Need for priority conservation areas to preserve wildlife

Vulnerable animals: Rare langurs are kept and cared for at Cuc Phuong National Park in the northern province of Ninh Binh. — Vietnam News/ANN

Scientists have studied, evaluated and predicted the impact of climate change on wildlife species in Vietnam.

The studies conducted by the National Science and Technology Programme on natural resources, environment and climate change for 2016-20 showed that 18 out of 51 evaluated animal species were classified as seriously affected by climate change.

Primates are the group suffering the most.

An assessment of 50 bird species also revealed that 16 species, distributed in areas at high risk of changes in temperature and rainfall, were feeling the impact of climate change.

Climate change seriously affected 93 out of 288 plant species examined. Da Lat pine is a precious and rare genetic resource categorised as a near-threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

According to scientists, climate change adaptation-related activities in Vietnam are still limited.

Although there are several conservation action programmes for important species groups such as pangolins, turtles, elephants, primates and tigers, there is none on protection for species that are vulnerable to climate change.

Given the limited resources for preservation, it is necessary to identify priority conservation areas to focus on technical, financial and technological resources to achieve high efficiency.

Twenty-six out of 105 protected areas, including the nature reserve and habitat conservation areas, are high priority.

According to Hoang Thi Thanh Nhan, Nature Biodiversity Conservation Department deputy director, Vietnam must enhance protected area management capacity for the effective implementation of adaptation plans.

Agencies should set up action plans to preserve biodiversity in the context of climate change for important and sensitive protected areas as a foundation for determining the priority or for fundraising, she said.

It was essential to devise a national conservation action plan for endangered, precious and rare species. — Vietnam News/ANN