On this occasion, the General Forest Department joined the Vietnam Forest Science Association in launching a knowledge contest on the links between forests and climate change as well as desertification.

All Vietnamese citizens and foreigners can take part in the contest by answering questions or writing essays on the above theme. The deadline for entries is March 31, 2012, and the awards are scheduled for June 2012.

Addressing the launch ceremony, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hua Duc Nhi said Vietnam has been implementing synchronous measures to strengthen forestation, protect seashores, and deal with droughts and climate change.

Over the past two decades, the Vietnamese Government and people have made great efforts to restore, safeguard and develop their forests, said Nguyen Ba Ngai, Deputy Director General of the General Forest Department. The country’s forest coverage has risen from 27.2 percent in the early 1990s to 39.5 percent in 2010, an increase of 0.4 percent per year, he said.

Vietnam’s forest acreage increased continuously from 1995 to 2009 thanks to both forestation and restoration of natural forests. In addition, the quality of forests has also been improved.