The environmental agencies of Viet Nam’s Cao Bang Province and the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Guangxi Province signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on May 12 to strengthen biodiversity conservation collaboration in transboundary areas.

Under the MOU, the two provinces will develop a joint management strategy for transboundary conservation; work together on creating new biodiversity corridors; collaborate on research, assessments and monitoring; and conduct awareness-raising and capacity building activities.

In opening remarks at the MOU signing ceremony in Cao Bang, Viet Nam’s Deputy Minister of Environment said it was important to exchange knowledge and work with other countries to develop biodiversity conservation policies and manage transboundary biodiversity corridors.

“The MOU will open opportunities for more comprehensive cooperation on biodiversity conservation between the two countries and also create opportunities to receive financial and technical support for conservation in the area,” he said.  

Border areas of Cao Bang and Guangxi are within the Sino–Vietnam Karst Landscape and include the only remaining population of the Cao Vit Gibbon, one the world’s rarest apes. Since 2009, the GMS Core Environment Program (CEP) has supported the two provincial environment agencies to create biodiversity conservation corridors to reduce ecosystem fragmentation between protected areas in the landscape. CEP also provided facilitation support for the MOU.

Published: 20^th May 2015