Photo contest highlights importance of natural conservation hinh anh 1The winning works of the photo contest promoting natural conservation and development. (Photo:  Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment)

Hanoi (VNA) – An award ceremony was held in Hanoi on August 25 for a photo contest with the theme of natural conservation and development by the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, provincial Departments of Natural Resources and Environment, and photo clubs.

Titled “Submerged Land: Conservation and Development”, the contest came within the framework of a joint project between the ministry and the United Nations Development Programme. The sides are looking for ways to support the provinces of Thai Binh and Thua Thien – Hue in establishing two submerged land conservation areas.

The nearly 400 entries by over 100 photographers to the contest convey a message on the beauty and role of submerged land in the social life of the local communities. The organizing board selected 50 works for display, and gave away one first prize, two second and three third.

The contest aims to raise awareness of policymakers and local communities on the importance of submerged land in the life and the ways to earn living of locals, strengthen and diversify the communication forms in the protection of the environment and the biological diversity, as well as the submerged land ecology, organizers said.

Vietnam is now home to over 10 million hectares of submerged land which occupies about 30 percent of the country’s total area and is scattered in every ecological area of Vietnam. This kind of land plays a crucial role in food security and economic activities of various sectors. However, over the recent years, the natural submerged land has been shrunk seriously as a result of the reclamation activities by locals who are trying to turn the land into farms and fields.-VNA
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