Amid the ongoing decline in biodiversity across several regions in Central Viet Nam, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Viet Nam continues to work with the country to achieve its goals of nature conservation and sustainable development through an efficient and impactful project.
Launching the Biodiversity Conservation Project
On February 26th, WWF Viet Nam officially announced the launch of a biodiversity conservation project in the Central Annamites. The project, “Promoting Community Participation in Achieving the Global Biodiversity Framework and the National Biodiversity Strategy in Hue City”, marks WWF's latest effort to uphold its commitment to preserving the region's unique biodiversity.
The project comes at a critical time, as biodiversity in the Central Annamites is facing severe decline due to habitat loss, illegal poaching, logging, and the impacts of climate change. The region is home to more than 10 million people, including 11% from ethnic minority groups, many of whom rely directly or indirectly on natural resources for their livelihoods.
From 2025 to 2027, the project will be implemented across Quang Tri, Quang Nam, and Hue City, focusing on introducing new conservation initiatives and strengthening existing successful efforts. These activities support the goals outlined in Viet Nam's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and contribute to the country's international commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
A key focus of the project is recognizing the value of traditional knowledge and the rights of local communities in managing and utilizing natural resources. As a first step, the project will pilot the recognition of community-based practical conservation areas (OECMs) outside formally protected areas—aligning with Viet Nam's support for Target 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework (30x30 Goal). Additionally, the project will work towards ensuring sustainable financial resources for community-led conservation efforts by supporting research on biodiversity finance policies and promoting sustainable livelihoods for local communities in the project areas.
Improving forest connectivity index
The forest connectivity index in the Central Annamites region has shown significant improvement. The frequency of wildlife sightings has increased in the Quang Nam Sao La Nature Reserve and the Hue Sao La Nature Reserve, including rare and endemic species. Meanwhile, threats have dropped from 64% in 2011 to just 17% in 2024.
This is the assessment by WWF after six years of implementing the "Carbon Reserves and Biodiversity Conservation — CarBi Phase 2" project (2019–2024) in Hue City and Quang Nam Province.
The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) funded the project through WWF.
Since 2019, CarBi 2 has worked with partners to implement measures to conserve the Central Annamites' precious biodiversity, enhance local livelihoods and biodiversity awareness, and foster transboundary cooperation with Laos to protect wildlife and conservation areas.
Over the past six years, some key impacts of the project include strengthening the management of a connected network of protected areas — linking Bach Ma National Park and Xesap Nature Reserve — and supporting the expansion of the Hue and Quang Nam Sao La Reserves. With WWF's support, in 2024, the Hue Sao La Reserve was expanded by over 4,000 hectares, officially becoming the Hue Sao La Nature Reserve with a total area exceeding 19,000 hectares.
The CarBi project supports improved forest resource governance in protected areas and extends to community forests, reinforcing ecological corridors that link forests outside the reserves to priority conservation zones.
Mr. Hoang Hai Minh, Vice Chairman of the Hue City People's Committee, emphasized: "The project's achievements have fostered the stable development of a vast, biodiversity-rich landscape, contributing to making Hue and Quang Nam stand out for their natural scenery."