A bird species in Vân Long Nature Reserve in Ninh Bình Province. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is planning a number of activities in response to the International Day for Biological Diversity (May 22).

A ceremony will be held to mark the day. Other activities will include a workshop on the coordination of actions to implement the Kunming – Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, planting trees and releasing wild animals at the Ba Bể National Park in Bắc Kạn Province, along with painting and photo exhibitions on nature and biodiversity conservation.

They aim to highlight the importance of biodiversity to human life and raise public awareness of conserving and bringing into play biodiversity values to help with the country’s sustainable development.

Việt Nam issued a plan of action on biodiversity in 1995, shortly after it became a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity. In 2013, the then Prime Minister also approved the national biodiversity strategy by 2020, with a vision to 2030.

Meanwhile, the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection took effect in 2022. To curb biodiversity losses, at the start of last year, the Government also gave the green light to the national biodiversity strategy by 2030, with a vision to 2050.

This strategy encourages non-governmental organisations, enterprises, and people to take part in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services. It also looks to facilitate the private sector’s engagement in conservation.

It targets that onshore nature reserves will account for 9 per cent of the mainland area; protected coastal and marine areas make up 3 – 5 per cent of the country’s natural sea area; an additional 15 Ramsar sites, 14 biosphere reserves, and 15 ASEAN heritage parks be recognised; the nationwide forest coverage maintained at 42 – 43 per cent; and at least 20 per cent of the degraded natural ecosystem area be recovered.

Under the strategy, Việt Nam is striving so that no more wild species will become extinct, the populations of at least 10 endangered species be improved, and at least 100,000 genetic sources be collected and stored. — VNS