Pù Mát receives the title of ASEAN Heritage Garden

Pu Mat National Park is a green gem in the vast forests of Nghe An province, its value further enhanced by its official recognition as an ASEAN Heritage Park.

On the afternoon of December 8th, in Con Cuong commune, Nghe An province, Pu Mat National Park was honored to receive the ASEAN Heritage Park title, while also celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Director Tran Quang Bao (right) presents the ASEAN Heritage Park title to Pu Mat National Park. Photo: Hoai Thu.

Attending the program were Mr. Tran Quang Bao, Director of the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection; representatives from the Department of Heritage; representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Bolykhamxay province, Laos; representatives from national parks, heritage parks, and nature reserves in Vietnam; and cooperative organizations…

The Pù Mát Nature Reserve was officially upgraded to Pù Mát National Park by Decision No. 174/2001/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister on November 8, 2001. The park's functions include protecting and developing special-use forests; conserving and promoting biodiversity and genetic resources; preserving nature, cultural and historical values, and landscapes; conducting scientific research, international cooperation, rescue and development of wildlife; educating and raising environmental awareness and providing forest environmental services; and developing ecotourism.

Pu Mat National Park is home to many rare and endangered wildlife. Photo: Viet Khanh.

Pu Mat National Park is considered one of the most biodiverse special-use forests in Vietnam. It preserves many rare and valuable animal and plant species at both national and international levels. Even more importantly, several rare and endangered species are being conserved and developed stably within the park, such as the elephant, the Trường Sơn muntjac, the striped rabbit, the civet, the sun bear, and the Malayan bear.

For the past 30 years, Pu Mat National Park has identified forest management and protection as a particularly important political task, and has therefore always devoted all its heart and effort to fulfilling this noble responsibility. Following the guidance of the Central Government, the Provincial People's Committee, and the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the leadership of Pu Mat National Park proactively develops annual professional plans, directing forest protection forces to actively monitor the area, regularly patrol, and assess the situation in order to detect violations early and take timely action.

Mr. Le Anh Tuan, Director of Pu Mat National Park, affirmed that forest management and protection is a particularly important political task. Photo: Hoai Thu.

Pù Mát is also a pioneer in applying information technology, introducing smart devices to support forest rangers in performing their professional duties, especially in the work of "protecting forests at the grassroots level".

Protecting forests is an extremely arduous task, with immense pressure, and preserving the "heritage forests" in the sun-drenched, windy Pù Mát region is even more challenging. If done alone, it would be too difficult to shoulder the burden. Based on practical experience, Pù Mát National Park has proactively collaborated with numerous domestic and international organizations and individuals to share the burden, while simultaneously creating a springboard for effective forest protection, animal rescue, scientific research, environmental education, and livelihood development for people in the buffer zone…

Pu Mat is a masterpiece in the vast forests of Nghe An province. Photo: Viet Khanh.

Key partners of the park over the years include the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, the Wildlife Conservation Center in Vietnam, the Fauna and Flora International organization, etc. Statistics from 2017 to the present show that 64 delegations from 26 countries have visited Pu Mat National Park to cooperate in biodiversity research.

Pu Mat National Park shares nearly 70 km of border with the Lao People's Democratic Republic. For the past 15 years, the park has maintained a close cooperation agreement on cross-border biodiversity conservation with the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Bolikhamsai province and other relevant parties, thereby organizing conferences on a rotating basis to exchange practical experiences and better protect the shared forest.

Pu Mat possesses extremely high endemic value. Photo: Viet Khanh.

Before being recognized as an ASEAN Heritage Park, Pu Mat National Park had received many prestigious titles and awards during its 30-year journey of construction and development, including: 2 Certificates of Merit from the Prime Minister, the Government's Emulation Flag; the Second Class Labor Medal awarded by the President in 2023; the Park's Party Committee has consistently achieved the title of "Exemplary, Clean and Strong" for many years, and received the Vietnam Environment Award for the period 2010-2015 and in 2021; 8 Certificates of Merit from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment; and 28 Certificates of Merit from the People's Committee of Nghe An province.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/pu-mat-don-nhan-danh-hieu-vuon-di-san-asean-d788347.html