Preserving the "green lung" of U Minh Ha

Located in the southernmost tip of Vietnam, U Minh Ha National Park is considered a precious "green lung" with its unique melaleuca forest ecosystem on peat soil and rich biological resources.

Báo Cà Mau•22/05/2026

Determined to preserve the greenness of U Minh Ha National Park
Announcement of the planning for the U Minh Ha National Park Ecotourism Area.
Release the golden monkey back into U Minh Ha National Park.

In response to this year's International Day for Biological Diversity (May 22nd) with the theme "Action at the local level to create global impact," efforts to protect forests, preserve habitats, and conserve wildlife in U Minh Ha continue to be intensified.

The U Minh Ha National Park administrative area serves as the central hub for managing, protecting the forest, and conserving biodiversity within the park.

As the core area of the Ca Mau Cape World Biosphere Reserve, U Minh Ha National Park plays a crucial role in nature conservation, maintaining biodiversity, and protecting many rare animal and plant species of the southern wetlands.

Biodiversity on peatlands

With a total area of 8,527.8 hectares, U Minh Ha National Park is divided into three zones: the service and administrative zone (743.6 hectares), the ecological restoration zone (5,190.5 hectares), and the strictly protected zone (2,593.7 hectares).

Over more than 14 years of operation, the unit has gradually increased forest cover, effectively implemented forest fire prevention and control, and conserved biodiversity.

However, climate change, drought, the risk of forest fires, and inadequate infrastructure remain major challenges to forest management and protection.

Observation towers are strategically placed to monitor and detect early signs of forest fires.

U Minh Ha currently has over 1,700 hectares of natural melaleuca forest on peatland, with 176 plant species belonging to 65 genera and 36 families; of which melaleuca is the dominant species. Prolonged flooding conditions along with a peat layer up to 1.5 m thick create many characteristic habitats such as reed, sedge, and fern communities, contributing to the formation of a diverse ecosystem and the forest's natural regeneration capacity.

The fauna here is also very rich, with 23 species of mammals belonging to 13 families and 8 orders; including many rare species such as the Javan pangolin, the small-clawed otter, and the fishing cat. U Minh Ha National Park boasts a rich diversity of flora and fauna, including many rare species that require conservation.

U Minh Ha National Park is also a stopover point for many migratory bird species such as the red heron, egret, and teal; and it also records endangered species such as the Javan stork and the giant catfish. The amphibian and reptile system includes 11 amphibian species and 36 reptile species, notably the reticulated python and the king cobra.

The aquatic resources are also very diverse, with 37 species of fish belonging to 19 families; many of which are economically valuable, such as snakehead fish, tilapia, catfish, and striped catfish. Notably, there are two rare species listed in the Vietnam Red Book: the white catfish and the spotted catfish.

Besides preserving nature, U Minh Ha National Park is also a destination that attracts tourists to visit and experience the unique melaleuca forest ecosystem.

Proactively protect forests and wildlife.

Forest management and protection in U Minh Ha National Park are carried out regularly and appropriately according to each season. During the rainy season, the focus is on preventing illegal logging and hunting; during the dry season, efforts are intensified to prevent and fight forest fires. Annual reforestation efforts meet technical requirements, with 100% of the planted area using Melaleuca trees in accordance with forestry procedures.

Mr. Le Thanh Dung, Deputy Director of U Minh Ha National Park, said that the unit regularly disseminates laws on wildlife protection through its electronic information portal, meetings with residents in the buffer zone, and coordinates with local authorities to raise community awareness. As a result, the hunting of forest animals has decreased significantly, and the number of people voluntarily handing over wild animals for release back into the wild has increased year by year.

Officers from the Forest Fire Prevention and Control Center of U Minh Ha National Park are on duty, closely monitoring the forest situation during the dry season to proactively handle any incidents.

Patrols and inspections are maintained continuously to prevent violations. For many years, the area has not experienced widespread pest outbreaks, maintaining the stability of the forest ecosystem.

Mr. Pham Tan Hieu, from the Mobile Forest Protection and Management Team, stated that the force is deployed 24/7, rotating patrols in key areas, border regions, and core zones to prevent the hunting and trapping of wild animals. Upon detecting violations, the force confiscates the evidence, draws up a report for processing, and combines this with public awareness campaigns to improve people's understanding.

Digitalization in forest management and protection.

Faced with the pressure of its vast forest area and the risk of illegal encroachment, U Minh Ha National Park is stepping up the application of digital technology in forest management and protection. A notable example is the Poacher Cam system, comprising specialized cameras and drones, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Center in Vietnam.

These devices help record unusual movements in the forest, transmit data in real time, and assist forest rangers in detecting and handling cases of illegal honey harvesting and animal hunting.

Staff of U Minh Ha National Park operate drones to assist in forest management and protection.

Simultaneously, the unit deployed camera traps for biodiversity surveys, field data recording equipment, and smartphone applications for patrolling, contributing to reducing the burden on forest rangers.

"During the dry season, the surveillance camera and thermal imaging camera system helps to quickly identify fire locations, wind direction, fire coordinates, and supports nighttime monitoring. As a result, many forest fires have been detected and dealt with promptly, limiting damage," said Le Thanh Dung, Deputy Director of U Minh Ha National Park, highlighting the effectiveness of the system.

The Mobile Forest Management and Protection Team maintains 24/7 patrols and duty shifts to promptly detect and handle violations and potential forest fire risks.

Currently, U Minh Ha National Park continues to propose investment in expanding the monitoring system to cover the entire area of over 8,000 hectares of forest, contributing to improving the effectiveness of forest management and protection in a proactive, modern, and sustainable manner.

The U Minh Ha Melaleuca forest plays a crucial role in biodiversity conservation and ecological balance. Given the impacts of climate change and resource exploitation pressures, protecting the forest, preserving its habitat, and conserving endangered species is the responsibility of the entire society, contributing to the maintenance of a sustainable ecosystem for future generations.

Minh Tri - Truong Giang

Source: https://baocamau.vn/giu-la-phoi-xanh-u-minh-ha-a129035.html