According to the participants, Vietnam has a great potential to develop eco-tourism in combination with natural resource preservation. The country possesses 30 national parks and 56 natural reserves, home to over 13,760 species of plants and 7,730 species of animals.

However, they said, the precious system of natural reserves has constantly been hurt by inhabitants living around. Nearly 80 percent of the population living close to the natural reserves in Vietnam are living in poverty and their lives are depending on unplanned forest exploitation, thus damaging the forest biodiversity.

Some delegates stressed the need to improve the living conditions for people living on edges of forests in order to ensure the success for the plan to develop eco-tourism and protect natural reserves.

The seminar was initiated by the Worldwide Fund for Nature Vietnam Programme, and the Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park of Lam Dong province.