The project was introduced after its success in associating natural preservation with improving people’s living conditions, thus increasing the sustainability of bio-diversity conservation, said UNDP.

The project, which started in 2004, aimed to maintain 2,000 hectares of wetland in Phu My commune, said Tran Triet, Director of the Phu My Lepironia Project in the southern province of Kien Giang.

He added that it has helped poor inhabitants better design and market products woven from Lepironia reeds, doubling or tripling their incomes while ensuring a sustainable harvest.

Mr Triet explained that the project had dramatically raised the value of Phu My’s 6,000 acres of wetland, demonstrating the possibility of improving local livelihoods while still conserving biological diversity.

The project was also introduced at a ceremony in New York on February 10 to launch the “Year of Biodiversity” in North America.