Working together to combat desertification and drought.

On June 17th, in Ngoc Thanh commune, Phuc Yen city, the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection organized a rally and launched a tree planting campaign in response to the World Day Against Desertification and Drought 2025 with the message "Restoring the Land - Opening the Way for the Future".

Attending the ceremony were: Mr. Nguyen Quoc Tri, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment ; Mr. Tran Quang Bao, Director of the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection; Mr. Nguyen Khac Hieu, Provincial Party Committee member, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Mr. Nguyen Van Quan, Deputy Director in charge of the Department of Agriculture and Environment; representatives of international organizations in Vietnam, and a large number of local people.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Quoc Tri launched the campaign "Land Restoration - Opening the Way for the Future".

In Vietnam, although not a typical desertification country, land degradation is silently spreading and is alarming. Nearly 11.8 million hectares of land, equivalent to almost 36% of the natural land area, has been or is being degraded to varying degrees. Barren land, deforested hills, eroded soil in mountainous areas, arid regions in the South Central coastal area, and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta are the clearest examples.

In response to this situation, Vietnam has been implementing many comprehensive measures, such as: the National Forestry Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2050; the Program to plant 1 billion trees in the period 2021–2025, with the broad participation of all levels, sectors and the whole society, to date over 980 million trees have been planted; maintaining a stable forest cover rate at over 42%, significantly higher than the world average (31%).

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Khac Hieu delivered a speech at the program.

In parallel, many important programs and projects have been implemented, such as: improving the productivity and quality of planted forests, planting forests under the canopy, preventing landslides and soil erosion in upstream areas and steep mountainous regions, restoring and developing coastal mangrove forests to strengthen the natural protection system, prevent land degradation and minimize natural disaster risks due to the impact of climate change.

Vietnam is also actively implementing international and regional initiatives, mobilizing financial and technical resources from various development partners to protect forests, restore degraded land, and enhance sustainable livelihoods for local people.

Mechanisms such as REDD+, loans and technical assistance, along with public-private partnership programs, are being effectively utilized to drive ecosystem recovery.

Launching the campaign "Land Restoration - Opening the Way for the Future," Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Quoc Tri emphasized that land degradation cannot be solved solely by policy documents or isolated technical solutions. It is a battle requiring the joint efforts of the entire community, from policymakers, scientists, businesses, international organizations to individual citizens.

The Department of Forestry and Forest Protection donated 3,000 saplings to the military and people of Vinh Phuc province.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Tri urged all levels of government to proactively integrate the goal of combating land degradation into their development strategies; for businesses to actively invest in green and sustainable solutions; and for people to start with small actions, planting a tree, preserving a piece of land, and changing land-use habits. This is also how we pave the way for the future – a green, sustainable, and prosperous future.

The "Land Restoration - Opening the Way for the Future" campaign in 2025 will focus on specific objectives: planting trees to green barren land and restore degraded forests; raising community awareness about the value of land and sustainable land use; strengthening best practices in forest restoration, soil improvement, erosion control, and expanding international cooperation, sharing technology and experience in land restoration.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Khac Hieu said: "Implementing the Project "Planting 1 billion scattered trees in the period 2021-2025", Vinh Phuc province has planted 3,294 hectares of concentrated forest and 4.03 million scattered trees.

To date, the entire area of ​​forests and forestry land in the province has been basically covered with greenery; traffic routes from national highways and provincial roads to village roads and alleys have been largely lined with trees on both sides.

Youth union members participate in tree planting at the program.

Both planted forests and scattered trees are managed, cared for, and protected strictly, resulting in good growth and development, high economic efficiency, contributing to improving the income and living standards of forestry workers, making a significant contribution to the poverty reduction and new rural development movements in localities, and also playing a protective role, contributing significantly to the protection of the ecological environment and combating climate change.

Responding to the call of "World Day Against Desertification and Drought 2025," Vinh Phuc province is committed to implementing the following tasks in a coordinated manner: strictly protecting and continuously improving the productivity and quality of existing forests, especially watershed protection forests, special-use forests, and concentrated production forests; maintaining the province's forest cover at a stable level of 42.8% after the administrative unit merger.

Furthermore, it is essential to promote the development of a green economy and eco-industries; encourage businesses to apply clean technologies; strive for a balance between economic growth and environmental protection; and ensure unity in leadership and guidance in achieving the goal of "not sacrificing the environment for economic gain."

To realize the theme "Land Restoration - Opening the Way for the Future," the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection donated 3,000 saplings of Pterocarpus indicus and Dalbergia tonkinensis to the military and local people of Vinh Phuc province for scattered planting, contributing to greening barren land and hills and improving the living environment.

Text and photos: Khanh Linh

Source: http://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/129861/Chung-tay-chong-sa-mac-hoa-va-han-han