An aerial view of Can Gio mangrove forest in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA)

– Vietnam has set up a fully integrated forestry information database under a project funded by the Finnish Government, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said at a recent conference in Hanoi.Data from forests across the country and more than 1.4 million forest owners have been integrated in the Management Information System (MIS) for sustainable management of forest resources. Forest owners are organisations, households, individuals and communities that are assigned or leased forests by the State.The system is part of the second phase of the Development of Management Information System for Forestry Sector (FORMIS) project, which started in 2013.Updated information about forest developments from 2016-18, forest research data between 1990 and 2010, potential data on REDD (reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation) and forestation area, data on forest plants, and data on payment for forest environmental services are also integrated in MIS.The database can be accessed at http://maps.vnforest.gov.vn Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan said that the FORMIS database would be useful for policy makers and local authorities.The system could also help enterprises follow changes to forests and forest land, determine locations, road conditions and distance to create detailed plans to buy wood, as well as contact local forest management agencies for necessary information.To operate the system, more than 2,000 people from forestry and related agencies have received training.The second phase of the FORMIS project aims at building a comprehensive integrated management system to serve the management of forestry resources and reduce poverty. The project received fund of 9.7 million EUR (11.1 million USD) from the Finnish Government, along with 437,000 EUR (502,400 USD) from domestic sources. -VNA