Forest protection in Con Dao

International visitors visit Hon Bay Canh, Con Dao National Park

From Hon Bay Canh

On this trip to the island, the weather was favorable so we were lucky to visit some islands in Con Dao National Park and had interesting conversations with the forest rangers who were exposed to the rain, wind and sea here. From the center of Con Dao town, the canoe rushed on the calm and blue sea for about half an hour to reach Bay Canh island. The reason it is called Bay Canh is because from above, the island has 7 edges and is one of the rare islands with underground fresh water to serve tourists . This is also the island with the most turtle egg-laying grounds among the islands in Con Dao.

Mr. Tran Manh Hung (born in 1972, from Ha Tinh ), Head of the Bay Canh Island Forest Protection Station, is the person with the longest experience of more than 33 years of forest protection in Con Dao. Of the 16 islands, only Tai Island has not been to him, the rest of the islands bear his footprints of forest visits. Recalling the difficult years of decades ago, Mr. Hung said: Back then, the most difficult thing was still fresh water, we had to carry each can up to the island. During the rough sea season, the two brothers only had 40 liters of water to use for half a month. We didn't have a house, so we had to cut down each bamboo tree to build a tent, and arrange leaves to shelter from the rain. There were few means of transport, in the whole Con Dao National Park there were only 1-2, there were times when the leaders saw how miserable the brothers were, so they carried fresh water up to the hut for the staff. Then there were years when we had to celebrate Tet on the island, the rough sea made it impossible to get in, there was no food, we couldn't catch fresh fish so we had to eat dried fish. The difficult years gradually passed, now there is enough electricity, water, and phone signal, and there is more food, but because he has become used to living on the island, he feels uncomfortable going to the mainland, so every month Mr. Hung only comes back for one or two days, then packs up and goes to guard the island with his brothers.

As for Mr. Tran Dinh Dong (born in 1980, from Quang Binh ), a new ranger who has only been guarding the island for more than 5 years, the hair of this ranger, over 45 years old, has almost turned gray with the waves. Before that, Mr. Dong also worked as a ranger in his hometown, but due to difficult circumstances, he had to say goodbye to his wife and children to go to the island to take on the task of guarding the forest and being a midwife for sea turtles to lay eggs. Turtle laying season lasts from April to October every year, with the peak being from June to August. Hon Bay Canh is the place that accounts for 80% of the total sea turtle eggs of all the islands, so the work here is much harder than other places. Therefore, staying up until 2-3 am, even staying up all night to watch sea turtles lay eggs, is not unusual for the rangers here. Because if not watched, turtle eggs can be stolen, eaten by animals or even flooded, so after laying eggs, they need to be transported promptly to the incubation site... 5 years of working is 5 years of celebrating Tet on the island, the work is so busy that when the family has a big event, Mr. Dong only comes home 1-2 times a year, so he just hopes that his wife and children understand and sympathize with his work.

To Cau island

Saying goodbye to the “forest police” on Hon Bay Canh, we headed to Hon Cau, which is associated with a folk tale about the unfinished love between a boy named Truc Van Cau and Mai Thi Trau in the 18th century. The tragic story made the boy leave his village to live on a deserted island, and when he died, the island was named after him. The girl, out of sadness, threw herself into the nearby beach, which is why it is now called Dam Trau beach.

Stepping onto Hon Cau, many visitors are amazed by the poetic beauty of the combination of fine white sand, blue sea water and lush coconut groves deep inside. Although it is called Hon Cau, there are few areca trees but mainly coconut trees with an area of about 10 hectares. The island has an ancient well that provides fresh water all year round, so the banana and jackfruit trees also bear abundant sweet fruit. Mr. Le Thanh Nam (born in 1994), a ranger of Hon Cau, shared that due to the convergence of many conditions for survival, the island attracts quite a lot of tourists, especially international visitors.

Not only is the island beautiful, it also has a little-known relic, which was the place where some political prisoners were detained around 1930 before being transferred to Phu Son camp. On the island, there are also some phong ba trees recognized as heritage trees, so the forest rangers always pay attention to guarding and protecting them.

On the way back to the town center by canoe, we heard many more stories about forest protection on the island, some sad, some happy, but all for a green color for Con Dao today and tomorrow.

PHU NGAN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/giu-rung-o-con-dao-post801170.html