Viet Nam Net
25 September, 2013
Experts have urged Viet Nam to beef up administrative efforts to manage over 90 non-native species posing threats to the national ecosystem and biodiversity.
Attending a recent meeting hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Viet Nam Environment Administration, participants urged the ministry to curb the number of alien species entering the country.
Mai Hong Quan from the administration’s Biodiversity Conservation Department, said an official survey showed that up to 85 per cent of managers working at local customs and environmental branches lacked the knowledge to identify non-native species.
Findings also showed around 7 per cent of environmental managers at the central level did not understand regulations on managing alien species.
Meanwhile, experts said that the key to controlling the invasion of alien species was early detection and extermination before they could spread.
Conservationist Le Thiet Binh, said short training courses for managers at the local level were necessary.