Building a platform for partnership on the conservation of biodiversity is urgently needed to accelerate collaboration among ministries, sectors and stakeholders, environmental experts have said.

 The prolonged drought and saltwater have damaged more than 81,000 hectares of shrimp breeding areas in eight Mekong provinces, according to figures from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department of Aquaculture.

Việt Nam’s rich biodiversity has been under threat due to overloaded exploitation, illegal wildlife hunting and trafficking, as well as poor management and collaboration among State agencies.

An Owston’s Civet (Chrotogate owstoni) was rescued by experts from the Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Programme (CPCP) in collaboration with Save Vietnam's Wildlife (SVW) and the Cúc Phương National Park.

Provincial authorities in the Mekong Delta have helped residents in these localities to cope with the prolonged drought and salinity intrusion, and minimize damage caused by these natural disasters.

The People's Committee of this northern province has instructed relevant agencies to correct the inaccurate information released recently regarding dead marine animals found at Tiền Hải District’s Cồn Vành Beach.

Jan Eliason, the UN Deputy Secretary General has offered assistance to Việt Nam in coping with the ongoing drought and saline intrusion, which has affected two million people in the southern and south-central region.

Though many projects to restore lakes in Hà Nội have been carried out, some lakes are again reported to have become polluted.

The Government has given the green light for the construction of the eastern sea dyke in this southernmost province, with a total investment of VNĐ1.3 trillion (US$58million).