Two staff from GreenViet plant a tree on a slopy hill farm in Hòa Liên Commune of Hòa Vang District of Đà Nẵng. Total 20,000 trees have been grown on 18.1ha in the area under the larger timber affrorestration project funded by Ecoculture of the US. — Photo courtesy of Kim Tuyến

ĐÀ NẴNG — A timber afforestation project funded by Ecoculture of the United States has yielded 20,000 samples of precious timber species in Hòa Vang District, promoting the development of an "environment and smart" urban area by 2030.

The plantation, located on 18.1 hectares in Hòa Liên Commune, consists of dalbergia tonkinnensis and pterocarpus macrocarpus, which will help residents in the commune boost sustainable production and the forestry economy, as well as eco-tourism services and medicinal herb farming on forest canopies.

Most rural residents have benefited from acacia plantations, but log farms have badly impacted the soil.

To combat this issue, the city has gradually replaced acacia with indigenous larger timber species, a positive, resilient method against climate change.

The project was implemented by GreenViet, an NGO, and Hòa Liên Commune People's Committee and local farmers.

The project is a part of the "One Million Trees Plantation" project that GreenViet has been planting in public parks and pedestrian zones in Đà Nẵng, Hà Nội and HCM City to provide a "green" shadow for the community and reduce air pollution from 2021-2025.

Volunteers and GreenViet had grown 1,000 big trees in a landscape and habitat recovery project for the endangered red-shanked doucs langurs in rich biodiversity in Sơn Trà Nature Reserve.

The "One Million Trees Plantation" project also helped provide free education and a "green" rehabilitation centre for 100 children with disabilities in Quảng Nam Province.

The European Union (EU) has agreed to fund a biodiversity protection and environmental sustainability project in Đà Nẵng from 2020-23 with total funding of 650,000 euros.

Đà Nẵng has been raising total funds of US$4.4 million for conservation, forest protection and afforestation and establishing new reserves on 43,722 hectares by 2030. The city aims to complete growing more than five million trees by the end of 2025. — VNS