Eight species of flora enlisted in Vietnam’s Red Book are being preserved at the Tram Chim National Park in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, which enhances the ecological balance and the rehabilitation of regional species that are on the brink of extinction.
These rare plants include lotus, wild rice, yellow cheesewood, spike rushes, and water sprites that can grow rapidly and healthily during the flood season thanks to the favourable habitat there. They can be used as medicines and serve as food suppliers for many species in the park. The wild rice, for example, is the favourite food of red-headed cranes. This variety of grain is being protected on the area of 800 hectares and it can stand among the strong water. Established in 1985, the 7,313-hectare Tram Chim is endowed with rich biodiversity that helped it become a national park in 1998 and then the fourth Ramsar site in Vietnam in 2012. It is now the world’s 2,000 th Ramsar site. Tram Chim is home to over 150 species of freshwater fish, with some listed in Vietnam ’s Red Book, including clown feather-back fish, common archerfish and giant barbs. As many as 198 bird species are living there, including 16 rare ones such as red-headed cranes, black eagles and great-billed herons. Forming part of the park, the 3,000 hectare forest of cajeput, aged up to 18 years old, is often adorned with tens of thousand of white storks during the flood season. Tours by water taxis to the park are now available for tourists, who are assured to be stunned by a spectacular view of this “green oasis”. A road system has been invested by local authorities to enable tourists to explore the site without harming its ecosystem.
