Hanoi, July 18 -- For more than a decade, in Canada's capital Ottawa, Vietnamese-born scientist Dang Trung Phuoc and his colleagues have restored part of an ancient sand dune system formed some 8,000-10,000 years ago. Once dismissed as barren and of little value, the Pinhey Sand Dunes have become a habitat for rare plant and animal species, as well as a renowned site for research, education and ecotourism in the Canadian capital region. Restoring the dunes' unique habitat required an approach that initially seemed at odds with conservation: felling thousands of 25-30m-tall pine trees in a plantation forest. Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency's correspondent in Canada, Phuoc, President of the Biodiversity Conservancy International, said t...