IBSS Scientists Commence Study on Ecological Landscapes in Central and Southern Vietnam

On March 7, 2025, a scientific seminar was held at the Head Office of the Joint Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technological Centre in Hanoi, marking the start of a five-year research program by scientists from the A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas (IBSS) and the Institute of Tropical Ecology of the Tropical Centre. The programme focuses on “Studying the Functioning and Dynamics of Landscapes in Central and Southern Vietnam under Anthropogenic Pressure and Climate Change to Develop Scientific Basis for Their Rational Use.” Project leaders presented reports on the planned work, including Roman Gorbunov, Director of IBSS and Doctor of Geographical Sciences (Russia), and Professor Nguyen Dang Hoi, Director of the Institute of Tropical Ecology (Vietnam).

“Since 2018, we have been successfully conducting research in Vietnam on the functioning of forest ecosystems, and this new project is well in line with our previous studies. Over the next five years, the project will be implemented by scientific staff from two divisions of the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas—the Laboratory of Landscape Ecology and Geomatics, as well as the Laboratory of Climatically Active Gases—in collaboration with both the Russian and Vietnamese parts of the Tropical Centre. An international group of scientists will conduct a geo-ecological assessment of various landscape types in Central and Southern Vietnam, based on the transformations of their functioning and dynamics under regional climate change impacts and anthropogenic pressures. This year, fieldwork is planned in Cat Tien National Park and the Ma Da forest,” said Roman Gorbunov.

To obtain current data, specialists will use a combination of remote and field methods, allowing for accurate and comprehensive data collection with minimal time and effort. Modern scientific research methods, such as geographic information systems and ecological monitoring technologies, enable scientists to gain a deeper understanding of landscape dynamics.

This week, the first expedition of the large-scale project in Vietnam will commence, involving three specialists from the Laboratory of Landscape Ecology and Geomatics at IBSS: senior researcher Ekaterina Kashirina, and junior researchers Polina Drygval and Nastasya Lineva.

Information:

- The Scientific Research and Applied Work Programme of the Tropical Centre for 2025-2029 includes three themes from the A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas: “Studying the Functioning and Dynamics of Landscapes in Central and Southern Vietnam under Anthropogenic Pressure and Climate Change to Develop Scientific Basis for Their Rational Use,” “Current State of Ecosystems and Hydrobiont Diversity in the Dong Nai River Basin,” and “Research and Assessment of Biodiversity in Some Marine Communities in Central and Southern Vietnamese Waters.”
- The Joint Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technological Centre (Tropical Centre) was established and operates under the Intergovernmental Agreement between the Soviet Union and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) dated March 7, 1987. It holds the status of an international scientific and technological cooperation organization. The authorized body from the Russian Federation for implementing the Intergovernmental Agreement and its protocols is the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia, and from Vietnam, it is the Ministry of National Defence of the SRV. Currently, the Tropical Centre is a significant target of the strategic partnership between Russia and Vietnam in science, technology, and military-technical cooperation. It is the only Russian research organization operating in the tropical zone.