Forests bring many benefits to people, including wood and forest products, especially environmental values. Under the impact of climate change and forest management measures, inappropriate land use in the watershed has been increasing the risk of natural disasters including erosion and landslides; floods, flash floods and coastal landslides due to rising sea levels. Currently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is paying great attention to sustainable forest management and improving forest quality for natural disaster prevention.

Since 2020, the Vietnam Academy of Forest Sciences (VAFS) and the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI) of Japan have cooperated, in which the Vietnam Forest Certification Office is the main partner implementing research on “Development of technologies to enhance the functions of forests for disaster prevention and mitigation in Vietnam”. Accordingly, on March 6, 2024, a seminar to share research results was held in person and online. With 45 participants from research organizations, management agencies, universities and international organizations, the seminar shared research results on landslides and solutions to prevent and identify landslide risks using remote sensing technology and artificial intelligence; assess the current status and main drivers leading to landslides in the watershed and the role and ability of mangrove forests in mitigating natural disasters. In addition to objective factors such as geological characteristics, topography, and climate change, appropriate and sustainable forest management and land use is one of the important solutions in natural disaster prevention and mitigation, contributing to the sustainable development of the country.