Preserving the forests in Con Dao

International tourists visit Bay Canh Island, Con Dao National Park.

From Bay Canh Island

This trip to the islands was fortunate due to favorable weather, allowing us to visit several islands within Con Dao National Park and have interesting conversations with the forest rangers who were braving the rain, wind, and sea. From the center of Con Dao town, the speedboat sped across the calm, turquoise sea for about half an hour before reaching Bay Canh Island. It's called Bay Canh because, viewed from above, the island has seven sides, and it's one of the few islands with underground freshwater sources to serve tourists . This island also has the most nesting beaches for turtles among all the islands in Con Dao.

Mr. Tran Manh Hung (born in 1972, from Ha Tinh province), Head of the Bay Canh Island Forest Ranger Station, is the longest-serving ranger with over 33 years of experience protecting the forests in Con Dao. Of the 16 islands, only Tai Island is untouched by his visits; the rest bear the marks of his forest explorations. Recalling the hardships of decades past, Mr. Hung recounted: "Back then, the biggest difficulty was fresh water; we had to carry it up to the island in cans. During the stormy season, the two of us only had 40 liters of water to last half a month. We didn't have houses, so we had to cut down bamboo trees to build shelters and arrange leaves to protect ourselves from the rain. Transportation was scarce; the entire Con Dao National Park only had one or two vehicles. Once, seeing how hard we were working, the leaders brought fresh water to carry up to the shelters for the staff. There were also years when we had to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year) on the island because the sea was too rough to get in, food ran out, and we couldn't catch fresh fish, so we had to eat dried fish." The difficult times gradually passed, and now there's electricity, running water, and phone signal, and food is more plentiful. However, because he's become accustomed to living on the island, he finds the mainland unsuitable, so Hung only goes there for one or two days a month before packing up and returning to guard the island with his comrades.

As for Mr. Tran Dinh Dong (born in 1980, from Quang Binh province ), a forest ranger who has only been guarding the island for over 5 years, the hair of this ranger, over 45 years old, has almost completely turned gray due to the waves. Before that, Mr. Dong also worked as a forest ranger in his hometown, but due to difficult circumstances, he had to leave his wife and children to take on the task of guarding the forest and acting as a midwife for sea turtles. The sea turtle nesting season takes place from April to October each year, with the peak from June to August. Bay Canh Island accounts for 80% of the total sea turtle eggs of all the islands, so the work here is much more arduous than elsewhere. Therefore, staying up until 2-3 am, or even staying up all night to guard sea turtles laying eggs, is nothing unusual for the forest rangers here. Because if left unguarded, the turtle eggs could be stolen, eaten by animals, or even flooded, so after laying, they need to be transported to the incubation area promptly... Five years of working means five years of celebrating Tet (Lunar New Year) on the island. With such a busy job, Mr. Dong only comes home once or twice a year when there's a major family event, so he and his colleagues only hope that their wives and children understand and sympathize with their work.

Arriving at Cau Island

After bidding farewell to the "forest police" on Bay Canh Island, we headed towards Cau Island, associated with a folk tale about the tragic love between a young man named Truc Van Cau and Mai Thi Trau in the 18th century. This heartbreaking story led the young man to leave his village and live on the deserted island; after his death, the island was named after him. The girl, overwhelmed with grief, threw herself onto the nearby beach, hence the name Dam Trau Beach (meaning "Betel Pond Beach").

Stepping onto Cau Island, many tourists are amazed by its poetic beauty, a combination of fine white sand, blue sea water, and lush coconut groves in the distance. Although called Cau Island (meaning "betel nut island"), there are few betel nut trees; instead, the island is primarily planted with coconut trees, covering an area of about 10 hectares. The island has an ancient well that provides fresh water year-round, so the banana and jackfruit trees also bear abundant sweet fruit. Le Thanh Nam (born in 1994), a forest ranger on Cau Island, shared that due to its many favorable conditions for survival, the island attracts a large number of tourists, especially international visitors.

Besides its beautiful scenery, Cau Island also has a little-known historical site: the place where several political prisoners were held around 1930 before being transferred to Phu Son camp. The island also has several mangrove trees recognized as heritage trees, so the forest rangers always pay close attention to guarding and protecting them.

On the boat ride back to the town center, we heard many more stories about preserving the forest on the island, some sad, some happy, but all for the sake of a green Con Dao today and in the future.

PHU NGAN

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