A species of mossy frog (Photo: baotainguyenmoitruong.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam discovered 158 new speciesduring 2021-2022, according to a report recently released by the World Wide Fund for Nature(WWF).
During theperiod, scientists foundout 380 new species of vascular plants and vertebrate animals in the Greater MekongSub-region, which includes Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
Specifically,there were 290 new species of plants, 19 of fish, 24 ofamphibians, 46 of reptiles, and one species of mammal.
Some ofthe newly discovered species in Vietnam are highly regarded by scientistsworldwide, including Cat Ba begonia (Begonia catbensis) found on the limestone hillsof Cat Ba National Park, frog species Quasipaa taoi on Ngoc Linh mountain - thehighest peak in central Vietnam, and Intermedius sunbeam snake in a localitywithin the central Truong Son region of Vietnam.
This areais considered part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, harbouring globallyiconic and endangered species such as tiger, Asian elephant, Sunda pangolin,and giant freshwater stingray. It is also a place where new species have been discoveredsince 1997, with a total of 3,390 species identified so far, including vascularplant, fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal.
The reportalso calls for urgent actions to reduce the risk of species extinction and endwildlife trafficking in Vietnam and the region.
To preventthe decline and extinction of species in Vietnam, the Biodiversity ConservationPartnership funded by the United States Agency for International Development(USAID) is promoting "rewilding" activities in national parks andnature reserves across the country. Through this initiative, it has conductedin-depth scientific analyses on certain animal species, particularly in Vietnam's Truong Son region, to gather necessary information for creatingviable breeding populations that can be reintroduced into the wild after 10-15years. The partnership plans to establish rescue centres with the necessaryconditions to care for priority species under captive conditions, particularlyin central Vietnam.
The WWF report (Photo: baotainguyenmoitruong.vn) In the near future, the Ministry ofNatural Resources and Environment will work closely with relevant ministries,departments, localities, and organisations to fine-tune legal documents on natureconservation and biodiversity, and develop guidelines and directives on restoringnatural ecosystems to contribute to biodiversity conservation, disasterprevention, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development.
Theministry will also continue enhancing the capacity of the State managementagencies and the contingent of officials responsible for nature conservationand biodiversity, while building and carrying out mechanisms for coordinationbetween State management agencies, political-social organisations, and developmentpartners in the field./.
