Birds flock to Tram Chim National Park. (Photo: VNA) Dong Thap (VNA) – Tram Chim NationalPark in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, a Ramsar site in Vietnam, hasseen 192 hectares of its plants recovered thanks to p reservation efforts.
The figure was released at a July 19 seminaron bio-diversity preservation in Tram Chim, which was organised by the DongThap People’s Committee and the International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN).
The park, flooded for half the year and dryfor the other six months, spans more than 7,300 hectares in Tam Nong district.It is home to 250 species of water birds, 100 species of freshwater fish and190 species of plants.
At the seminar, Nguyen Hoang Minh Hai, headof the park’s office for science and international cooperation, saidconservation work has helped recover 192 hectares of grass-like sedge andeastern purple bladderwort in addition to a number of indigenous plants. Birds’eating areas have been improved, while more sites were created for theirnesting.
According to Hai, researchers havediscovered 36 aquatic species via monitoring fish travelling in and out ofsewers and found 71 more plant species. They also released more than 10 fishspecies into the park.
He said future preservation work focuses on personneladjustment of the park’s wetland advisory group and allows suitable usage of itsnatural resources, helping locals improve livelihoods during the flood season.
Duong Van Ni from Can Tho University’sfaculty of environment and natural resources pointed to major impacts on the park’sbio-diversity. They consisted of ecosystem changes, overexploitation,pollution, diseases, invasive species and climate change.
He said priority should be given to thedevelopment of grass fields then to Melaleuca forests, while the water levelshould not be left high for a long period of time.
Le Phat Quoi from the Ho Chi Minh Citycentre for environment and ecosystem sciences suggested solutions to improvesoil quality in the park’s A1 section to expand the area of grass-like sedge,wild rice and other plants to attract cranes and other bird species.
He said canals should be linked together toavoid alum formation in the water.
The Tram Chim National Park is the fourthRamsar site of Vietnam and the 2,000th Ramsar site of Wetlands of InternationalImportance in the world.
The park has become a destination for bothdomestic and foreign tourists. In 2017, it welcomed more than 134,000 visitors,a year-on-year surge of 28.87 percent.
The World Wide Fund for Nature in Vietnamprovided 2.6 billion VND (114,000 USD) for a project encouraging eco-tourismand sustainable use of natural resources in the park in 2017.-VNA
VNA
