Seminar on Environment and Development in Vietnam

Friday and Saturday, December 6-7, 1996

Common Room, University House,
and J G Crawford Building, National Centre for Development Studies,
Australian National University

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Global change challenges for environment and development in Vietnam

Dr Louis Lebel,
Global Change & Terrestrial Ecosystems Core Project Office, CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology

Abstract

Global change will add another layer of challenges for those concerned with future development and the environment of Vietnam. Land use and cover change is the most pervasive and easily observable component of global change. In Vietnam, deforestation, intensification of agriculture, and urbanisation have proceeded at variable and often rapid rates over the last couple of decades. Other important global changes include changes in atmospheric composition, climate and biodiversity.

The impacts of global change are a mixture of hazards and opportunities. Environmental and health scientists have tended to emphasise the hazards. This is because the potential threats to food security and human health are potentially very serious, but rarely acknowledged. The irreplaceable loss of much of the biodiversity in the region has much less tangible and immediate consequences, but in the long-run might be the most important. The impacts, however, are not all negative. Many recent advances in standards of living, health and economic wealth have been facilitated by development and conversion of the land surface. Moreover, planning for future environmental conditions may to some extent reduce the negative impacts of global changes or even lead to new opportunities. For example, agro-forestry to recover degraded upland areas may lead to improved soil conditions and greater economic security for some communities, while at the same time increasing the robustness of the system to changes in climate variability.

Plantation development in the vast areas of degraded land in Vietnam is a high priority and plans should take into account global change. This presentation will conclude with an outline of a proposal for a collaborative study to aid long-term reforestation efforts in Vietnam.

Global Change & Terrestrial Ecosystems CPO
CSIRO Division of Wildlife & Ecology
PO Box 84
Lyneham ACT 2612 Australia

Tel: +61 (6) 242-1619
Fax: +61 (6) 241-2362
Email: Louis.Lebel@dwe.csiro.au