Located on the Con Dao archipelago under the jurisdiction of central Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, Con Dao National Park covers nearly 20,000 hectares, with a protected forest area of 6,000 hectares and the rest belonging to the marine protected area.
Con Dao National Park is the first marine Ramsar site in Vietnam.
It is home to ecosystems typical of a tropical sea and habitat of many plants and animals endemic to Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
According to the park management, scientists have found more than one thousand species of vascular plants, 29 species of mammals, 85 species of birds and 46 species of reptiles and amphibians.
Although the number of species is not large, the density of species is quite high and many of the species cannot be found anywhere else in Vietnam.
Con Dao National Park also features a rich marine life, making it an attractive destination for both researchers and those who want to explore wildlife.
According to the official Ramsar website, Con Dao supports a representative range of coastal and terrestrial ecosystems that are important for the biogeographic region.
There are low montane Melaleuca forests inland, while along the coast are dry forests as well as shallow marine waters, coral reefs, seagrass beds, intertidal flats and mangrove forests. These wetland habitats are particularly intact and support a high biodiversity, it adds.
Prior to Con Dao National Park, Vietnam had five Ramsar sites: Ba Be National Park, Xuan Thuy Natural Wetland Reserve, Bau Sau, Tram Chim National Park and Mui Ca Mau National Park.
Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau People’s Committee said the province pledged to strengthen its management to protect and promote the values of this Ramsar site.
The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty that provides a framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
The convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Vietnam became a contracting party of the convention in 1989.
