Viet Nam contributes 15 of 69 ASEAN Heritage Parks

Recognizing the importance of nature and biodiversity for human and social development, as well as the risks of natural degradation due to pressures from population growth and other activities, the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment in 1984 marked the launch of the ASEAN Heritage Parks Programme through the Ministers' Declaration on the ASEAN Heritage Parks Programme.

The program focuses on four main objectives: protecting the region's representative ecosystems; enhancing management cooperation among countries; promoting the significance of biodiversity; and advancing environmental education, and identifying conservation areas of outstanding value at regional and international levels.

The 1984 Declaration marked an important historic milestone, making biodiversity conservation a common priority for ASEAN while establishing the first formal framework for cooperation in this field.

Recognizing the program's significance for nature and biodiversity conservation, nearly 20 years after the first declaration, in 2003, ASEAN Environment Ministers continued to issue the Declaration on the ASEAN Heritage Park System. The declaration was adopted amid growing impacts from climate change, increasing deforestation, habitat and species degradation, and the need for multi-sectoral coordination across management, science, community, and sustainable tourism.

To date, the ASEAN Heritage Parks Programme is considered one of the region’s leading initiatives, aimed at highlighting the global significance, uniqueness, diversity, and outstanding value of national conservation areas of ASEAN member states for humanity in general and for ASEAN populations in particular. The program also affirms the importance of managing conservation areas to maintain ecological cycles and life-support systems, preserve genetic diversity, ensure sustainable use of species and ecosystems, and protect natural areas with value in terms of landscapes, culture, education, research, recreation, and tourism.

Within the framework of the 18th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment (AMME-18) recently held in Malaysia, delegates approved six new ASEAN Heritage Parks, raising the bloc's total number of protected parks to 69. Notably, Viet Nam had three national parks recognized at this event. They include Pu Mat National Park (Nghe An), Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve, and Xuan Thuy National Park (Ninh Binh).

Thus, as of 2025, the ASEAN region has a total of 69 ASEAN Heritage Parks recognized across its 10 member states. Among these, Viet Nam has 15 recognized ASEAN Heritage Parks, making a significant contribution to the implementation of the Montreal-Kunming Global Biodiversity Framework and the ASEAN Biodiversity Plan.

The figure demonstrates Viet Nam's persistent efforts in a green development strategy that harmonizes nature conservation with socio-economic growth. This also presents an opportunity for Viet Nam to enhance its national image within the ASEAN community, affirming its proactive and responsible role in global commitments on environment, climate change, and sustainable development.

In particular, to align regional efforts with global biodiversity goals, from December 2–5, 2025, in Quang Ninh province, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) coordinates with Viet Nam's Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Agency (NBCA) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, which is the focal point of the ASEAN Working Group on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity, to organize the 8th ASEAN Heritage Parks Conference (AHP8). The conference will also receive support from the European Union, the Federal Republic of Germany through KFW, the Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, and IMA World Health.

AHP8 will include plenary sessions, parallel technical discussions, interactive exhibits, and field visits to showcase best practices in protected area management and ecosystem restoration. The technical sessions will focus on nature-based solutions to climate change; health and biodiversity; engaging indigenous people and local communities, youth, and women in conservation; ecosystem restoration; the 30x30 biodiversity target; and sustainable financing for protected areas. There is also a marketplace of biodiversity-based products, exhibits, and several side events scheduled alongside AHP8.

Under the theme "ASEAN Heritage Parks: ASEAN's Contribution to Achieving the Biodiversity Plan," the conference brings together park managers, protected area authorities, technical experts, institutional partners, and other key stakeholders to foster cross-sectoral dialogue, strengthen regional cooperation, and showcase how ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHPs) serve as a model for applying integrated and inclusive approaches to biodiversity conservation, climate action, and sustainable development.