Land affected by drought in the south central province of Ninh Thuan (Photo: VNA)Lao Cai (VNA)– A meeting was held in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai on June 17to respond to the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (WDCD).
Addressing the event, PhamVan Dien, Vice Director of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry said theadministration has been assigned by the Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment to coordinate national efforts to implement the United NationsConvention to Combat Desertification.
This year, the WDCD isthemed “Land has true value – Invest in it”, with the focus on sustainable landmanagement as a way to regenerate economies, create jobs and revitalizecommunities. It will call on all involved parties – producers, consumers andpolicy makers – to make a difference by investing in the future of land.
Dien noted that theConvention to Combat Desertification, with the engagement of 186 countries, hasset a target of combating desertification and restoring degraded land and soil,including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, to achieve landdegradation neutrality by 2030.
Land degradationthreatens the livelihood and security of the community, especially ethnicminority groups. The forest plays a significant role in restoring land affectedby drought and preventing land degradation.
The implementation ofthe anti-desertification goal is expected to contribute to completing other SustainableDevelopment Goals, including those related to climate change mitigation,poverty reduction and natural disaster prevention, the restoration ofecosystem, and food and water security.
Statistics showed thatin 2017, Vietnam planted 235,028 hectares of forest, equivalent to 102.4percent of the yearly target, and nearly 61 million scattered trees.
As many as 6.12million hectares of forest were put under the management of the community.
However, theprotection and development of forest have seen many shortcomings, including thedegradation of forest quality and natural forest ecosystem in many areas, forestfire, and low contribution of forestry to poverty reduction.
Experts held thatVietnam should continue planting trees and boost the sustainable development offorest, contributing to preventing land degradation and meeting the demands of socio-economicdevelopment and defence-security.
Following the meeting,participants planted many trees in the locality.-VNA
VNA
