The United States Mission to Vietnam, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has joined the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Mekong Delta localities to launch a $2.9-million project to strengthen coastal resilience in the Mekong Delta, local media said.
The launching ceremony on March 15 also featured representatives from the World Wide Fund for Nature in Vietnam (WWF Vietnam) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The project also focuses on reducing threats to coastal biodiversity and fisheries in the Mekong Delta, with activities concentrated in Kien Giang and Soc Trang provinces.
The Mekong Delta and its coastal ecosystems are home to 70% of mangroves and 90% of seagrass beds in Vietnam. Fed by the sediment and nutrients from the Mekong River, these habitats support Vietnam’s richest fishing grounds and provide crucial protection for coastal communities from natural disasters.
(Kinh Te Do Thi [1], Nhan Dan [2], Lao Dong [3], Bao Phap Luat [4])