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Professor Phan Nguyen Hong.
Photo: Dan Tri.
Professor Phan Nguyen Hong from
the Hanoi National University has won the international
Cosmos Prize for his contribution to saving mangrove
forests.
Hong was selected from 131
candidates from 25 countries to become the first Vietnamese
scientist to receive the award. Accordingly, he will get
US$380,000. The award presentation ceremony was held in the
Japanese city of Osaka.
The prize is awarded annually by
the Expo 90 Commemorative Foundation to an individual or
team who contributes to the interdependence of life and the
global environment.
“His 40-year research project
plays an important role in protecting bio-diversity and
reducing global warming,” dean of the National University’s
Faculty of Biology, Mai Sy Tuan said, stressing: “It helps
humans discover the best way to preserve harmony with
nature.”
Nguyen Lan Dung, chairman of the
General Biology Association, said the prize was an honour
for all Vietnamese scientists. “The most significant fact is
that Hong’s work has helped revive many mangrove forests
destroyed in war time,” he added.
The 73-year-old professor is a
pioneer in the study of the bio-ecology of tropical wetlands
in Vietnam. He began his research in 1964 to solve the
long-term effects of the chemical war on mangroves.
Hong went on to establish a
Biosphere Reservation Centre and helped locals in eight
different provinces replant mangrove forests and improve
their living standards by using the forest wetlands to raise
aquatic products.
He established more than 400
classes in 10 coastal provinces to train fishermen in new
ways of raising sea products and planting mangroves.
Hong has published 20 books
about preserving the mangrove ecosystem and become a
top-ranking expert in Asian wetland systems.
He intends to continue his
studies on coastal forest conservation and contribute to
marine resource protection and poverty reduction.
“I’ll donate part of my prize
money to support scientific research for university teaching
staff and students,” said Hong. (VNA) |
