Push for Van Long nature reserve to become Ramsar site

Van Long Nature Reserve in northern Ninh Binh province is to be proposed as a Ramsar site, denoting it as an important wetland area of the world.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), the Ninh Binh Provincial People's Committee, and related agencies are completing documents to back the proposal.

Van Long is the largest wetland in the Red River Delta and satisfies five of the nine criteria for recognition under the Ramsar Convention. Only one criteria need be meet for such recognition.

Ecosystems in Van Long are diverse and unique, not only for Vietnam but also for the region. The area is home to about half of all the Delacour's langurs (Trachypithecus delacouri) in the world and also rare water birds and plants such as Amorphophallus interruptus (Interrupted voodoo lily), which appears on the red list of threatened species.

In Gia Vien district, 90 km to the south of Hanoi, Van Long Nature Reserve is located on an area of 3,000 ha and boasts 32 beautiful caves such as Ca, Bong, Rua, and Chanh.

Each cave has its own beauty, but Ca Cave, under Hoang Quyen Mountain, is said to be most beautiful and stretches 250 meters in length with a height of eight meters and a width of ten meters. Thung Doi cave is the highest in the area (at 210 meters), while Bong Cave is the widest (at 16 meters).

Currently, Vietnam has eight wetlands recognized as Ramsar sites: Xuan Thuy National Park, Ba Sau wetlands in the Cat Tien National Park, Ba Be National Park, Tram Chim National Park, Mui Ca Mau National Park, Con Dao National Park, U Minh Thuong National Park, and the Lang Sen wetlands conservation area.

(Translated by Nguyen Thuy)