A meeting was held in the northern province of Ninh Binh on May 22 as part of activities in response to World Biodiversity Day.

At the event, representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment emphasized the importance of biodiversity in socio-economic development in Vietnam, particularly in mountainous, remote and isolated areas, where food, medicines and income are mainly based on the exploitation of biodiversity. However, biodiversity in many countries, including Vietnam, has been significantly decreased.

To cope with these challenges, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has asked ministries and departments to work together to protect biodiversity, focusing on conservation and development of domestic animals and native plants alongside combining biodiversity conservation with hunger elimination, poverty reduction and new style rural area construction.-VNA

VNA