Việt Nam urgently needs legal framework to enhance genetic resource conservation and development

Domesticated elephants are raised in a semi-wild environment in the forest area of KRông Na Commune, Buôn Đôn District in the central highland province of Đắk Lắk. VNA/VNS Photo Vũ Sinh

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Science and Technology emphasised that Việt Nam urgently needs to establish a legal framework to sustain and enhance the conservation and development of genetic resources.

This message was delivered at a workshop on evaluating the results of the genetic resource conservation and sustainable usage for the 2015-2024 period and outlining directions for the 2025-2030 period, on Monday in Hà Nội.

The workshop provided an opportunity for managers, scientists and experts to exchange and share experiences, achievements, challenges and propose new solutions and directions for the coming years.

In his opening remarks, Minister of Science and Technology Huỳnh Thành Đạt stated that through conservation and sustainable use tasks, a total of 80,911 genetic resources have been collected and preserved. This includes over 47,770 agricultural plant species, 5,760 forestry plant species, 7,030 medicinal plant species, 890 animal species, 390 aquatic species and 19,050 microbial species.

The Plant Resources Centre under the Việt Nam Academy of Agricultural Sciences has collected over 10,000 genetic resources from various plant groups. The Việt Nam Forestry Science Institute and forestry departments of universities have preserved nearly 2,000 genetic resources from 70 species of forestry plants, including many rare species with 100 per cent local genetic resources planted in several regions such as Sơn La, Lào Cai, Ba Vì, Phú Thọ, Lâm Đồng, Đăk Nông and Bình Thuận.

In recent years, over 7,000 valuable medicinal genetic resources have been discovered and preserved. This material is extremely valuable for breeding new varieties with better yields, quality and higher value.

Additionally, researchers have initially evaluated nearly 56,000 genetic resources. Many of these have been exploited and applied in production and daily life, such as Ngọc Linh ginseng, the blue swimming crab, giant barb (catlocarpio siamensis), high-quality native rice and the vù hương (cinnamomum balansae) tree, contributing to increased value in various sectors, particularly agriculture.

Chu Hoàng Hà, vice president of the Việt Nam Academy of Science and Technology, noted that Việt Nam is moving towards promoting the development of a bio-based, green and circular economy. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has highlighted the importance of local genetic resources in socio-economic development, leveraging agricultural strengths and the diversity of local genetic resources.

Therefore, the implementation of the genetic resource conservation and sustainable usage for the period of 2025-2030 should continue to prioritise in-depth basic research on genetic resources, including digitisng genetic resources to international standards, maintaining conservation and intellectual property registration, combined with traditional research on animal, plant and microbial genetic resources.

Đạt also mentioned that efforts to conserve and develop genetic resources need to be further strengthened. A new genetic resource conservation and sustainable use plan for the period of 2026-2030 will be developed and submitted to the Prime Minister in the first quarter of 2025.

Ongoing efforts will include enhancing and upgrading infrastructure, equipment, scientific research and technology to support conservation, preservation and evaluation of genetic resources, while increasing scientific and technological resources to contribute to the preservation of biodiversity and protection of national resources, he said. — VNS