As Rhishja Cota prepared to leave for Geneva for this month's meeting of the Animals Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), she spoke about her latest efforts to protect imperiled wildlife and what the world needs to do better to prevent these species from falling into extinction.
Vietnam has been ranked the 16th most biologically diverse country in the world! Diverse ecosystems provide clean water, soil stability, buffers against storms and climate shocks as well as a basis for tourism. Biodiversity conservation is an essential component of achieving sustainable, resilient development. This Biodiversity Week we are celebrating Vietnam’s biodiversity status with 16 facts!
BIODIVERSITY FACT 1
On the mainland, there are 15.986 species of flora and 10% among them are endemic species. As for fauna, or more commonly known as animals, there are more than 100 endemic species of birds alone, and almost 80 types of mammals! Vietnam is home to 30 National Parks with more animal species than popular safari destinations such as Kenya and Tanzania.