Five natural sciences projects were among 32 winners of Ho Chi Minh and State prizes in 2010 at a ceremony in Hanoi on Feb. 18.
“ Vietnam ’s Fauna and Flora” as well as the country’s “Red Book” and “Red List” are among the noteworthy winners.
The 36-monograph book, “ Vietnam ’s Fauna and Flora” features comprehensive and specific information on the country’s fauna and flora and classifies the risk levels for 407 fauna and 448 flora species in Vietnam .
The work, which forms the scientific basis for the assessment of biodiversity, has been utilised over the past half century.
The study in discovering and exploiting oil-reservoir granite rock on Vietnam’s continental shelf, implemented over the last 23 years, serves as a landmark in oil exploration and exploitation. The new technology in oil exploitation has improved the productivity of oil in rocks, accounting for 80 percent of 300 millions tonnes of oil in 2009.
The project on Vietnam ’s nature, territory and geographical regions put forward sound and comprehensive assessments of the country’s potential in terms of nature, inhabitants and economic activities which will lay a scientific and practical foundation for national socio-economic development and construction in the new period.
It also discovered strengths, shortcomings and illogical points in developing territorial regions and proposed a strategic orientation and specific measures to organise territory for socio-economic development in national and geographical regions..
Another study on rational use of Vietnam ’s marine organisms has devised the process of extracting, subdividing and defining molecular structure from marine organisms. It also found first-ever compounds from nature and the potential of several groups of sea organisms in the country’s territorial waters which will be valuable pharmaceutical sources.
It has been applied and produced seven dietary supplements which were licensed for mass production.
Another project on Vietnam’s natural geography has laid a foundation for studying the country’s scenery and natural geography and established practical and scientific foundations for rational use of natural resources and environmental protection.-VNA
