Nearly 500 plants were planted in a forest at Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve recently to provide a suitable habitat for wildlife species, to mitigate climate change, and to prevent soil erosion. (Photo: Gaia Nature Conservation)HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Nearly 500plants from five species have been planted on 10,000 hectares of a forest in DongNai Biosphere Reserve, recognised in 2012 by UNESCO as one of eight biospherereserves in Vietnam.
The forested area will help prevent soilerosion, create a suitable habitat for wildlife, and mitigate the effects ofclimate change.
To ensure that the forest develops well, itwill be taken care of for at least four years by Gaia Nature Conservation,which is supported by Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve and EXO Travel.
Caretakers will participate in periodicsurveys about the ecosystems of the new forest.
Survey activities will include creating alist of plant and animal species, measuring tree height and foliage coverage,observing vegetation coverage, and taking photos to monitor changes.
The forest plantation and monitoringprogramme, initiated by Gaia Nature Conservation, is supported by Dong NaiBiosphere Reserve and EXO Travel.
More than 130 staff and leaders from EXOTravel are also taking part in the planting of trees, contributing to thenatural conservation of Vietnam.
The enriched forest will provide food andshelter for a countless number of wildlife species, including endangeredspecies such as Asian elephants, gaur, great hornbills, and black-shankeddoucs.
During a recent forest plantation day, theparticipants learned about the forest and wildlife of Vietnam and Dong NaiBiosphere Reserve.
The reserve covers more than 966,500 ha in DongNai, Lam Dong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Duong and Dak Nong provinces, and is home tomore than 1,400 species of plants and 1,700 kinds of animals, including thoselisted in the Red Book.
A team-building session about environmentalprotection was also organised during the plantation day.
Do Thi Thanh Huyen, founder and executivedirector of Gaia Nature Conservation, who has been working on conservation in Vietnamover 17 years, said: "The total area of forest in Vietnam is decreasingand the quality of the large area of forest is poor. We human beings are facingmore serious natural calamities, climate change, and wildlife extinction.”
“The forest plantation and monitoringprogramme was carefully designed so that participants not only contributedirectly to nature through plantation activities, but also gain valuable andcreative experiences in a professional, relaxing and inspiring atmosphere,” Huyenadded.
Gaia is creating more initiatives in forestplantation and monitoring at Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve, as well as otherforests in Vietnam, to enhance ecological services and wildlifeprotection.-VNS/VNA
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