Efforts to preserve and develop biodiversity in Con Dao

Tourists release baby turtles into the sea at Con Dao National Park.

Special natural ecosystem

Mr. Le Hong Son, Head of the Conservation and International Cooperation Department of Con Dao National Park, said: Con Dao National Park is located in the special-use forest system of Vietnam. The park has 14,000 hectares of wetlands. The fauna of Con Dao forest is recorded with 144 species, of which 28 are mammals, 69 are birds, 39 are reptiles, and 8 are amphibians. The marine ecosystem of Con Dao is also diverse and rich with 1,321 species of marine life recorded, of which 37 are listed in the Vietnam Red Book. Many species have high economic value such as aquatic products and seaweed. Rare marine mammals include: blue whales, dugongs, and dugongs. Con Dao is also the spawning ground of some species of sea turtles.

According to researchers, wetlands in Con Dao are the cradle of biodiversity and provide water and basic conditions for many species of flora and fauna to survive. This is also where there is a high concentration of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and mollusks.

Among the wetlands in Con Dao, the mangrove forest covers an area of ​​over 30 hectares, one of the rare remaining primeval forests in Vietnam. The mangrove forest is scattered in many different areas with a small but diverse area, the largest area is about 5.9 hectares, the smallest is about 0.5 hectares.

The coral reefs in Con Dao are also among the oldest in Vietnam, distributed in shallow waters around the islands, covering a total area of ​​about 1.8 hectares. The coral reefs record a high level of biodiversity with more than 342 species, 61 genera, and 17 families recorded in the area.

According to the assessment of researchers, the sea area of ​​Con Dao has the richest density and abundance of species in Vietnam, and is relatively intact in terms of distribution and structure of marine organisms such as coral reefs, seagrass beds, seaweed, mollusks, marine reptiles, marine mammals, and the distribution of fish species in the three layers of the surface, middle and bottom of the sea. "Con Dao National Park converges all four unique and rare forest and marine ecosystems in the world . Con Dao is the intersection and is considered a warm home where many marine creatures from the North and South of the East Sea come to thrive," said Mr. Son.

In 2013, the Ramsar Convention Secretariat recognized Con Dao National Park as the world's 2,203rd wetland of international importance and Vietnam's 6th Ramsar Site. In 2024, the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment awarded certificates of recognition for 24 heritage trees to the Con Dao National Park Management Board. To date, Con Dao district has 105 heritage trees.

Exploiting biodiversity for tourism

In order to effectively exploit biodiversity conservation, ecotourism activities are strongly developed in Con Dao National Park. Ecotourism in Con Dao has 4 main routes including: marine ecotourism; sea turtle ecotourism; forest ecotourism; combined ecotourism, with many different routes, activities and tourism products.

Since the beginning of the year, Con Dao district has welcomed about 329,089 visitors, including 17,296 visitors to Con Dao National Park (28% are international visitors), of which 95% come to experience eco-tourism services to visit small islands, see corals, release baby turtles into the sea and watch turtles lay eggs.

Agrippina Vaganova, a tourist from Russia, said: “I was really impressed by the pristine scenery and clean environment of the small islands in Con Dao. After a day of diving to see the coral, I stayed another night on Hon Bay Canh to see turtles coming ashore to lay eggs and witness the sea turtle rescue work of the local forest rangers.”

Recognizing the important role of biodiversity, Con Dao district in particular and Ba Ria-Vung Tau province in general have been making efforts to find ways to protect resources and develop sustainable tourism in Con Dao.

Con Dao district leaders affirmed that the district has implemented sustainable use measures and implemented benefit-sharing mechanisms from exploiting ecosystems and biodiversity for tourism development; encouraged the development of buffer zones of conservation areas by providing low-interest loans to poor people and fishermen from the Con Dao National Park Natural Resources Conservation and Development Fund to support the community's livelihoods, contributing to reducing pressure on natural resources. At the same time, tourism development is linked to biodiversity conservation.

Article and photos: QUANG VU

Source: https://baobariavungtau.com.vn/kinh-te/202505/huong-ung-ngay-da-dang-sinh-hoc-225-no-luc-bao-ton-va-phat-trien-da-dang-sinh-hoc-o-con-dao-1043173/