Experts and management officials from marine protected areas and national parks nationwide have participated in a technical workshop and training held by the IUCN in Hà Nội. VNS Photo

 HÀ NỘI —  IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has organised a technical workshop and training for effective management at the marine protected areas (MPAs) and the national parks (NPs).

More than 70 experts and management officials from MPAs and NPs nationwide have participated at the events which are part of the 2024 Conference on Environmental Protection in the Fisheries Sector. This is led by Department of Fisheries (DOF) as part of the IUCN-led Mekong Delta Coastal Habitat Conservation Project 2024-2025 funded by the US Agency for International Development.

At the workshop held on Tuesday in Hà Nội, the participants reviewed MPA performance in their local areas, shared their experience of building capacity in marine environment protection and proposed measures to more effectively manage the MPA network.

The discussions focused on different points including the assessment of the effectiveness of MPAs management and promote communication activities, report on management effectiveness evaluation in those areas and marine components in NPs, the IUCN Green List (GL) Programme on MPAs/NPs that have been certified in Việt Nam.

Nam Du Archipelago in the southern province of Kiên Giang's Kiên Hải District is one of Việt Nam marine protected areas. Photo courtesy of IUCN

 Participants also discussed the GL standard application in MPA management and the role of communication activities, biodiversity monitoring for effective management zoning.

The MPA system in Việt Nam is designed to meet the requirements of biodiversity conservation and marine ecosystems protection.

The areas contribute to the conservation and restoration of marine resources for the benefit of local fishing communities.

However, the marine environment is increasingly degraded. Many coastal areas suffer from untreated waste discharge, unregulated fishing has caused a sharp decline in fish stocks and uncontrolled tourism has had a huge impact on some of the most popular destinations.

Việt Nam has issued several regulations including those on the sustainable development strategy of the marine economy, managing marine plastics by 2030 and the Plan on Environmental Protection of the Fisheries Sector for 2021- 2030.

To support implementation of these regulations, it is essential to engage the MPA/NP/Fisheries Sub Departments and other key stakeholders, experts said.

In May 2024, IUCN, DOF, and Department of Fisheries Surveillance organised a meeting to train MPAs/NPs and Fisheries Sub-Departments on marine conservation.

Building on this activity, IUCN and DOF organised activities as part of the 2024 Conference on Environmental Protection in the Fisheries Sector with the participation of the MPA/NP network, provincial fisheries sub-departments and fisheries surveillance sub-departments. VNS