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Countries Appendix VIETNAM (28.0%) Ravaged by years of war which brought napalm, millions of tons of explosives, millions on undecorated land mines, and intense fighting throughout forest areas, Vietnam's rainforests have been seriously damaged. The use of chemical defoliants during the war was particularly destructive and many areas are still polluted and completely devoid of any vegetation. Economic development has ignored the government's guidelines, which recognize the importance of the forests, and lead to further degradation of Vietnam's environment. Population pressures have stepped up deforestation through the collection of fuelwood, as has recent development of cash-crop agriculture and mineral exploitation. According to Vietnam's Environmental Minister, Vietnam's forest area has been reduced by over 14 million acres (5.7 million hectares) in the last 50 years, a 40% loss. Forest loss has resulted in problems with soil erosion and flooding which are detrimental to agriculture. In 1997-98, fires started by slash-and-burn agriculturists spread into rainforests which were dry from the el Niño conditions. In response to the forest clearing, the government maintains a massive reforestation project which was initiated in 1986. . . . . . For current information I highly recommend trying the CIA and FAO links below. CIA-World Factbook Profile FAO-Forestry Profile |
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