10000445-Protected Area Management in Viet Nam

Viet Nam is one of the 20 regions in the world with the highest biodiversity. Intact and diverse ecosystems are key for climate protection. Protected areas in Viet Nam cover a wide range of ecosystems, including various types of forests, wetland or marine areas. Many people living in rural areas, including ethnic communities, depend on the services provided by healthy ecosystems to secure their livelihoods. At the same time, the country"s resource-intensive economic development model steadily increases pressure on ecosystems. Exploitation, industrial or tourist development harm protected areas. This resulted for example in a large part of the natural forests being degraded. Responsibilities for the regulatory framework or for strengthening capacities of protected areas are allocated to different government agencies. Moreover, until now protected area administrations in Viet Nam face a lack of resources, including finances or qualified staff for the tasks of conservation. These factors make it challenging to ensure an integrated and effective management of protected areas with diverse ecosystems. Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the project "Management and protection of protected areas with diverse ecosystems in Viet Nam" (MEPA project for short) has officially started in 01/2025 with the major part of the implementation taking off in 2026. It involves diverse state actors, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) as a political partner, the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection (VNFOREST) as implementation partner, the Department of Agriculture and Environment (DAE), Provincial People's Committees (PPC) and the Protected Area Management Board of three pilot areas (Hoang Lien National Park, Van Long Nature Reserve and Xuan Lien National Park) located in three provinces (Lao Cai, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa). The MEPA project aims to enhance regulatory, institutional and technical capacities for i