MARD to lead master plan on growing 1b trees for 2021-2025

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has chaired a meeting on a master project to plant one billion trees for the period 2021-2025. The meeting took place on March 16 with the participation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Ministry of Construction (MoC), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), and a number of other relevant agencies.

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Dung emphasized that the building and implementation of the 1 billion tree planting project demonstrated the Government’s and Prime Minister’s determination in planting trees and afforestation.

The project aims to provide raw materials for production at the same time protect and preserve the ecological environment so that to cope with climate change and contribute to the realization of the country's sustainable development goals, according to the Deputy Prime Minister.

At the meeting, he assigned MARD to take the prime responsibility in co-ordinating with the MoC, the MoNRE, and other relevant agencies to review, collect and explain the views and ideas of some ministries as well as opinions of the National Assembly deputy Luu Binh Nhuong in his letter dated March 3 and sent to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

In addition, he also asked related units to coordinate in completing the project and submit it to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision before March 25, ensuring requirements such as clearly defining goals for each targeted subject. The Deputy Prime Minister ordered that the project’s content should be practical, feasible, and suitable with the reality and ability to arrange the land fund so that to avoid turning it into a just voicing movement and overlapping with other programs and projects.

Regarding the types of trees, he said the project should ensure the trees' quality meets the requirements of specific planting purpose and clearly define the funding sources for the implementation as well as the responsibilities of ministries, sectors and localities that directly implement the project.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung assigned the MoC to coordinate with the MARD and relevant agencies to fully evaluate the current situation of green trees management in urban areas and industrial parks.

It should clearly identify the target to be achieved, and the plan to growing green trees in such areas in the coming time in the direction of increasing the green tree areas per capita in urban areas, to complete before March 20, according to the Deputy Prime Minister.

Moreover, he ordered the MoNRE to coordinate with the MARD and MoC to integrate the draft content of the "Project on green tree system restoration and development to cope with emergencies of climate and environmental change" with the project on planting 1 billion trees.