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

According to Tran Triet, Director of the Phu My Lepironia Project in the southern province of Kien Giang, the project started in 2004 with the aim of maintaining 2,000 hectares of wetland in Phu My commune.

It has also helped poor inhabitant better design and market products woven from Lepironia reeds, doubling or tripling income levels while ensuring a sustainable harvest, he said.

He said that the value of Phu My’s 6,000 acres of wetland has risen dramatically, demonstrating the possibility of improving livelihoods while still preserving biological diversity.