Vietnam Says Indochina's Forests Need Protection

***********************************************

WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

***********************************************

Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

9/26/96

OVERVIEW & SOURCE 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

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.

###RELAYED TEXT ENDS###

This document is a PHOTOCOPY and all recipients should seek permission from

the source for reprinting. You are encouraged to utilize this information

for personal campaign use; including writing letters, organizing campaigns

and forwarding. All efforts are made to provide accurate, timely pieces;

though ultimate responsibility for verifying all information rests with the

reader. Check out our Gaia Forest Conservation Archives at URL=

http://forests.org/

Networked by:

Ecological Enterprises

Email (best way to contact)-> gbarry@forests.org