent against 2011.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) also added 3.7 million USD to the BCC project - Phase 2, to expand its scale, intensify management, and maintain ecological integrity in and around natural reserves in the Central Truong Son landscape./.
VNA