Seminar Seeks Ways To Protect Water Resources

A seminar on the protection of water resources and ecosystems opened in central Thua Thien-Hue province on Dec. 13, attracting some 70 scientists from international organisations, domestic research institutes, and localities that have mangrove forests, sanctuaries and marshes.
    At the two-day national event, the scientists will review and work out programmes for sustainable management of water resources for production and ecosystem protection.
    They will discuss mechanism for cooperation between related agencies in strengthening the relations between ecosystems and agricultural production.
    Earlier, the participants made fact-finding tours of the Tam Giang-Cau Hai Lagoon and along the Huong River in Thua Thien-Hue province.
    The seminar is co-held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
    It is part of the Vietnam-Netherlands partnership programme of “Water for Food and Ecosystems” (WFE) and the “Mekong River Water Dialogue” programme (MRWD).
    The WFE is a 18-month long programme launched by the Netherlands ’ Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and the MARD of Vietnam in July 2007, aimed at assisting and enhancing the inter-sectoral coordination in working out policies, strategies and programmes to deal effectively with challenges in agricultural development, poverty reduction and environment protection.
    The MRWD, funded by the Finnish Government, involves four sub-Mekong region countries, namely Vietnam , Laos , Cambodia and Thailand . The three-year project, beginning in September 2008, will help improve the national capacity in managing and making policies related to water resources, thus ensuring local people’s living conditions and the integrity of ecosystems.

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