📋 Tender Overview
This is one of the contents that Mr. Tran Quang Bao, Director of the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) discussed with Government Newspaper reporters around the current situation of drought and land degradation taking place globally and Vietnams responses. Download Mr. Tran Quang Bao, Director of the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) - Photo: VGP/Do Huong Sir, how serious is land degradation in Vietnam currently, which areas are being most affected and what are the root causes? Mr. Tran Quang Bao: Although Vietnam is not a country with typical desert areas like some countries in the world, land degradation is happening silently and is very worrying. Currently, nearly 11.8 million hectares of land, equivalent to about 36% of the countrys natural area, have been degraded to varying degrees. The 3 areas most heavily affected include: Northern midlands and mountainous areas with erosion and soil washing on sloping terrain; The South Central Coast faces drought, desertion, blowing sand and encroaching sand; The Mekong Delta is seriously affected by salinization, alumization and saltwater intrusion due to climate change and reduction of fresh water resources. The causes come from both natural and human factors. Climate change with extreme weather events, prolonged droughts and rising sea levels is accelerating land degradation. However, the root cause is still unsustainable exploitation of resources over a long period of time, inappropriate conversion of land use purposes, outdated farming practices and overuse of agricultural materials, causing soil quality to decline. He once said that preventing and combating desertification should be seen as a national security issue. How should this viewpoint be understood in the current context? Mr. Tran Quang Bao: This viewpoint is completely consistent with the guiding spirit of General Secretary To Lam that environmental protection must be seen as a core content of national security and human security. Today, the concept of national security is not limited to protecting territorial sovereignty but also includes ensuring the ecological foundation for the countrys long-term development. Land is a special means of production, the foundation of food security, water security and livelihoods of millions of people. When more than one-third of the natural land area is degraded, the threat to agricultural production, increased natural disasters, landslides and ecological imbalance is very clear. Therefore, considering desertification prevention and control as a national security issue means shifting strongly from the mindset of handling consequences to proactive prevention; View protection of land and forest resources as a prerequisite for development; At the same time, this is determined to be the common responsibility of the entire political system, business community and the entire society. Although Vietnams forest coverage rate has reached over 42%, more than one-third of the territory is still suffering from forms of land degradation. In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges and bottlenecks today? Mr. Tran Quang Bao: That shows that growth in forest area cannot completely compensate for damage to the quality of land and forest ecosystems. Currently, we are facing 3 major bottlenecks. The first is the institutional and inter-sectoral governance bottleneck. Land degradation and desertification are the combined result of many factors such as climate, water resources, soil and vegetation. Meanwhile, previous management work was still fragmented and lacked effective coordination mechanisms. The establishment of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment along with the strengthening of the National Coordination Committee for the implementation of the Convention to Combat Desertification are creating conditions to overcome this difficulty. Second is the challenge of forest quality and peoples livelihoods. Although the forest coverage rate is high, most of it is pure plantation forests or poor forests, with limited water and soil retention and biodiversity conservation capacity. Meanwhile, livelihood pressure in remote and remote areas and ethnic minority areas is still great. Third is the issue of financial resources. Restoring degraded land is a task that requires large capital and long-term investment. Current budget resources are still limited, while mechanisms for mobilizing social resources, green finance and public-private cooperation still need to continue to be improved to create stronger attraction for investors. In the coming period, what solutions will the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment prioritize to restore land, improve ecosystem quality and aim to balance land degradation? Mr. Tran Quang Bao: To move towards the goal of balancing land degradation by 2030 and sustainable financial management land until 2050, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will focus on implementing five key groups of solutions. First is to perfect institutions, improve coordination efficiency and promote investigation and digital mapping of desertification risks nationwide, as a basis for integration into development plans. Second is to promote nature-based solutions, focusing on improving forest quality, restoring natural forests, watershed protection forests and developing wind and wind break forest systems. coastal sand. At the same time, encourage ecological agriculture and agroforestry models to improve soil fertility and water retention capacity. Third is to modernize monitoring with digital technology. The Ministry will strengthen the application of remote sensing, GIS and artificial intelligence to monitor land degradation developments, and upgrade the early warning system for drought and saltwater intrusion. Fourth, ensure fairness and sustainable livelihoods for people. People directly involved in forest protection and land restoration nee
