The sustainable management of the Bac Lieu bird sanctuary was the main focus of a seminar in the southern province of Bac Lieu on April 4.

Participants at the event, co-organised by the provincial People’s Committee and the German International Cooperation, heard proposals regarding the combination of sustainable management and eco-tourism.

They also learned about the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)’s experience on management and conservation of submerged land in the Mekong Delta.

To boost the sustainable management of the sanctuary, Dr. Vu Ngoc Long, head of the Southern Institute of Ecology, suggested the prohibition of hunting and using chemicals and pesticides in shrimp breeding.

He stressed the need to map out a plan on land use and management while preventing the encroachment of the sanctuary’s core zone for industrialisation and urbanisation.

Covering nearly 130 hectares in Hiep Thanh commune, Bac Lieu town, the century-old bird sanctuary is home to over 100 species of bird and over 60,000 species of stork, many of them have been listed in the Red Book.

There are also 109 fauna species and 150 flora species living together there, constituting a harmonious eco-environment.

The sanctuary is considered one of the most attractive eco-tourism spots in the Mekong Delta and among submerged areas in Asia . Thanks to its biological diversity, the sanctuary was recognised as a national nature reserve in 1984.-VNA