Xuan Son National Park in Phu Tho province.

Under the plan, the entire special-use forest coverage will be expanded from the current 2.2 million hectares to 2.4 million hectares by 2020, in line with the strategy on management of special-use forests, sea reserves, and inland water reserves in the same period which was adopted in February this year.

The 2.4 million hectares will cover 34 national parks, 58 nature reserves, and numerous landscapes and research areas.

The northwest region will have 222,000 hectares of special-use forest, including a new nature reserve at Muong La with an area of 17,000 hectares, while 400,000 hectares will be zoned off in the northeast region, covering well-known landscapes such as Ha Long Bay, Tam Dao mountain area, Ba Be Lake and Hoang Lien Son mountain range.

Meanwhile, the Red River Delta will have 65,000 hectares of protected forests, aiming to preserve the local ecosystems on lime mountains and wetlands as well as the forests with close connection to the region’s culture, history and landscapes in Hanoi and the provinces of Ninh Binh, Hai Duong and Nam Dinh.