Ha Long Bay will sink when the sea level rises by 5m

Tram Chim National Park, one of the most affected areas.

Vietnam will be one of the two worst affected developing countries in the world when sea level rises. At least, Ha Long Bay and Tram Chim National Park will sink deeply.

The World Bank's warning was given at Vietnam's conference on Biodiversity and Climate Change held in the last two days in Hanoi.

In the most optimistic scenario of the World Bank, if sea level rises by 1 meter, 1/4 of Vietnam's key natural habitats will be submerged in saltwater, including protected areas and biodiversity areas. main. In the worst case, the sea level rises by 5 meters, then 1/3 of the habitats will be in danger.

The impacted areas include most of the protected areas and current conservation proposals because they are often concentrated on islands and coastal areas. In the Red River Delta is Ha Long Bay, Van Long Nature Reserve, in the Mekong Delta is the Cham Bird National Park.

The risk of sea level rise is due to three main sources.The first is the continuous increase of the greenhouse effect, leading to the warming of the Earth.Secondly, the ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctic are melting fast, many places to more than 1 meter per month, which can cause sea level rise to 5 meters.Thirdly, the exploitation of groundwater is increasing, especially in big cities, causing land subsidence.

Wetlands are expected to be most affected, due to salinity when sea level rises, while they are not only essential resources for biodiversity but also have many ecological effects for humans. such as drinking water, sanitation, fish and irrigation for rice.

'Clearly, Vietnam's natural habitats and biodiversity are facing a crisis when sea level rises, even if only at a small level,' said John Pilgrim, BirdLife's representative in Vietnam. (International Bird Organization) affirmed.

Minh Thuy