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Bai Tu Long National
Park is situated in
Bai Tu Long bay in
Van Don district,
Quang Ninh province.
The topography of
Bai Tu Long bay is
similar to that of
Ha Long bay,
immediately to the
south:
limestone karst islands and
islets, surrounded
by marine waters.
One distinctive
feature of Bai Tu
Long bay is
Ba Mun
island, a larger
island, composed of
schist, sand and
gravel, not
limestone.
Ba Mun island
consists of a narrow
strip of land, 18 km
long and, on
average, 1 km wide.
The highest point on
the island is Cai
Quyt peak at 307 m.
A number of streams
originate on the
central ridge of the
island, most of
which are seasonal.
Bai Tu Long National
Park supports about
2,000 ha of lowland
evergreen forest,
most of which is on
Ba Mun. This forest
has, however, been
heavily disturbed by
selective timber
extraction and very
little undisturbed
forest remains. On
Tra Ngo island,
however, significant
stretches of
limestone forest
still remain.
Tree species
diversity is high in
the forest in the
national park, with
no one family
dominating. Common
tree species include
members of the
Caesalpiniaceae,
Theaceae,
Dipterocarpaceae,
Myrtaceae and
Sapotaceae families.
A total of 398
vascular plant
species have been
recorded on Ba Mun
island to date, four
of which are listed
in the Red Data
Book of Vietnam:
Decussocarpus
fleuryi,
Goniothalamus
chinensis,
Morinda officinalis
and Smilax glabra.
The national park
also includes a
number of
significant patches
of mangrove forest.
The dominant
mangrove species is
Aegyceras
corniculata,
while Bruguiera
gymnorhiza,
Kandelia candel
and Rhizophora
stylosa are also
present. The Ang
valley on Tra Ngo
island contains the
largest patch of
mangrove forest in
the national park.
It can be accessed
through Cai De cave,
a 2 km-long tunnel,
which connects the
valley to the sea.
Despite the national
park's isolation
from the mainland,
it supports a high
diversity of
terrestrial fauna.
Prior to 1975, the
fauna of Ba Mun
island was the most
diverse and abundant
known in Quang Ninh
province. Subsequent
decades of illegal
hunting and timber
extraction have,
however,
significantly
reduced the
diversity of the
island's fauna
(Anon. 1998).
According to the
investment plan for
the former Ba Mun
Nature Reserve
(Anon. 1998),
Eurasian Wild Pig
Sus scrofa and
Red Muntjac
Muntiacus muntjak
still occur,
although the
presence of other
large mammal
species, such as
Asian Black Bear
Ursus thibetanus,
could not be
confirmed.
The national park
has been the focus
of preliminary
ornithological
surveys. A single
globally threatened
species has been
recorded:
Pale-capped Pigeon
Columba punicea
(Eames and
Tordoff in prep.).
Bai Tu Long National
Park education
centre opens
QUANG NINH — It was
not just the young
who appeared
fascinated by the
new environm
 |
|
Multiform
ecosystem:
Bai Tu
Long is home
to many
species of
plants and
animals
listed in
Viet Nam’s
Red Book. —
VNS File
Photo |
ental education
centre in Bai Tu
Long National Park,
north of Ha Long
Bay.
Older residents of
Minh Chau Commune,
Van Don Island
closely inspected
the exhibits on the
plant and animal
life that live in
the park’s 15,700ha
of sea, tidal and
island land at the
centre’s opening day
on March 5.
"I want to learn
more about the local
environment but
there are not many
trees left," said
Kieu Van Vien, from
nearby Na San
Village.
"The local rangers
patrol the forest
very strictly to
protect what we have
left. But I hope the
centre will teach
everyone about
protecting the
environment."
Unlike Ha Long Bay,
few tourists make it
to Bai Tu Long Bay.
However, logging,
poaching,
over-fishing and the
pollution from the
province’s large
coal mining industry
are placing
substantial pressure
on the environment.
Poverty in the
communes that
surround the park
mean it is
frequently entered
illegally as people
search for food or
to steal logs or
hunt valuable
animals to make ends
meet.
Park director Nguyen
Duc Tuy said an
education
environment centre
in the national park
was necessary for
local community as
well as tourists.
"It is significant
component of our
awareness strategy
that will facilitate
the area’s
understanding of
park issues."
Bai Tu Long National
Park, in the
northern province of
Quang Ninh, was set
up by the Government
in 2001. The park
covers the islands
of Ba Mun, Tra Ngo
Lon, Tra Ngo Nho,
Sau Dong, the Sau
Nam islands and
another 20 smaller
karst islands.
The park has 494
different plant
species, 37 animals,
96 bird species, 15
amphibian species,
22 species of
reptiles and 391
marine animals,
according to a
biodiversity study
by British NGO
Frontier Viet Nam.
One of the most
endangered animals
in the park is the
dugong, also known
as a sea cow. Listed
in Viet Nam’s Red
Book, the dugong is
a large whale-like
sea mammal that is
in fact, more
closely related to
the elephant than
the whale. Minh Chau
fishermen found a
500kg dugong in park
waters last
December.
Safeguarding the
park’s ecosystem is
difficult because
the area’s main
communes of Minh
Chau, Quan Lan, Ban
Sen, Van Yen and Ha
Long are far apart,
spread across
several islands,
chief park ranger
Pham Van Sy said.
Frontier Viet Nam
has two projects in
the park, focusing
on evaluating
biodiversity,
improving the
community’s
environmental
awareness and
training forest
rangers in research
methods and
collecting
statistics on the
local flora and
fauna.
"I hope the centre
will play an
important role in
addressing these
issues and raising
awareness not only
the local community
but among visitors,"
said Leo Bottrill,
chief of
representative
Frontier-Vietnam. —
VNS |
