Xuân Thủy National Park in northern Nam Định Province. — Photo vietnamplus.vn

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment  (MONRE) has asked other ministries, agencies and localities to take action in response to World Wetlands Day (February 2).

In a document issued recently, the MONRE called for stepping up communications work to raise public awareness of the significance of wetlands and urged efforts to preserve and use wetlands sustainably.

It also suggested integrating wetland preservation into programmes, planning schemes and development projects.

World Wetlands Day 2021 highlights the contribution of wetlands to the quantity and quality of freshwater on the planet. Water and wetlands are connected in an inseparable co-existence that is vital to life, human wellbeing and the health of the planet.

The campaign is also an occasion to commemorate the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971.

The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. It aims to stem encroachment on and loss of wetlands.

As the first Southeast Asian nation to become a member of the Ramsar Convention in 1989, Việt Nam has rolled out various activities to protect and use wetlands wisely and built a legal corridor on wetland management.

So far, nine wetlands in the country have been recognised as Ramsar sites – wetlands of international importance – namely Xuân Thủy National Park, Bàu Sấu Wetlands and Seasonal Floodplains, Ba Bể National Park, Tràm Chim National Park, Mũi Cà Mau National Park, Côn Đảo National Park, Láng Sen Wetlands Reserve, U Minh Thượng National Park, and Vân Long Wetland Nature Reserve. — VNS