Confirmation of project value on coastal forest protection and development responding to climate change in the period of 2014 - 2020

GLX Climate change is taking place regularly and continuously and causing negative impacts on socio-economic life of people in coastal provinces. With specific objectives and tasks enhancing the sense of initiative in adapting to climate change, project on " coastal forest protection and development responding to climate change in the period of 2014 - 2020" has crucial significance for coastal localities.   

The workshop chaired by Mr. Cao Chí Công - Deputy General Director of VN Forest

With that sense, in September 19-20, in Quang Binh, General Directorate of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with ICMP/CCCEP Programme organized a project workshop on "coastal forest protection and development responding to climate change in the period of 2014 - 2020". Attending the workshop were representatives of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Ministry of Finance and representatives of the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development of the 29 coastal provinces. The workshop was an opportunity for consultations on the drafted major project on adaptation to climate change.

Through presentations by representatives of the VN Forest as proposing agency in charge of drafting the project, the project’s practicality in environmental protection, natural disaster mitigation, and contribution to socio-economic development, security as well as national defense had been affirmed.

Accordingly, the project objectives expected to improve the coastal forest coverage area; enhance coastal forest quality through the cultivation and restoration of forests, increase coastal forest protection and ecosystems through biodiversity conservation, fishery resource increase and mitigation of storm and sea level rise impacts, land protection, anti-erosion, anti-desertification and coastal soil fertility improvement, limit of salt water intrusion into inland,  large fixed amount of organic carbon in anaerobic soils to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ...

The project focuses on protection forest development for the coastal economy, infrastructure, irrigation and transportation, contributing to coastal economic development in nationwide, and especially supports agriculture, forestry, fishery, marine ports, processing zones, industrial parks in coastal areas, enhancing the economic value of forest ecology. The afforestation for anti-wave and dyke protection also proven to be sustainable cost-saving solutions, reducing annual expenses for dyke maintenance. The project aims to provide sustainable non-timber forest products and marine products under the forest canopy for forest adjacent population, attracting people to participate in coastal forest protection and development; making fascinating landscape for marine tourism, ecotourism, forest environmental services to increase income in tourism and forestry sectors as well as the income of people living along the coast.

The project workshop also pointed out the social effects such as strengthening management system, the labor force participation in the coastal forest  protection and development. The project creates about one million jobs per year through forest protection, regeneration, planting and tending to mitigate the harmful effects of natural disasters to people's lives and contribute to stabilize social life, national defense and coast security; and more than that it’s important to raise awareness of the social classes for the true value of the ecology and the role of coastal protection forests, disaster prevention awareness, the response to climate change and sea level rise.

Many comments of stakeholders were taken for the project draft focusing on efficiency and urgency of the project, clarifying the impact of coastal forest protection and development to socio-economic of coastal localities, strengthening legal basis based on the National Environmental Protection Strategy 2020 – vision to 2030, the Vietnam Forestry Development Strategy period 2006-2020, and Decision approving the restructure of agriculture towards improving added value and sustainable development ...

Mr. Cong reaffirmed the value of the project on “coastal forest protection and development responding to climate change in the period of  2014 - 2020" once approved and implementated with the participation of several ministries and departments for social economy in coastal areas. He also noted that all comments will be synthesized and used for project finalization and submission to the Prime Minister for approval in the third quarter of 2014.

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