Green heritage on the outpost island of Con Co

Provincial leaders and representatives of the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment perform the ceremony of attaching the Vietnam Heritage Tree sign on Con Co Island - Photo: TRAN TUYEN

Green patches on the outpost island

Located about 27 km from the mainland, Con Co Island has a natural area of ​​229.74 hectares, of which forests account for more than 63% of the total area, playing a particularly important role in ecological balance, environmental protection, landscape preservation and creating sustainable livelihoods for the island's community. With a typical basalt volcanic terrain, the vegetation on Con Co is highly endemic, home to many rare plant species, suitable for the development of coastal tropical forests and the formation of a typical semi-natural ecosystem.

However, developing trees in Con Co is not a smooth journey. Harsh climatic conditions with strong northeast monsoon winds, sea salt, dry rocky soil, lack of fresh water... pose great challenges to protecting and expanding forest area. In addition, the island is far from the mainland, so transporting seedlings, caring for and protecting the forest all face many difficulties.

Secretary of the District Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Con Co District, Vo Viet Cuong, said: “Over the past years, the Party Committee and the government of the island district have identified the task of planting trees and afforestation as one of the key pillars in the socio-economic development strategy, associated with environmental protection and sovereignty over the islands. From support programs such as “1 billion trees” and local resources, the district has gradually formed a system of trees along roads, residential areas, parks, coastal areas, and at the same time implemented strict protection zones and ecological restoration according to the plan”.

A corner of Con Co today - Photo: TRAN TUYEN

The current status of the forest on the island by the end of 2024 shows that the forested land area reached 117.84 ha, of which 116.44 ha is natural forest. The area meeting the standards for calculating the coverage ratio reached 117.32 ha, the coverage ratio of the whole island reached 51.08%. This is an encouraging result in the very special natural conditions of an independent island district in the middle of the ocean. Not only playing the role of windbreak, water retention, and soil protection, the forests are also a fulcrum for the development of eco-tourism, resorts, environmentaleducation and scientific research. With valuable indigenous flora such as banyan, phong ba, mu u, and lien diep dong... the forest on Con Co island is becoming a vivid symbol for the harmonious development model between nature and humans, expanding the space for sustainable development in the middle of the ocean.

Journey of planting and preserving forests

Over the years, the government and people of Con Co district have made efforts to green the barren hills and improve the environment in harsh natural conditions. From 2018 to 2023, the whole district has planted more than 3,400 shade trees from many sources of support, but the survival rate of the trees is only about 30%. Native tree species such as square banyan, mu u, and casuarina are the species that best adapt to the local conditions on the island.

Despite many difficulties, tree planting, forest sanitation and forest protection are still maintained regularly. Some key programs such as launching the "Tet tree planting", distributing seedlings from local nurseries, and assigning care to military units... have been effective. General forest cleaning campaigns, especially in the Hill 37 area, are organized periodically, contributing to improving the natural ecological environment.

Orientation for sustainable forest development

The recognition of 17 ancient trees as Vietnam Heritage Trees is an important milestone in the strategy of nature conservation and ecotourism development, associated with the protection of sea and island sovereignty. Currently, Con Co district has implemented a project to establish a special-use forest to protect the landscape of Con Co island with a total area of ​​133.43 hectares, divided into 3 functional areas: strict protection, ecological restoration and tourism. The goal by 2030 is to increase the forest cover rate to 60.6%.

At the same time, many action programs are being implemented synchronously by the district, such as: building a native tree nursery with an area of ​​7,400 m2, planting a native tree forest with an area of ​​33 ha, enriching the forest with 62 ha, planting 1,000 scattered trees each year. At the same time, developing eco-tourism, attaching heritage tree identification boards, opening a route through the forest to serve research and environmental education.

In August 2024, Con Co district coordinated with the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment to conduct a survey and assess the current status of ancient trees on the island. As a result, 17 trees of 5 endemic species were identified as meeting the criteria of "Vietnam Heritage Trees", including: 5 Lien Diep Dong trees, 4 Banyan trees, 3 Banyan trees, 3 Phong Ba trees and 2 Nuoc Ngau trees, all of which are 100 years old or more.

On April 9, 2025, the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment officially issued Decision No. 56/QD-HMTg recognizing the above trees as Heritage Trees. These hundred-year-old trees not only have biological value but are also evidence of war, of the indomitable resilience of the army and people of Con Co during the resistance war.

Many trees still bear traces of bombs and bullets. Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Heritage Tree Council, Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Ngoc Hai, commented: “This is not only a natural heritage, providing a source of seeds for planting forests and protecting the ecological environment, but also a symbol of history, “living milestones” affirming the sacred sovereignty of the country in the middle of the ocean.”

The “old trees” on Con Co Island are stretching their branches and sprouting leaves in the sea breeze, like a living symbol of the resilience of nature and the attachment of humans to land and water. From the event honoring the Vietnam Heritage Tree, every officer, soldier, citizen and tourist coming to Con Co is reminded once again that protecting trees is protecting our own lives.

Tran Tuyen

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/di-san-xanh-noi-dao-tien-tieu-con-co-193551.htm