Hanoi (VNA) – Anartistic programme was held in Hanoi on May 22 to celebrate a quarter centuryof action for biodiversity, marking the 25th anniversary of the Convention onBiological Diversity (CBD).

The event, held by the Ministry of NaturalResources and Environment and the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), was attended by guests from Vietnamese and foreign agencies andorganisations, experts in biodiversity conservation and students.

Since Vietnam ratified the CBD on October 17,1994, it has made great strides in nature and biodiversity conservation,including building a system of managerial agencies and a policy and legalframework on biodiversity, setting up nature reserves and implementing actionplans to protect endangered fauna and flora species.

The country has stepped up efforts in newbiodiversity conservation issues like biological safety, access to geneticresources and sharing of benefits from the use of genetic resources. Meanwhile,awareness of the importance of biodiversity to life and sustainable developmenthas been improved.

🔯[Forum spotlights partnership in biodiversity protection]

Vietnam boasts high biodiversity with varioustypes of forests, swamps, rivers, streams and coral reefs, making it home toabout 10 percent of the world’s animal species.

However, the country is facing risks ofbiodiversity degradation and ecological imbalance, which will affect the humanliving environment and the Earth’s development. Therefore, biodiversityconservation needs multilateral cooperation and engagement from the entiresociety to reach the targets in the CBD and the National Biodiversity Strategy.

Addressing the ceremony, UNDP Deputy CountryDirector in Vietnam Akiko Fujii said biodiversity in Vietnam has broughtbenefits to the people and contributed to the economy.

She noted it is a fact that biodiversity in thecountry is being degraded, and the number of endangered species is increasing.Hence, it is critically important to improve public awareness of biodiversityand reasonably use biodiversity resources.

At the ceremony, participants also joined adiscussion on conservation with representatives of the Vietnam EnvironmentAdministration, the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature andEnvironment, the UNDP and ASEAN Biodiversity Hero Dang Huy Huynh.-VNA