Cu Lao Cham

November 3 marks the first celebration of the International Day for Biosphere Reserves. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), with Haiphong People's Committee and the National Committee for Man and the Biosphere, held a meeting to respond to the International Day of Biodiversity at Cat Ba Archipelago National Park.

With the second-highest number of Biosphere Reserves (BR) in Southeast Asia, Vietnam strives to foster a well-balanced relationship between humans and nature. Over the last decades, biosphere reserves have provided restorative and community-centred opportunities for ecosystem conservation and sustainable economics.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been working on BR management that fortifies the commitment to environmental resilience against increasing climate-induced threats and the promotion of indigenous and local livelihoods.

UNDP resident representative in Vietnam Ramla Khalidi said, "The design of an integrated BR management system is paramount to addressing the existential challenges and ensuring the longevity of human's shared existence with the environment."

She also highlighted the central role of national and provincial leaders as the key to the future of biosphere reserves.

"On the occasion of the first International Day for Biosphere Reserves, we call for concerted and collective actions to protect nature and the environment and to prioritise the needs of local communities in conserving natural resources, maintaining the landscape, and increasing absorption of CO₂ to reach the 2050 climate neutrality objective set by the international community," added Khalidi.

At the meeting, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan suggested that centrally-run agencies and provincial people's committees continue implementing actions to promote the development of the BR network in the near future.

Vietnam is striving to have 15 of the world's BRs recognised by UNESCO by 2030 and improve management efficiency. MoNRE supports the implementation of nature conservation, biodiversity, and the management of Tay Nghe An BR, Cu Lao Cham, and Dong Nai BR within the framework of the project Mainstreaming Natural Resource Management and Biodiversity Conservation Objectives into Socioeconomic Development Planning and Management of Biosphere Reserves in Vietnam, funded by the UNDP in Vietnam.

The total area of the 11 world BRs in Vietnam is just over 4.8 million hectares (accounting for about 14.7 per cent of the country's natural area). Vietnam's BRs play an important role in conserving nature and contributing to the achievement of the national sustainable development goals.

Additionally, a tree planting campaign to respond to and promote the implementation of the Initiative of One Billion Trees in BRs in Vietnam took place on November 3.