The US$3.5 million project, funded by the Global Environment Fund with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will be implemented over three years in an effort to remove barriers hindering the effectiveness of protected areas management.

According to director of the Department of Bio-diversity Conservation Pham Anh Cuong, many barriers had been uncovered during implementation of bio-diversity conservation.

One of the barriers was inconsistency and overlap among different legal documents which caused difficulties in management implementation, Cuong said.

Legal framework

The law on biodiversity, which came into effect in 2008, still failed to cover all operations related to biodiversity preservation, he said.

"A complete and consistent legal framework is needed along with human resources training for biodiversity conservation," emphasised vice president of the Ecology Association, Mai Dinh Yen.

The financial difficulties facing protected areas was also a headache, according to director of the Bidoup – Nui Ba National Park's Management Board, Le Van Huong.

For instance, the 70,000 ha park, located in the Central Highlands' Lam Dong Province, needed VND 1.14 trillion ($54.3 million) for conservation work but only received about $2 million total during the past five years, he said.

A financial mechanism for the sustainable development of the country's protected areas, which the project targeted to secure from the State budget and from non – governmental organisations, might help boost conservation, he said.

Chairman of the Zoological Association Dang Huy Huynh emphasised the significant role of the community in biodiversity conservation, saying it was a decisive factor.

According to secretary of the Viet Nam National Park and Protected Area Association (VNPPA) Le Van Lanh, protected areas should work out their own biological planning for conservation.

He pointed out that Cuc Phuong National Park in the northern province of Ninh Binh – the oldest and largest national park in Viet Nam – which was established about 60 years ago, still did not have any biological planning.

The project to deal with the barriers would contribute to a greener Viet Nam which would help reduce the threat of losing natural ecosystems or seeing them degrade, said UNDP representative Do Thi Huyen.

Viet Nam is one of the world's most biologically diverse countries. It is home to about 10 per cent of the world's species while covering less than 1 per cent of the global land area.

As of 2006, 128 protected forest areas had been established in Viet Nam. Five marine protected areas had also been set up, including Nha Trang, Cu Lao Cham, Phu Quoc, Con Co and Nui Chua.

A plan for inland water protected areas by 2020 has also been approved by the Prime Minister.

(VNS)