V NU JO U R N A L OF S C IE N C E N a l Sci & Tech T XIX Nọ4 2003 _ E N V I R O N M E N T P R O T E C T I O N - A P R E R K Q U I S I T E F()K R E D Ư C T IO N O F H U M A N S Ư F F E R IN G A N D S U S T A IN A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T Vo Q uy V ie tn a m N a tio n a l U n iv e rs itv , / 1(1no i It is a g re a t h o n o r fo r me to he he rc and give th is le c tu re on a v e rv m em orable (XTasion o f h a v iiii' re c e iv rđ tho H lue P lanet F riz e o f 2003 I w o u ld lik e to express my s in co re th a n k s to a ll ol’ you a g a in to r th is h o n o r and th is g re a t o p p o rtu n itv also to m eet so m a ny d is tin g u is h e d s c ie n tis ts and e x p e rts here th is a íte rn o o n T h e to p ic on w h ic h I w o u ld lik e to speak is n o t an e la b o te w o rk o f research, sueh as those w h ic h have been done hy m any re c ip ie n ts o f T h e B lu e P lane t P rize N e ith e r I have th e h o n o r o f n d d in g to the s c ie n tiíĩc u n d e rs ta n d in g o f th e w o rld The to p ic I w oulcỉ lik e to speak a b o u t tod ay is c e rta in a c tiv itie s th a t the V ietna m ese people have done and are d o in tĩ in o rd e r to re co ve r fro m th e scars o f a d e v a s ta tin g w a r to rn ise th u liv in g s ta n d a rd s o f puople, to develop th e econom y vvhile a t the sam í' t i me c o n s e rv in g resources a n d p ro te c tin g th e e n v iro n m e n t T h is e n ta ils the tio n a l ust* o f n a tu l resources and the in v o lv e m e n t o f the m a jo rity o f the C()iintry*s in h a b ita n ts in th e process w ith a nevv approach d ire c te d a t how to s a tis íy p ro p le s ’ needs vv ith o u t d a m a g in g th e ecological balance I am plcased to be ablc to say th a t ! ve (levoted m ore th a n t h ir t y years o f m y life to th is g re a t m ovem ent in my c o u n try A h e a lth y e n v iro n m e n t a n d ecosystem is a íu n d a m e n ta l re q u ire m e n t fo r life and s u s ta in a b le d e ve lo p m e n t B io lo g ic a l resources, forests, w e tla n d s and o th e r lands s u p p o rt h u m a n liv c lih o o d s , a n d m ake i t possible to a d a p t to c h a n g in g needs and e n v iro n m e n ta l c o n d itio n s H ow eve r, presen t tre n d s o f econom ic developm ent, ty p ic a llv o v e re x p lo ita tio n o f v a lu a b le n a tu l resources, fo re s t a n d la n d , are le a d in g to th e re d u c tio n o f ecosystem processes and services w o rld w id e As a re s u lt, the clegradation o f m a ny ecosystem s h io m s and h a b ita ts are le a d in g to unprecedented social strifí», and th e poorest people and c o m m u n itie s , w ho a re d ire c tly dependent on n a tu l resources, w ill s u ffe r th ê most M o s t o f th is has ta k e n place in the đo ve lo p in g w o rl(l and in c o u n trie s in tra n s itio n W e u n d e rs ta n d th a t th e d e g d a tio n o f e n v iro n m e n t a n d h a h ita t, the irre v e rs ib lc n a tu rt* o f species c x tin c tio n , the loss o f genes and tra n s fo rm a tio n o f ecosystems th ro u g h o v e re x p lo ita tio n , and the d e v a s ta tio n o f w a r, a ll com prom ise o p tio n s fo r p resen t and fu tu r e g e n e tio n s E n v iro n m e n ta l p ro te c tio n and re s to tio n are a p re re q u is ite fo r s u s ta in a b le de ve lo p m e n t, and fo r th e re d u c tio n o f h u m a n suiT ering W ith o u t e n v iro n m e n ta l p ro te c tio n , we c a n n o t ad dre ss th e problem of’ p o v e rty a lle v ia tio n and im p ro v e m e n t o f liv e lih o o d s In re c o g n itio n o f th is Lecture presented at United Nations University Tokyo Sept 23 2003 Vo Q u y d e ve lo p m e n t agencies, p o licy m a kers and leaders need to in te g te th e c o n se rv a tio n e n v iro n m e n t an d th e p re s e rv a tio n o f h io d iv e rs itv and ecosystem s in d e ve lo p m e n t a c tiv itie s , a n d to im p le m e n t eco lo g ica lly e ffe c tiv e , s o c ia lly b e n e fíc ia l and eco nơ m ica llv v ia b le ecosystem m a nag em e nt pra ctice s in ío re s ts , vvetlands, C o a s t a l and m a rin e areas, m o u n ta in s and agro-ecosystem s etc T h u s , i t has been recognized th a t the fu tu re o f o u r liv in g e n v iro n m e n t and o u r n a tu l re sources vvill depend on m a nag ing la rg e areas u s in g an in te g te d approach t h a t recognizes h u m a n p o p u la tio n s as h a v in g a keen in te re s t in e n s u rin g the c o n tin u in g p r o d u c tiv ity o f the ecosystems v v ith in w h ic h th e y liv e Such an appro ach vvill have to m eet local needs, e sp ecially o f th e poor, m a in ta in o r re sto re ecosystem in te g r ity , and conserve b io d iv e rs ity , s im u lta n e o u s ly A fte r 30 ye a rs o f d e v a s ta tin g w a r, th e V ietna m ese people and th e G o v e rn m e n t have m ade e ffo rts to develop th e econom y w h ile a t th e sam e tim e se rvin g resources a n d p ro te c tin g th e e n v iro n m e n t A N a tio n a l C o n s e rv a tio n S tra te g y vvas p re p a re d in 1985 and since th e n a N a tio n a l A c tio n P la n fo r th e E n v iro n m e n t and S u s ta in a b le D e ve lo p m e n t has been developed and p a rtly im p le m e n te d O n the basis o f th is n a tio n a l p la n , v a rio u s a c tiv itie s are be ing c a rrie d o u t in th e c o u n trv re la tin g to e n v iro n m e n ta l le g is la tio n , m anagem ent, e d u c a tio n , re search and e x p e rim e n ta tio n We have e s ta b lis h e d a M in is tr y o f Resources and the E n v iro n m e n t, enacted lavvs, r a tifie d m a jo r in te r n a tio n a l c o n v e n tio n s and cooperated w it h in te rn a tio n a l agencies to im p le m e n t v a rio u s e n v iro n m e n ta l projects T h e G o v e rn m e n t has e m b a rk e d on a nation-vvicle re íb re s ta tio n scheme, and in c lu đ e d in te g te d e n v iro n m e n ta l m a nag em e nt in its p o lic ỵ s ta te m e n t O u r c iv il society has becom e in c re a s in g ly a c tiv e on e n v iro n m e n ta l m a tte rs T h e o n g o in g tr a n s itio n fro m a c e n tra liz e d p la n n e d econom y to a m a rk e to rie n te d one, acce lera ted econom ic grovvth, th e lib e r a tio n o f a g r ic u ltu r a l and in d u s tr ia l p ro d u c tio n , as w e ll as the develop m en t o f th e S e r v i c e sector, the op enin g o f th e c o u n trv to ío re ig n in v e s tm e n t, and the p ro m o tio n o f e x p o rts an d p a rtic ip a tio n in re g io n a l a n d in te rn a tio n a l tra d e are a ll o f g re a t b e n e íit to th e people o f V ie tn a m as th e y m ean re la tiv e ly p id econom ic g ro w th V ie t N a m , th a n k s to key re fo rm s v has m ade re m a rk a b le progress across a broad range ơf socio-econom ic de velop m en t m easures T h e m ost im p re s s iv e is th e fa ll in th e p o v e rty te fro m w e ll over 70% in th e m id -1 s to a ro u n d 29% o f th e p o p u la tio n in 2002 - one o f th e sha rpe st de clin es o f a n y d e ve lo p in g c o u n try on record (U N D P , 2003) A t th e same tim e , V ie tn a m is b e in g c o n íro n te d w ith a n u m b e r o f v e ry re al c h a lle n g e s re g a rd in g tra d e offs in its d e ve lo p m e n t o b jectives, p a rtic u la rly b e tw e e n g ro w th and the e n v iro n m e n t T d e -o ffs in v o lv in g th e e n v iro n m e n t are p a r tic u la r ly p ro b le m a tic because econom ic g ro w th and p re s e rv in g the in te g r ity o f th e e n v iro n m e n t fo r fu tu re g e n e tio n s a re o fte n in d ire c t c o n flic t w ith onc a n o th e r As we kn o w , po verty, ignorance, greed and e n v iro n m e n ta l d c g d a tio n are often in te rre la te d L ik e m any co u n trie s in th e w orld, in V ie tn a m , lack o f resources drives people to e x h a u s t th e ir n a tu l resourees, th ro u g h d e ío re sta tio n , irra tio n a l use o f land, u n s u s ta in a b le fis h in g and a g ric u ltu re ille g a l m in in g , or the w ild life tra de A lth o u g h progress is btíin g m ade, V ie tn a m is p re s c n tly faced w ith serious e n v iro n m e n ta l p ro b le m s such as d e fo re s ta tio n , the d e g d a tio n o f la n d resources E n v i r o n m c n t p r o t e c iin n * a p r e r e q u is ite fo r th e im *ffi