Thanhniennews.com 13 Aug 13;
U Minh Thuong National Park in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang has been named an Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Heritage Park.
It is Vietnam's fifth ASEAN Heritage Park.
Hoang Lien Sa Park in the northern province of Lao Cai, Ba Be Park in the northern province of Bac Kan, and Kon Ka Kinh Park and Chu Mom Ray park in the Central Highlands provinces of Kon Tum and Gia Lai, respectively, are all on the list.
U Minh Thuong park has been praised by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the secretariat of the ASEAN Heritage Parks Programme for its biodiversity.
The park covers over 21,000 hectares in An Minh Bac and Minh Thuan communes in U Minh Thuong Town.
Its core zone includes 8,038 hectares and the rest is forest buffer. Featuring a primeval forest, of which 3,000 hectares are mangrove trees, U Minh Thuong park has an extremely rare tropical wetlands forest ecosystem.
Widely considered the richest region in terms of plant and animal life in the Mekong Delta, the park has more than 243 species of plants, 32 species of mammals, 186 bird species, 39 reptile species and 34 amphibian species. Many species of wildlife in the park are endangered and must be strictly protected.
ASEAN Heritage Parks Programs are representative of efforts to conserve areas of particular biodiversity throughout ASEAN.
