The natural wetlands of Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Muoi in the Mekong Delta is on the mend more than six months after the launch of a project by Coca-Cola Vietnam and WWF, organizers said in a statement after their fact-finding trip to the park last week.
According to the statement, the project has restored native grasslands from 800 hectares in 2005 to 2,700 hectares and increased the number of Sarus cranes visiting the park from 41 in 2005 to 126 since it commenced work in the park in Dong Thap Province in April this year. The project also supports the recovery of natural conditions at Tram Chim Park’s A3 Zone, an important habitat of the Sarus crane which is listed in Vietnam Red Book.
The park stores freshwater during the flood season and releases it slowly as floodwaters recede thus preventing saline intrusion in downstream area and diminishing the negative effects of climate change. The natural environment recovery of Tram Chim is vital to improving water quality, restoring underground water and mitigating the negative impacts of floods and droughts for the wider plain as well as downstream areas of the Mekong Delta region.
The project also enhances Tram Chim’s high biodiversity which supports 130 native plant species and 232 species of birds, 16 of which are named in the IUCN Red List and/or Vietnam Red Book, as well as some 150 types of freshwater fish, or 33% of the total freshwater fish species found in the region.
A special management statute for Tram Chim, which was approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, has been developed to manage all aspects of the park operation in order to ensure sustainable use of natural resources there.
Statistics show 42,000 people now reside in the buffer zone of the park and 14% of them are living in poverty. The project aims to organize local households into user groups to encourage responsible use of natural resources in Tram Chim.
The three year project receives an annual fund of US$250,000. It is part of the US$20-million water conservation campaign conducted by WWF and Coca-Cola around the world since July last year.
“Coca-Cola’s global partnership with WWF demonstrates our commitment to water resource protection,” explained Le Van Khoi, representative of Coca-Cola Indochina.
Khoi said in Vietnam Coca-Cola collaborated with WWF in conserving the water and biodiversity of Tram Chim, and with the United Nations Development Program in providing people with clean water. The beverage maker also practices water saving in production.
As the result of the project, the provincial government has secured US$200,000 for infrastructure development, including building spillways to improve the water flow regime in Tram Chim.
Tram Chim holds the largest of the last natural remnants of Dong Thap Muoi, formerly known as the Plain of Reeds. Human activities have put deterioration of water quality, reduction of biodiversity and depletion of natural resources there at warning levels. Scientists say the risk of degradation of habitats in Tram Chim could lead to the extinction of endangered species such as the Sarus crane.
According to the statement, the project has restored native grasslands from 800 hectares in 2005 to 2,700 hectares and increased the number of Sarus cranes visiting the park from 41 in 2005 to 126 since it commenced work in the park in Dong Thap Province in April this year. The project also supports the recovery of natural conditions at Tram Chim Park’s A3 Zone, an important habitat of the Sarus crane which is listed in Vietnam Red Book.
The park stores freshwater during the flood season and releases it slowly as floodwaters recede thus preventing saline intrusion in downstream area and diminishing the negative effects of climate change. The natural environment recovery of Tram Chim is vital to improving water quality, restoring underground water and mitigating the negative impacts of floods and droughts for the wider plain as well as downstream areas of the Mekong Delta region.
The project also enhances Tram Chim’s high biodiversity which supports 130 native plant species and 232 species of birds, 16 of which are named in the IUCN Red List and/or Vietnam Red Book, as well as some 150 types of freshwater fish, or 33% of the total freshwater fish species found in the region.
A special management statute for Tram Chim, which was approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, has been developed to manage all aspects of the park operation in order to ensure sustainable use of natural resources there.
Statistics show 42,000 people now reside in the buffer zone of the park and 14% of them are living in poverty. The project aims to organize local households into user groups to encourage responsible use of natural resources in Tram Chim.
The three year project receives an annual fund of US$250,000. It is part of the US$20-million water conservation campaign conducted by WWF and Coca-Cola around the world since July last year.
“Coca-Cola’s global partnership with WWF demonstrates our commitment to water resource protection,” explained Le Van Khoi, representative of Coca-Cola Indochina.
Khoi said in Vietnam Coca-Cola collaborated with WWF in conserving the water and biodiversity of Tram Chim, and with the United Nations Development Program in providing people with clean water. The beverage maker also practices water saving in production.
As the result of the project, the provincial government has secured US$200,000 for infrastructure development, including building spillways to improve the water flow regime in Tram Chim.
Tram Chim holds the largest of the last natural remnants of Dong Thap Muoi, formerly known as the Plain of Reeds. Human activities have put deterioration of water quality, reduction of biodiversity and depletion of natural resources there at warning levels. Scientists say the risk of degradation of habitats in Tram Chim could lead to the extinction of endangered species such as the Sarus crane.
By Mong Binh in HCMC
More pics from Flickr.com:
No comments:
Post a Comment