Global project helps protect central region's forest

Thua Thien-Hue (VNA) - A highly diverse and ecologically important forest area
stretching from Hue city to the Laos border has been protected thanks to a 4.5-year
project.

The "Green Corridor" project, with funding of 2.57 million USD from the World Bank,
the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Netherlands Development Organisation and
the central province of Thua Thien-Hue , involves extensive surveys and
afforestation. It also led to the establishment of the Sao La Nature Reserve and the
extension of the Bach Ma National Park.

Capacity was built through action plans for biodiversity and preventing forest fires
and wildlife trade.

More than 70 training courses were held for communities and rangers in areas ranging
from law enforcement to nursery gardening techniques, in addition to awareness
events in schools across the province.

"The project has succeeded in strengthening the management of the forest area,"
said Nguyen Ngoc Thien, chairman of the Thua Thien-Hue provincial People's
Committee.

"I'm pleased to see how the project helped upgrade the forests, which play a
vital role in protecting upland watersheds, biodiversity and landscapes," he
added.

The Green Corridor is a wet, low forest of below 700m in altitude, and home to many
globally endangered species like the "sao la", tiger, golden turtle, Vietnamese
francolin, pheinardia ocellata and white-cheeked black gibbon.

Based upon the achievements of the Green Corridor project, the WWF is already
planning two new schemes that will enhance the conservation efforts taken in the
past few years.-Enditem