The project will focus on receiving, caring, studying, and reintroducing the birds; improving and restoring their ecosystems and habitats; developing sustainable ecological agricultural production models; and investing in infrastructure and facilities.

According to Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Phuoc Thien, the project will play a crucial role in preserving the population of the birds in the Mekong Delta region which is facing the risk of extinction, thus demonstrating Vietnam's commitment and responsibility when participating in international institutions.

It aims to revive the flocks at the park through a process of breeding and natural reintroduction and restore the wetland habitat for many other species, contributing to preserving biodiversity and the cultural and spiritual life of the local community, Thien said.

The park is famous as a natural habitat for the large East Asian red-crowned cranes, among the rarest in the world and classified as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

However, their numbers have fallen sharply. Notably, none perched at the park last year and in 2020.

Scientists said the fall reveals that the bird is teetering on the brink of extinction in the Mekong Delta and Vietnam in general.

They blamed habitat deterioration and environmental pollution induced by agricultural production for the problem, stressing that their absence also demonstrates wetland habitat degradation and biodiversity loss.

The project will be a joint effort by the provincial People’s Committee, the Vietnam Zoos Association (VZA), the International Crane Foundation (ICF), and the Zoological Park Organization (ZPO) of Thailand, which has been successful in the work.

Accordingly, the provincial People’s Committee will manage and finance the programme, the ICF and the VZA will provide consultation services and offer training courses to crane keepers, and the ZPO will provide the park with red-crowned chicks each year, apart from training employees at the park to take care of cranes and recover their habitat of the bird./. VNA