Ha Noi - The national afforestation programmes along the coastline have made substantial achievements, with nearly 50,000ha planted, said the Forestry Department.
Central northern and southern coastal provinces have contributed the most to the new forest coverage with 11,000 to 17,200 hectares, effectively protecting the local villages and sea dykes as a shield against flood tides and sand encroachment into the land. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) is pushing up its coordination with the authorities and relevant agencies of coastal provinces for a "National protective forests development programme" that calls for joint efforts from the State and the people. MARD expects that an additional 41,000ha will be planted in the 2006-2010 period.
A recent survey on 28 coastal cities and provinces along the country showed that the total acreage exposed to tidal waves, flood tides and sand storms accounts for only 4 percent of the country's land, yet houses up to 15 percent of the nation's population.
Previous storms have caused serious damage to coastal regions, from northern Hai Phong city, Thai Binh and Nam Dinh provines to the central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An. Such localities, where flood tides have also led to farmland salination which is heavily detrimental to agricultural production, are more in need of protective forests than ever.