The challenge is to rebuild respect for nature that was once ingrained in Vietnamese culture. Environmental awareness in Vietnam today is as it was in many developed countries thirty years ago when economic advancement was also a priority. Vietnamese biologists understand it is vital to maintain biodiversity. They know that as forests shed species, they will be less resilient and so the environment will slide into ecological oblivion. A recent UN report on Vietnam's environment shows increases in planted forests and perennial crops, and a consequent decrease in what is variously defined as 'barren land' in this region.
Barren land demands great care to make it productive again.
But even as productive land, its biological diversity is disappearing. The lesser diversity of agricultural species is far more susceptible to pests, nutrient loss, erosion and flooding. Today's children will give their children a poorer, less resilient environment unless the destruction of natural biodiversity can be reversed. Vietnam's parks, reserves and historical areas are vital in maintaining natural biodiversity. Even so, this system of reserves is discontinuous.