HCM City (VNA) - Various researchand monitoring programmes have been implemented at the Can Gio Mangrove BiosphereReserve in HCM City, towards sustainable development and biodiversity protection.
The Can Gio Mangrove Protection Forest ManagementBoard has leased out forests to 144 local households and 12 agencies and units,which has proven effective.
The city expects to complete mechanisms andpolicies on the management and planning of the reserve in the time to come, NguyenXuan Hoang, deputy director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, told a seminar in the city on July 23.
At the same time, it will mobilise the participationof residents and involved parties in such efforts, step up communications work,and study the livelihoods of those living around the buffer zone, he added.
Apart from establishing forest protection posts,the city will also coordinate closely with local authorities and armed forces inforest management and protection and work to strengthen ties between forest rangersand residents around the buffer zone.
According to Hoang, the reserve is set to becomean attractive eco-tourism site.
Regarding the Can Gio sea encroachment project,also known as the Can Gio tourism urban area project, Professor and Dr Nguyen HoangTri, Chairman of the National Committee onthe Human and Biosphere Programme, affirmed that the project will have no environmentalor social impact.
Nearly 60 km from the centreof HCM City, Can Gio was recognised by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve withprimeval forests and abundant floral coverage. It was also the site of a numberof glorious battles throughout Vietnam’s history.
The Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve coversmore than 70,000 ha and occupies more than one-third of HCM City’s total area. Itis located in Can Gio district, previously known as Duyen Hai district. The areais situated along a recently-formed estuary complex of tidal flats, where the VamCo, Sai Gon, and Dong Nai Rivers discharge into the sea.
Historically, this land, also known as the SacForest Guerrilla Base, was a key battleground in the country’s resistance wars againstFrench and US aggressors./.
VNA