Vietnam ranks 16th among the 25 countries with the richest biodiversity in the world, as more than 11,000 species have been discovered in the country.
Of the species, about 6,000 are benthic, 2,038 fish, 225 sea shrimp, 15 sea snakes, 12 marine mammals, five sea turtles, 43 aquatic birds, 653 seaweed, 657 zooplankton, 94 mangrove plants, 14 sea grasses and about 400 coral species, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
These species live in more than 20 typical ecosystem types, have high biological productivity and determine the entire primary productivity of the entire sea.
Biodiversity makes an important contribution to economic development in Vietnam. For example, since 2010, the number of international tourists visiting the country, where nature is a vital attraction, has tripled from 5 million to more than 15 million in 2018. Nature is also an integral part of daily life and livelihood in the country.
For effective marine protection, Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has consulted the government to enact supportive policies and invest in essential infrastructure items of the Marine Protected Areas.
According to the ministry, it is also necessary to have policies to support the implementation of co-management in the protection of aquatic resources.
While biodiversity provides direct benefits to people and the environment and contributes to the national sustainable development strategy, Vietnam is also facing a rapid loss of biodiversity due to population growth, over-exploitation of natural resources, illegal logging and the expansion and intensification of the Agriculture.
The government’s support is also needed to help fishermen working in marine protected areas shift their livelihoods to environmentally friendly areas, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
