28% of Vietnam's land area is deserted

Vietnam has about 9 million hectares of unused land (accounting for about 28% of the total land area nationwide), including 5.06 million hectares of unused land (Decision No. 272 ​​/ QD-TTg dated 27/27) 2/2007) and 2 million hectares of land in use are seriously degraded.

It is the number issued by the Office of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention of Desertification (UNCCD) in Vietnam, which is provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the World Day to combat desertification and drought. this year.

The theme of World Day against desertification and drought this year is ' Desertification and climate change - A global challenge ' that reminds us that climate change and desertification have a close relationship Close together at so many levels.

The Vietnam UNCCD office said that the fertility of land in Vietnam is in danger of being reduced or seriously degraded due to erosion, leaching, laterite and acidification. Forest resources are also significantly reduced. If in 1943 Vietnam had a forest coverage rate of 43%, after many efforts to overcome the causes of deforestation during the past 60 years, the current coverage rate is only 37.6% (Public figures). father in December 2006). The lost forest has increased the area of ​​unused land, leading to a significant reduction of ecosystems and degradation of the watershed.

Vietnam has a local desert, which is narrow strips of sand stretching along the central coast, concentrated in 10 provinces from Quang Binh to Binh Thuan with an area of ​​about 419,000 ha and in the Mekong Delta with area 43,000 ha.

According to statistics on FAO and UNESCO maps, Vietnam has about 462,000 ha of coastal sand (accounting for 1.4% of the total natural area of ​​the country) and 87,800 ha of these are sand dunes and large sand dunes. dynamic.

For nearly 40 years, desertification process due to mobile sand is very serious.Each year about 10-20 ha of cultivated land is encroached by mobile sand . In the southern central coastal provinces, the weather is particularly dry in the dry season,

The Convention on Desertification (UNCCD) was ratified by the United Nations in Paris on June 17, 1994 and took effect from December 26, 1996.This is one of the three most important environmental Rio conventions of the United Nations (UNCCD, UNFCCC, UNCBD).So far, the Convention has nearly 200 members.

Recognizing the important significance of the Convention, Vietnam signed an agreement to join the UNCCD on August 25, 1998 and officially became the 134th member of the UNCCD, on November 23, 1998.

The average annual rainfall in some places is only about 700 mm (the hottest area is Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan).

According to the message of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, during the World Day against desertification and drought, desertification is not only the world's biggest environmental challenge but also one The main obstacles are aimed at ensuring the minimum human needs in dry areas. Desertification threatens the health and life of about 1.2 billion people in over 100 countries.

Most of the poorest people in the world are also directly affected by desertification. Two thirds of the poor live in dry areas, about half live in rural areas where environmental degradation is threatening agricultural production, which is dependent on their livelihoods.

Global warming will increase the number of extreme weather events (eg, droughts and heavy rains) that will have tremendous impacts on areas of degraded land. This will make the desertification situation more serious, increasing the risk of poverty, forced migration and conflict in the affected areas.

The UN Secretary-General called on the World Day to combat desertification and drought, let's work together to combat desertification and climate change by integrating and coordinating methods. This is considered as part of an integrated approach to achieving sustainable development goals for all people on earth.

HONG VAN