“Wetlands – the heart of Asia” is the theme of the conference being held in Hanoi from June 22-25 to highlight the importance of wetlands in Asian people’s daily life.

In Asia, although wetlands are closely associated with rice production and are part of the cultural heritage, they are now becoming endangered. Therefore, the conference will also address issues facing Asian people in the process of conserving and managing wetland areas in Asia.

Vietnam has recommended four more wetland sites across the country for recognition as parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance.

These sites include the Tram Chim National Park in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap , Ba Be Lake in northern Bac Kan province, U Minh Forest and Mui Ca Mau National Park in the southernmost province of Ca Mau , according to Dr. Tran Ngoc Cuong, deputy head of the Nature Conservation Division under the Environmental Protection Department.

Tiền Hải Natural Reserve - Photo: Vu Dinh Thai

Mangrove forests cultivated in a project sponsored by the Danish Red Cross have proven their great value in protecting lives and property of thousands of people in the northern province of Thai Binh during storm seasons.

The trees, tolerant of salt water, provide a coastal wall that helps protect river and coastal dike systems and homes.

Nguyen Van Thanh, the owner of a lagoon in Nam Phu Village, vouches for the economic benefit of the mangrove forests. In 1989 when Thanh started his business of breeding seafood, he was scare whenever the storm season rolled around.

Mangroves in Quang Ninh province (Photo: Vu Dinh Thai

There remain 14 mangrove forests of national strategic importance that need to be protected in the 2005-2010 period, according to a recent survey jointly conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Institute for Forest Science and the United Nations Environment Programme/Global Environment Fund's East Sea Project.