At the seminar, German environmental experts drew upon their experience in transforming polluted areas into areas of economic viability, as applied to great success in the Nordrhien-Westfalen state.
Dr. Nguyen Dinh Tuan from the Ho Chi Minh City College of Natural Resources and Environment viewed the problem as a challenge that requires a comprehensive view to ensure that environmental projects are effective.
According to the Centre of Natural Resources and Environment, Vietnam loses some 72,000 ha of agricultural land each year to projects to create industrial zones, urban areas, roads and golf courts, in addition to large areas of land that are degraded as a result of natural disasters.
This land degeneration reduces the amount of land that can be used for the cultivation of crops, thus leading to poverty, low yields and productivity, a reduction of natural forest areas and a loss of habitat for wild animals, as well as a more general destruction of the country’s unique biodiversity and ecology.