Trees brought to plant in Xuan Lien Nature Reserve (Photo: Gaia)
This activity has helped to recover more than 30 hectares of impoverished watershed forest in Thanh Hoa province, increasing the ability to respond to climate change, reducing damage from storms and floods, and creating a safe habitat for wildlife, as well as improving the quality of life of the people of Thanh Hoa in particular, and Vietnam in general.
This meaningful afforestation campaign also responds to and implements the Government's program to plant 1 billion trees, contributing to the implementation of the commitment of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at COP 26 held in the United Kingdom in October 2021, on achieving net emissions to “zero” by 2050, reducing greenhouse gas by 30% by 2030.
Recognising the importance and urgent role of afforestation in responding to climate change, preventing the next pandemic and reversing the great degradation of biodiversity, the Gaia Nature Conservancy has continued to promote watershed afforestation programmes throughout Vietnam, with the focus of March being the planting of nearly 17,000 large trees in Xuan Lien Nature Reserve and nearly 13,000 large trees in Ben En forest, Thanh Hoa Province.
Over 40 species of plants including endangered species were planted include Red Doussie, Rose Wood, Nara Padauk, Afzelia xylocarpa, White Meranti, Iron Wood, Mengundor.
To ensure the quality and survival rate of trees is at least 70-80% after 4 years, the forests will be monitored, and cared for within 4 years. Gaia will also coordinate with the Management Board of Xuan Lien Nature Reserve and Ben En National Park to conduct research, monitor the forest and publish annual reports. After that, the forest will continue to receive long-term protection from state funds. Everyone can update information about the forest every year such as: tree survival rate, tree size, forest growth status, tree monitoring photos, and forest monitoring photos…
Although the COVID-19 pandemic is developing very complicatedly, Gaia and its partners are still determined to find many solutions to plant and monitor the forests. Many online, face-to-face meetings with staff of Ben En National Park, and Xuan Lien Nature Reserve, local people and donors have been conducted. Various solutions in terms of techniques, forest monitoring, etc. have been and will be applied to achieve the goal of afforestation.
The World Tree Planting Day (March 21) was launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2013 to call on localities and countries to make joint efforts to plant trees and improve awareness of forest conservation and sustainable development. March 21 is also the International Day of Forests to encourage countries to organize afforestation campaigns, given the fact that the world's forests are decreasing in quality and area./.