Accounting for only 1% of the country's total forest acreage
(14.4 million hectares), mangrove forests play an important role in mitigating
the effects of climate change. These mangrove forests served as a green wall
protecting coastal residents from storms and erosion and were home to many
species of birds and fish, providing livelihoods for hundreds of households.
Economic pressures, particularly the wave of shrimp farming expansion,
infrastructure development projects and natural disasters, have led to the
devastation of most primary mangrove forests in the southcentral region in
recent years, seriously affecting the ecosystem. The region has been exerting
efforts to restore the mangrove forest belt, initially contributing to
restoring the coastal ecosystem, creating sustainable livelihoods, exploiting
potentials for developing ecotourism from forests. VNA Photo