On the morning of October 21, the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) and the Center for People and Nature ( PanNature) organized a Biodiversity and Nature-based Solutions Workshop for the development of the Northern mountainous region.
Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Quang Thao - Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) - affirmed: The northern mountainous region is the region with the richest biodiversity in the country, and is also a place that is suffering many negative impacts from climate change, forest degradation, soil erosion and livelihood poverty.
"Integrating nature-based solutions in planning, livelihood development, water resource protection and disaster response not only contributes to the conservation of natural resources, but also brings practical benefits to the local community" - Mr. Thao said.
Regarding the theme of the workshop, Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Thu Ha - Director of the Institute of Forestry and Sustainable Development and Faculty of Forestry, Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry - expressed: "We are not only talking about climate conservation and adaptation, but are living with it - amidst the very real evidence of the damage to nature and humans".
Professor Ha said that in the context of increasingly severe natural disasters, the connection between science, policy and community action is more urgent than ever.
Accordingly, Resolution No. 57 of the Politburo has identified science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as one of the three strategic breakthroughs of the country.
"The spirit of this Resolution opens up great opportunities for digital transformation applied in forest management, biodiversity monitoring, natural disaster forecasting and ecosystem recovery - topics that are also the focus of this Forum" - Professor Ha said.
Along with that, the Government has approved the National Strategy on Biodiversity to 2030, with a vision to 2050 and affirmed its commitment to net zero emissions by 2050.
According to Ms. Ha, in this policy framework, nature conservation and community development in mountainous areas are identified as pillars of national ecological transformation.
At the workshop, Prof. Dr. Truong Quang Hoc - Chairman of the Science and Training Council, Institute of Natural Resources and Environment, Vietnam National University, Hanoi presented on biodiversity and green transformation towards sustainable development in the new era.
According to Professor Hoc, in addition to the achievements Vietnam has made in recent times, the biodiversity of our country is facing many difficulties and challenges.
These include 4 emerging challenges: Climate change is about to surpass the safety threshold; Biodiversity is degraded at an alarming level; Environmental pollution is increasing, especially air pollution, water and ocean plastic waste pollution; Potential risk of disease outbreaks originating from wild animals.
Based on the current situation, Professor Truong Quang Hoc proposed a number of solutions for green transformation and sustainable development, typically the nature-based development model...
"Thuan Thien - Proactively live with natural disasters and climate change towards green development" - Professor Hoc emphasized.
The workshop was held in many sessions, an important forum to synthesize research results and practical experiences on nature-based conservation and sustainable development, thereby making recommendations and policy proposals to strengthen coordination between management agencies, the scientific community and the local community; contributing to promoting inter-regional and inter-sectoral cooperation, mobilizing social resources for ecological conservation and recovery.
