CONSERVATION TRAINING AND BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN
( Project VN0017 )
he government of Vietnam has stated that the lack of a framework
of action and resources, in terms of both funding and trained
personnel, is a major obstacle to nature conservation in the country.
WWF's Conservation Training and Biodiversity Action Plan project,
funded under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP), aims to help the government
overcome this obstacle. The fiveyear project, which began
in 1993, has two major components: preparation of a biodiversity
action plan for Vietnam, and capacity building through human resource
development.
Completed in 1995, the Biodiversity Action Plan serves as the
primary, guiding blueprint for achieving biodiversity conservation
in Vietnam. It has a list of projects with specific budgets and
timeframes, and gives an accurate, uptodate
assessment of the status of the country's biodiversity. It was
drafted by a team made up of local scientists, government decisionmakers,
and international consultants, and underwent extensive review
and revision. Approved by the Prime Minister in December 1995,
the plan will be presented at an international donors' roundtable
meeting to be held at Cuc Phuong National Park.
The project's second component - capacity building - funded the
setting up of three small conservation field training centres
in various parts of the country; one in the north (Cuc Phuong),
another in the centre (Bach Ma), and the third in the south (Cat
Tien). These centres provide local, provincial, and central officials
responsible for managing protected areas with training in integrated
forest management and community extension work. So far, the centres
have trained over 400 protected area managers and forest guards.
The curricula for the protected area manager and forest guard
training courses were prepared by instructors from the Wildlife
Institute of India, one of Asia's most prominent conservation
institutions.
In addition, overseas field attachments and advanced training
(Masters programmes, diploma courses, etc) are being provided
for local conservation staff. Such training includes study tours
to India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand; community forestry
courses at Thailand's Kasetsart University; a wildlife management
course conducted jointly by Malaysia's Department of Wildlife
and National Parks and the Smithsonian Institute; and a visit
to the WWF Philippines/the Philippines Government's Integrated
Protected Area System project.
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