The EUR3 million project, will be implemented by the Forestry Directorate under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) until 2013.

With its head office in Hanoi, the project will focus its work on pilot areas, including Ba Be National Park in Bac Kan province, Na Hang Nature Reserve in Tuyen Quang province, Pu Hu and Pu Luong Nature Reserves in Thanh Hoa province, Bach Ma National Park in Thua Thien Hue province and the buffer zones of these protected areas.

The project’s long-term objective is to improve the quality of personnel, and the institutional, technical, financial and legal conditions to preserve biodiversity in forest ecosystems in Vietnam, particularly at a national level and in protected areas.

At the launch ceremony, MARD’s Deputy Minister Hua Duc Nhi said that the agricultural sector always pays a great deal of attention to ensuring the preservation of biodiversity in forest ecosystems.

Vietnam is home to 10.3 million ha of natural forest, accounting for 31 percent of the country. However, there are only 0.57 million ha of primeval forest left and the country still faces many difficulties in preserving its biodiversity despite efforts, due to a lack of management skills.

Statistics show that about 700 species of flora and fauna in Vietnam are at risk, including 300 globally endangered species.