Japan supports VN in developing mangroves

This is JRC’s final project on planting mangrove forests in Việt Nam, in order to create a green belt along its coastline to cope with climate change and reduce losses from natural disasters.

VRC Vice President and Secretary General  Đoàn Văn Thái said that the project will be implemented in 10 cities and provinces, namely Quảng Ninh, Hải Phòng, Thái Bình, Nam Định, Ninh Bình, Thanh Hóa, Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, Hòa Bình and Vĩnh Phúc.

It will also focus on improving capacity in reducing risk for local authorities and communities in 56 high-risk communes.

Launched in 1994 by VRC as a pilot project in the northern provinces of Thái Bình and Nam Định, the project was first funded by the Danish Red Cross Society.

Since 1997, it has been expanded to another six provinces and received support from JRC through the Committees of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

So far, more than 9,400 hectares of forest has been planted, 8,961 ha of which is mangrove forest, covering 166 communes and protecting nearly 100 km of sea dykes.

More than 2 million people are beneficiaries of the project, which contributed to improving their life by generating higher incomes.

On the occasion, Vice President Thái announced that the VRC has received over VND 97 billion in support of Japanese victims of twin disasters of tsunami and earthquake.

The association had transferred US $1 million to the victims via the JRC. The rest will be spent on buying essential commodities and transferred to Japanese people in late April, he said./.