Vietnam Says Indochina's Forests Need Protection
9/26/96
OVERVIEW, SOURCE & COMMENTARY by EE
Following is a photocopy of a brief article highlighting increased concern
over the decline of Indo-China's forests.
g.b.
*******************************
RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Vietnam says Indochina's forests need protection
9/25/96
Copyright 1996 by Reuters
HANOI, Sept 26 (Reuter) - Vietnam's prime minister has called for regional
cooperation to help manage and protect Indochina's rapidly disappearing
forests and jungles.
Vo Van Kiet told visiting forestry ministers and officials from Laos,
Thailand, Cambodia and Burma on Wednesday that a formal accord was needed
to combat timber smuggling.
State media quoted him as also saying a more scientific approach was needed
towards exploiting forestry resources in Southeast Asia.
Kiet was speaking after a two-day regional forestry meeting in Hanoi, but
further details of the meeting and his comments were not available.
The region's forests and jungles are home to a number of rare animals. A
deer-like animal, the Vu Quang Ox, was discovered in Vietnam in 1992 -- one
of only seven species of mammal dicovered this century.
But deforestation is a major problem. According to the World Wide Fund for
Nature, Vietnam has only 19 percent forest cover today compared to 43
percent 50 years ago.
Environmentalists say that at current rates of clearing the country's
natural primary forests will disappear within 20 years.
The country is also a conduit for substantial timber exports from Laos and
other parts of Indochina.