Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Wetlands in Vietnamare under threat from both natural factors and human activities.

Wetlands occupy an important place in thedevelopment of the country and are a key source of income for localcommunities.

With a total area of nearly 12 million hectares,accounting for 37 percent of the country’s total land, wetlands benefit alleconomic sectors.

At present, many wetland areas have reduced insize. Some have become degraded or polluted, while others are not being usedsustainably, requiring effective conservation and wise use.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands defineswetlands as “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural orartificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing,fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which atlow tide does not exceed six metres.”

Experts said that unsustainable use of wetlandareas is a major threat to their conservation and management.

Associated Prof. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, from theUniversity of Natural Sciences, said that the degradation and reduction ofwetland areas has been occurring more rapidly than other ecosystems due tomajor changes in land use and construction, as well as the impact of climatechange.

“The area of seagrass has shrunk by up to halfdue to human activities including destructive fishing, aquaculture andtourism,” Ha said.

“Natural calamities, abnormal changes in theflow of water and transport of alluvium and sediment in rivers in floodingseasons were also severe threats to the seagrass,” she said.

Over the past five years, the central coastalprovince of Khanh Hoa has lost 30 percent of its seagrass area.

In the waters off Quang Ninh and Hai Phong,seagrass areas have completely disappeared due to coastal constructionprojects, she said.

According to a study by the OceanologyInstitute, coral reefs have also been affected by overfishing, sediment accumulationand pollution.

The reduction in natural wetland areas is alsodown to rice production, aquaculture, reservoir construction and mineralexploitation, the study said.

Along with shrinking areas, the wetlands faceserious degradation caused by industrial waste, oil and chemical substancesused in agriculture and aquaculture production.

Reports on the national environment statusreleased by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment showed thatindustrial and export processing zones (IZs and EPZs) in the southern regiondischarged to the Dong Nai and Sai Gon rivers over 111,600cu.m of wastewater.Solid waste accounted for 15 tonnes, with 1.6 tonnes of nitrogen and 500kg ofphosphate.

Meanwhile, the rising use of plant protectionsubstances in the Red River Delta region was alarming, said experts.

The content of the chemical substances measuredat the mouth of the Red River was 23 to 28 times higher than the norm.

This was one of reasons for recent incidents offish dying en masse in rivers and waterways.

Along with human activities, climate change isputting pressure on wetland ecosystems.

Dr. Truong Quang Hoc from the Vietnam National University,Hanoi said that “climate change is affecting wetlands in several differentways.”

“Rising temperature impacts some animals andplants while less rainfall makes wetland areas shrink and increases greenhousegas emissions due to the decay of organic substances, especially peat,” Hocsaid.

Rising sea levels lead to a reduction in wetlandareas. Climate change will result in changes of water levels in wetland areas,which will alter the main functions of the wetlands, including the structureand components of the creatures living there, he added.

Wetlands are in danger but conservation work isnot yet effective due to a lack of investment.

Conservation work is often funded at a locallevel, meaning there is not enough cash to do proper monitoring, data collectionand evaluation activities, Hoc said.

So far, eight wetlands are recognised as Ramsarregions, namely Xuan Thuy, Bau Sau, Ba Be, Tram Chim, Ca Mau, Con Dao, Lang Senand U Minh Thuong.

However, due to insufficient regulations, thewetlands are still shrinking.

Vietnam has issued more than 500 legal documentson environment protection and preservation. But there are just 10 documentsabout wetland management and conservation.

The country has formed some community-basedmanagement and conservation efforts for wetland areas, such as management ofmangrove forests in Quang Ninh Province, protection of nipa forests in QuangNam province, management of resources among national parks and Ramsar regionsof Xuan Thuy in Nam Dinh province and Tram Chim – Bird Park in Dong Thap province.

However, the management works have exposed someshortcomings.

The Ministry of Natural Resources andEnvironment was not the only authority controlling activities in the wetlands.

In fact, the Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment was assigned to manage the wetlands in terms of rice cultivation,salt production, aquaculture, forest preservation areas, irrigation works andreservoirs.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport wasresponsible for transport activities on rivers. And the Ministry of NationalDefence controlled security issues in coastal wetlands.

The management and conservation works have notyet progressed due to a lack of cooperation among the concerned units.

According to Associate Prof. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha,one of the key factors for sustainable development of the wetlands was toensure a stable livelihood for local people.

“The stable livelihood includes eco-agriculture,eco-fishery, eco-tourism and community forestry,” Ha said.

Eco-agriculture means developing environmentally-friendlyproduction combined with industry to ensure stable productivity, Ha said.

To achieve effective management andconservation, it was necessary to set up policies and development strategiesfor the wetland areas, Ha added.-VNS/VNA