(Anova) - The latest draft of Vietnam’s first Biodiversity Law was discussed at a meeting jointly organised by the National Assembly’s Committee of Science, Technology and Environment and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

Red-headed cranes, which are listed in the Vietnamese Red Book of endangered or rare animals and birds, feed on grassland in Tam Nong National Reserve in the southern province of Dong Thap.

"Biodiversity and natural resources have been critically important for the majority of the Vietnamese population as they provide basic needs and livelihoods for people, particularly the rural poor," said Christophe Bahuet, UNDP Deputy Country Director in Vietnam.

The 2008 edition of the Viet Nam Red Book reveals that the number of endangered species of fauna and flora has increased to 880 from 700 in 2000. Key causes include over-exploitation of forests, shifting agricultural cultivation, loss of arable land, water pollution and degradation of coastal areas.

"The Biodiversity Law is an effective legal instrument to prevent biodiversity declination, to conserve precious plants and animals, and to serve the sustainable social and economic development of the country" said Dang Vu Minh, Chairman of the committee.

(Source: Viet Nam News)