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and the Fisheries Law, 2003. In particular, theBiodiversity Law, 2008 marks an importantmilestone for conservation that has identifiedthe principles and priorities of biodiversityconservation at all levels, from national andministerial to local levels; creating the legalbasis for local community involvement in theconservation of natural resources throughnew mechanisms of co-management andbenefit sharing.In recent years, the Government has issuedpolicies, strategies and plans in order topromote the conservation of biodiversity. In1995, the first Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP1995) was issued after Vietnam became aIn the composition of the identified species,882 rare plants and animals with higheconomic value are threatened at differentlevels, which are listed in the Vietnam RedBook2007.Accordingtoestimations,Vietnam is one of the centres with highlydiverse local genetic resources of plants andanimals in the world, including about 800agricultural crop varieties, and 14 key cattleand poultry varieties. These are valuablenative genetic resources in Vietnam, whichneed to be protected, conserved anddeveloped.member of the Convention on BiologicalDiversity in 1994. BAP 1995 became theguideline for biodiversity conservation inVietnam during the period 1995-2005. By2005, the Ministry of Natural Resources andEnvironment had submitted the “BiodiversityAction Plan to 2010 with vision to 2020” (BAP2007) to the Prime Minister for approval.BAP 2007 issued by the Prime Minister atDecision 79/2007/QD-TTg dated May 31,2007. After three years of implementationof BAP 2007, the Ministry of NaturalResources and Environment conducted areview and reported to the Prime Ministerofon the implementation of Decision 79/2007/biodiversity, in the last two decades, theQD-TTg. The report pointed out that thereGovernment has issued a relatively completewere a number of achievements obtainedlegal framework related to biodiversityin biodiversity conservation such as theconservation. Many important laws in theincrease in the area of protected ecosystems,field of natural resource management havediscovery of new species meaningful tobeen enacted and completed, such as thescience, and the conservation, restorationForest Protection and Development Lawand development of genetic resources1991 (amended in 2004); the Land Use Law,valuable in selection and breeding. On the1993 (amended in 1998, 2003, and 2013);other hand, there were still many challengesthe Environmental Protection Law, 1993requiring a vision and strategic steps in line(amended in 2005 and 2014); the Waterwith the international and domestic contextResources Law, 1998 (amended in 2012);of the new period.InrecognitionoftheimportanceMINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT11

Vietnam is a developing country and transitioningto a middle-income country. People’s lives haveimproved and the pressure on biodiversity resourcesdue to poverty has reduced; however, unsustainableconsumption patterns and conservation planningproblems have emerged as new challenges ervation issues that need to be resolved, andmechanisms that need to be developed, to es in a fair and equitable way that promotescommunity participation and allows communitybased management, conservation and developmentof biodiversity. Methodology and approaches nse and adaptation to climate change alsoneed be considered. The government has initiatedand is steering towards a green and sustainableeconomy for the country; but while rapid growth hasbought economic and social benefits, it has also puta lot of pressure on biodiversity. Vietnam’s populationincreased from less than 73 million in 1995, to over90 million in 2014, making Vietnam one of the mostpopulous countries in Asia and creating a largedemand for resource consumption and land use.The global context also brings new challenges andopportunities. On the one hand, climate change hasbecome more severe and is having an increasinglynegative impact on biodiversity; while on the otherhand, biodiversity conservation has been given higherattention than ever before at the global scale, with 2010being internationally identified as the biodiversity yearand 2010-2020 as the biodiversity decade by the UN.For the first time in history, the United Nations GeneralAssembly in its 65th session held a high-level meetingon biodiversity with the participation of the leaders ofstates and governments. Also, in the 10th Conferenceof the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversityheld in the city of Nagoya, Aichi province, Japan, theParties pledged to build their new biodiversity strategyfor the next decades including a vision to 2050 andmission to 2020, as well as implementation measuresand mechanisms to monitor and evaluate progresstowards achieving the global goals.12

In this context, developing a National BiodiversityStrategy to 2020 with a vision to 2030 is both to fulfilcommitments under the Convention on BiologicalDiversity to which Vietnam is a Party, and to identifygoals, objectives and tasks for the conservation andsustainable use of biodiversity in accordance withdevelopments in the new period; such as:1. Identify the main causes of biodiversity5. Genetic resources are conserved andloss; thereby reducing the pressuredeveloped through the investigation,directly affecting biodiversity andstudy and inventory of biodiversitypreventing the decline of biodiversity inand biological resources, as well asprotected areas;indigenous knowledge on the use ofbiological resources on a national scale;2. Properly resolve conflicts between6. Promote the management and controlconservation and development,the risks from invasive alien species,especially the conversion of landgenetically modified organisms anduse and water in areas with hightheir products, to the environment andbiodiversity;human health;3. Conserve the system of protected7. Benefits from biodiversity andareas (forests, wetlands, marine)ecosystem services should becontaining typical ecosystems, andshared fairly and equitably withvarious key biodiversity areas, andthe participation of communities.promote ecosystem services. PriorityDevelop, improve and apply regimesis given to strengthen conservationon access to genetic resources andstatus in a number of protected areasbenefit sharing. Develop models forof ecological importance;payments for ecological services inorder to socialize conservation;4. Enhance biodiversity conservation8. Study and evaluate the role ofand development at the level ofbiodiversity in response to climateecosystems, species and geneticchange and propose appropriateresources. Reduce and then stopsolutions.the exploitation, illegal trade,and overexploitation of biologicalresources, especially endangered, rareand precious species;PMINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT13

Pursuant to document no. 3533/VPCP-QHQT dated May 31, 2011 and documentno. 4148/VPCP-KGVX dated June 23, 2011 by the Prime Minister, the Ministry ofNatural Resources and Environment submits the draft of the National BiodiversityStrategy to 2020, with a vision to 2030, including: Part I: Context Part II: Viewpoints, vision, goals Part III: Strategic tasks and priority programs, plans and projects Part IV: Implementation arrangements, monitoring and reportingThe National Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 with vision to 2030 is an integral part ofthe Socio-Economic Development Strategy in order to protect and sustainably usebiodiversity resources, to provide the basis for Vietnam’s sustainable developmentin the current context of climate change.14VIETNAM NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY - TO 2020, VISION TO 2030

Part 1:CONTEXT1.1. RICHNESS AND ROLEVIETNAM’S BIODIVERSITYOFrise to a diverse range of natural ecosystemsincluding a wide variety of forest ecosystem1.1.1. Richness of Vietnam biodiversityVietnam’s territory stretches over 15 latitudesfrom North to South, with a length of about1,650 km on the Indochina Peninsula and atotal natural land area of 330,591 km2. Dueto the bisected topography with a relativelyhigh annual average rainfall, the network ofrivers and streams is relatively dense withthe river network density ranging from under0.5-2 km/km2. On the continental part,there are 16 major river basins, of which10 river basins cover an area of more than10,000 km2, accounting for 80% of the totalcountry area. The two largest river systemsare the Red River in the North and Mekongtypes: Evergreen closed tropical humidforest;Semi-deciduous closed tropical humidforest;Evergreen broad-leaved forests onlimestone;Coniferous forests; Dry dipterocarp forest;Mangroveforests,Melaleucacajuputiforests; and Bamboo forest.Besides theeight types of forest ecosystems, scientistshave classified 14 types of forest vegetationbased on ecological factors (Thai VanTrung, 1999). Based on the natural factorsof climate, topography, geology, and soil,Vietnam’s continent is divided into eightforest eco-regions with 47 sub-regions thathave their own vegetation and landscapecharacteristics.River in the South, which create two majorIn addition to forest ecosystems, otherbasins consisting of the Red River Delta andimportant ecosystems include grasslands,Mekong Delta. The majority of Vietnam’sinland wetlands, dunes, inter-tidal mudflats,territory is hilly and mountainous with theestuaries, sea grass beds, coral reefshighest peak in Hoang Lien Son range beingand deep-sea areas. Also due to naturalthe Fanxipan at 3,143 m above sea level.conditions, ecosystems and species inVietnam’s topography and climate have givenVietnam are small in size, and very vulnerable.MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT15

Figure 1. Map of forest ecoregions in Vietnam(Source: Report on Forest Ecoregions in Vietnam, UN-REDD, Research Center for ForestEcology and Environment - RCFEE, 2011)16VIETNAM NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY - TO 2020, VISION TO 2030

Based on study documents of Wege et al. (1999), in 2013, BCA, WWF and Stockholm Universitydeveloped a map of Vietnam’s ecoregions according to UNESCO’s forest plantation classification.Figure 2. Forest ecoregions in Vietnam (under forest vegetation classification)(Source: BCA, WWF and Stockholm University, 2013)MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT17

Under the project “Mainstreaming an Ecosystem-based approach to Climate Change intoBiodiversity Conservation Planning in Vietnam” (EBA Project), BCA incooperation with WWF andStockholm University, developed a map of ecosystems in Vietnam. However, this map does notshow marine ecosystems, particularly the important ecosystems such as coral reefs and seagrass beds.Figure 3. Map of terrestrial ecosystems of Vietnam based on types of forest vegetation(Source: BCA, WWF and Stockholm University, 2013)18VIETNAM NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY - TO 2020, VISION TO 2030

Tropical moist ever-green forestDipterocarp woodland ecosystemConiferous forest ecosystemLimestone forest ecosystemMangrove forest ecosystemMelaleuca forest ecosystem in freshwater swampBamboo forest ecosystemCave ecosystem (Sơn Đòong cave)MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT19

River ecosystem (Côn River, Bình Định)Lake ecosystem (West lake, Hanoi)Agricultural ecosystemUrban ecosystemFigure 4. Some typical terrestrial ecosystems in VietnamThe coastline is over 3,260 km long with300m at the outer boundary. The continentalthousands of coastal islands, the Paracelslope has an average depth of 2,500 -and Spratly archipelagos, and an exclusive3,000m, and up to 4,000m at the deepesteconomic ocean zone of over 1 million km2.points. The abyssal zone has an averageBased on the terrain and hydrography, theredepth of 4,000m, with the deepest areasare five sea regions including the Northern,up to 5,500m. The abyssal plain also hasNorth-Central, Mid-Central, South East,a system of underground mountains with aand South West regions. Within these seaheight of 200-3800m, with coral stone crestsregions there are 11 coastal areas includingvery specific to the sea terrain conditionsMong Cai-Do Son; Do Son-Mui Ron; Mui(Resources and Environment Sea, VolumeRon-Hai Van; Hai Van-Sa Huynh; Sa Huynh-IV, 2003). So far, there is very limited dataDai Lanh cape; Dai Lanh-Ca Na; Ca Na-Vungavailable on biodiversity in the continentalTau; Vung Tau-Ca Mau cape; Ca Mau-Rachshelf, continental slope and deep-sea areasGia; and Rach Gia-Ha Tien (Tran Duc Thanh,of Vietnam. If a survey of marine biodiversity2015).is conducted, there would certainly be someVietnam’s continental shelf is an extensioninteresting discoveries.of the Asian continent, with a depth of 150-20VIETNAM NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY - TO 2020, VISION TO 2030

At the geographical level, some experts from IUCN (1995) showed that Vietnam’s sea is locatedin the sub-tropical eastern edge of the region 13- East Asia Sea including Vietnam’s North andSouth; and the Eastern Gulf of Thailand.Based on natural conditions, Vietnam’s sea region can be divided into six biodiversity regions,as follows:Zone 1: Tonkin Gulf (up to the southernZone 4: Sea region in SouthEastern Coastedge of Con Co island, Quang Tri province)(from Vung Tau to Ca Mau)Zone 2: Sea region in mid-central coastZone 5: Sea region in South Western(from Con Co island to Mui Dinh cape toCoast (from Ca Mau to Phu Quoc island inPhan Rang – Varella cape)Thailand Gulf)Zone 3: Sea region in South Central CoastZone 6: Offshore sea region(from Mui Dinh cape to Vung Tau)Spratly and Paracel IslandsMarine bio-geographical zoning in Vietnam(Source: IUCN, 1995)includingMarine biodiversity and MPA groups ofViet NamLegend: I. Sub-tropical eastern edge of(Nguyen Huy Yet, 2000)the region 13- East Asia Sea; 1.NorthernVietnam; 2.Southern Vietnam; 3.EasternGulf of Thailand; 4.Central Gulf of Thailand;5.Western Gulf of Thailand; 6. NorthEastMalaysia.Figure 5. Map of marine bio-geographical zoning, marine biodiversity zoning,and MPA groups of VietnamMINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT21

In the six marine biodiversity zones mentionedabove, about 20 types of marine ecosystemscan be identified. Typical marine ecosystemsin coastal zones include tidal flats, mangroveforests, lagoons, bays, salt lakes on islands,coral reefs, and seagrass beds. In addition,there are ecosystems surrounding inshoreand offshore islands, especially in the deepsea areas surrounding the Spratly andParacel Islands. Of these ecosystems,Lagoon ecosystem (Tam Giang Lagoon)mangrove forests, coral reefs and seagrassbeds have highest biodiversity levels andmost important value for conservation.Châu Truc/Tra O swamp ecosystem (Binh Dinh)Coral reef ecosystemBay ecosystem (Ha Long Bay)Sea grass ecosystemSalt-water lake ecosytem in Cong Do island,Ha Long Bay (Source: Waltham Tony)Figure 6. Some typical coastal ecosystems in Vietnam22VIETNAM NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY - TO 2020, VISION TO 2030

Due to the diversity of terrestrial and aquaticof birds and 312 species of mammals. Inecosysrems, including inland wetlands andfreshwater there are about 1,500 species ofmarine ecosystems, species composition inmicroalgae and seaweed, over 1,000 speciesVietnam is also very diverse and abundant.of invertebrates and 600 species of fish; andVietnam is home to nearly 16,500 species ofin the sea there are more than 1,200 speciesterrestrial vascular plants, fungi and seaweed,of seaweed, grass and microalgae, overa high percentage of which are believed to7,000 species of invertebrates, 2,500 fishbe endemic (about 30%). This shows a highspecies and approximately 50 species of seadiversity of flora in Vietnam. On land, there aresnakes, turtles and mammals3. In addition,about 10,500 species of animals, includingscientists say that the number of species inapproximately 8,000 species of insects andVietnam may be much higher than this, asinvertebrates in the soil, nearly 500 speciesspecies new to science are continually beingof reptiles and amphibians, 850 speciesdiscovered and described.3East Sea monograph -Episode IV-organisms and marine ecology, Vietnam Academy of Science andTechnology (2009); National Biodiversity Report, MONRE (2011).MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT23

Table 1: The abundance of species in VietnamSpecies Group1. PhytoplanktonThe number of identified speciesAbout 2,000- Freshwater1,438- Marine5372. Aquatic plantsAbout 680- FreshwaterAbout g 20- Marine6533. Sea grass144. Mangrove plants945. Terrestrial plants16,428- Vascular plants13,747- Non-vascular plants (moss, fungi)2,6816. Freshwater invertebratesAbout 10007. Marine invertebratesAbout 7,000- Zooplankton657- ZoobenthicAbout 6,3008. Soil invertebratesAbout 1,0009. Parasitic helminthes19010. Insects6,60011. FishAbout 3,500- Freshwater fishAbout 600- Marine fishAbout 2,50012. Frogs16713. Terrestrial reptiles31714. Marine reptiles (sea snakes, turtles)2115. Birds84016. Terrestrial mammals31217. Marine mammals25Source: National Biodiversity Report, MONRE (2011), East Sea monograph -Episode IVorganisms and marine ecology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (2009)24VIETNAM NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY - TO 2020, VISION TO 2030

Apart from the diverse natural biology, Vietnam also possesses a wealth of agricultural biodiversity.It is situated within one of the Vavilov Centres of Origin of domesticated plants and has beenthe source of some 40 domestic livestock breeds. Local crop varieties and livestock breeds,including the famous pot-bellied pig, have been developed over many hundreds of years andoften possess valuable characteristics such as disease and pest resistance. More than 6,000varieties and genotypes of rice have been recorded from Vietnam.Figure 7. Distribution of domestic livestock breeds in Vietnam(Source: MONRE, 2011, National Biodiversity Report)MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT25

Pintail (Anas acuta acuta)Mong Cai Pig (Sus domesticus)Figure 8. Some native livestock species in Vietnam1.1.2.GlobalimportanceofVietnam’s biodiversityBesides the advantage of unique24 new genera of plants described since 1993:natural ecosystems and diverse1.Hiepia (Asclepiadaceae) - 2012species composition, over the last2.Lockia (Orchidaceae) - 201220 years a range of new discoveries3.Theana (Orchidaceae) - 2012have highlighted and reconfirmed4.Lanonia (Ar

Forest cover of Vietnam from 1943 to 2010 and projection to 2020 96 Figure 45. Map of biodiversity corridors planning by 2020, vision to 2030 106. 10 IETNAM NATIONAL BIODIERSITY STRATEGY - TO 2020, ISION TO 2030 Viet Nam is endowed with extraordinary biodiversity, with many types of ecosystems,