Vietnam is internationally recognized as one of the countries with the highest biodiversity in the world, featuring a variety of forests, wetlands, rivers, and coral reefs, which create habitats for approximately 10% of the total number of bird and wild mammal species globally.
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Some rare bird species found in Vietnam (Source: Birdlife International) |
Vietnam is recognized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as having three of over 200 global ecological regions; the International Bird Conservation Organization (Birdlife) acknowledges it as one of the top five endemic bird areas; and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognizes it as having six centers of plant diversity.
Vietnam is also one of the eight “centers of origin” for many crop and livestock species, boasting dozens of breeds of livestock and poultry. Notably, rice and sweet potato varieties, considered to originate from Vietnam, are foundational for improving rice and food crop varieties around the world.
The ecosystem of Vietnam is incredibly diverse, comprising 11,458 animal species, 21,017 plant species, and approximately 3,000 microbial species, many of which are utilized to provide genetic material.
Over the past 30 years, numerous animal and plant species have been added to Vietnam’s biodiversity list, including five new mammal species: the saola, large-antlered muntjac, Truong Son langur, grey-legged langur, and the Truong Son striped rabbit; three new bird species: the black-headed laughingthrush, Ngoc Linh laughingthrush, and Kon Ka Kinh laughingthrush; around 420 marine fish species; and seven marine mammal species. Many other new species from reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates have also been described.
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A map created by Birdlife International, an international environmental protection organization, highlights several areas in Northeastern Vietnam that need protection due to their high biodiversity. Source: Birdlife International |
Regarding flora, from 1993 to 2002, scientists documented an additional two families, 19 genera, and over 70 new species. The discovery rate for new species is particularly high in the orchid family, which includes three new genera and 62 new species; four genera and 34 species were recorded for the first time in Vietnam. The gymnosperms have one genus and three new species that were discovered for the first time in the world; two genera and 12 species were added to Vietnam’s plant list.
To protect and maintain this ecosystem, Vietnam has increased investments in biodiversity conservation programs and projects in recent years. According to the Vietnam Environmental Report 2005, the total investment for biodiversity conservation in 2005 reached approximately 51.8 million USD, ten times more than a decade earlier.
