Vietnam responds to World Wetlands Day

Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap province (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of NaturalResources and Environment  (MONRE) hasasked other ministries, agencies and localities to take action in response toWorld Wetlands Day (February 2).

In a document issued on January 18, the MONREordered stepping up the communications work to raise public awareness of thesignificance of wetlands, and called for efforts in preserving and usingwetlands sustainably.

It also suggested integrating wetland preservationinto programmes, planning schemes and development projects.

World Wetlands Day 2021 highlights the contributionof wetlands to the quantity and quality of freshwater on the planet. Water andwetlands are connected in an inseparable co-existence that is vital to life,human wellbeing and the health of the planet.

The campaign is also an occasion to commemorate thesigning of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian city of Ramsar in1971.

Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve (Photo: VNA)

The Ramsar Convention is an international treatythat provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands andtheir resources. It aims to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss ofwetlands at present as well as in the future.

As the first Southeast Asian nation to become amember of the Ramsar Convention in 1989, Vietnam has rolled out variousactivities to protect and use wetlands wisely, and built a legal corridor onwetland management.

So far, nine wetlands in the country have beenrecognised as Ramsar sites – wetlands of international importance – namely XuanThuy National Park, Bau Sau Wetlands and Seasonal Floodplains, Ba Be NationalPark, Tram Chim National Park, Mui Ca Mau National Park, Con Dao National Park,Lang Sen Wetlands Reserve, U Minh Thuong National Park, and Van Long WetlandNature Reserve./.

VNA