Hanoi (VNA) – For more than a decade, in Canada's capital Ottawa, Vietnamese-born scientist Dang Trung Phuoc and his colleagues have restored part of an ancient sand dune system formed some 8,000-10,000 years ago.
Once dismissed as barren and of little value, the Pinhey Sand Dunes have become a habitat for rare plant and animal species, as well as a renowned site for research, education and ecotourism in the Canadian capital region.
Restoring the dunes' unique habitat required an approach that initially seemed at odds with conservation: felling thousands of 25-30m-tall pine trees in a plantation forest.
Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency’s correspondent in Canada, Phuoc, President of the Biodiversity Conservancy International, said the prehistoric sand dunes around Canada's capital has been severely reduced by urbanisation and inappropriate afforestation.
For many years, the dunes were viewed as barren land and planted with pine forests. In reality, however, the open landscape of white sand exposed to sunlight and wind, free of large trees, provides the essential habitat for thousands of endemic plants, insects and animals. Restoring the dunes, he stressed, means restoring the original ecosystem rather than destroying nature.
Supported by scientific evidence and years of persistence, Phuoc convinced Canadian authorities to back the restoration project. The work proceeded in stages, from removing plantation trees and stripping surface soil to restoring the natural sand landscape. Native wildflowers gradually returned, followed by butterflies, beetles and several rare arthropod species once thought lost from Ontario.
According to Phuoc, the project proves that sand dunes are not "dead land" but distinctive ecosystems rich in biodiversity. Every dune system has unique ecological characteristics, from Africa's Namib Desert to the famous "singing dunes" of Nevada in the US.
After more than 30 years in Canada, Phuoc sees the project as a way of giving back to the country that enabled his scientific career. At the same time, he has remained determined to apply his experience in Vietnam. Biodiversity, he noted, takes millions of years to develop into the interconnected web that sustains life, making every unique ecosystem worth protecting.
Drawing on the Pinhey project, he has focused on Vietnam's central coastal sand dunes. He said he believes they serve not only as natural barriers against rising sea levels but also as habitats for numerous species, some potentially still unknown to science.
He argued that the dune system in Ninh Thuan should be recognised as a unique East Sea coastal ecosystem rather than simply being treated as arid land for development. He has already connected with specialists in Ho Chi Minh City and Khanh Hoa province to discuss conservation solutions.
Phuoc is also advocating the restoration of native forests in Vietnam. Following surveys along the Truong Son Mountain range, he found many areas dominated by acacia plantations that generate economic returns but create biodiversity-poor monoculture forests. He proposes gradually replacing part of these plantations with bamboo and native tree species while safeguarding local livelihoods.
Bamboo, he said, grows quickly, has strong commercial value, stabilises soil, conserves water, reduces erosion and absorbs significant amounts of carbon dioxide. Planted alongside native trees in linked corridors across the Truong Son range, it could help create ecological corridors that allow wildlife to move and thrive.
From restoring an ancient sand dune ecosystem in Canada to promoting the conservation of Vietnam's coastal dunes, native forests and ecological corridors, Phuoc has remained committed to using science to revive ecosystems long misunderstood or neglected. His quiet but sustained efforts reflect both a scientist's responsibility to the communities he serves and the enduring commitment of a Vietnamese expatriate to his homeland./.
