Biodiversity in Vinh Cuu Nature Reserve has gradually been restored

With 100,000 hectares of managed area, the Reserve is established to protect and restore ecosystem and some fresh water fish species in the Dong Nai river barin, create a vast biological environment to preserve biodiversity stably, preserve and bring into full play values of cultural and historical relics to educate people about awareness of environmental protection and evolutionary tradition, boost scientific research cooperation and ecotourism and collaborate with authorities and localities to organize and stabilize lives of people living in and around the Reserve.

List and specimens of animals and plants in this Reserve are still plentiful and diversified.

After implementing the province’s policy to close the forest gate, since 1997 to now, forests of the Reserve have been gradually restored and recently, some rare and precious animals have been discovered and in development such as bulls, bears, primates and grass eating animals.

To evaluate biodiversity potentiality of the Reserve to get data for preservation, the Reserve got cooperation and expense support from Dong Nai province Department of Science and Technology to carry out the project “Exam and build list and specimens of animals and plants in the Reserve”. The project started in 2007 and finished in 2009.  

The survey results show that, forest resources of the Reserve are still plentiful and diversified. About plants, 1,401 species have been discovered and recognized, including 10 ones in the list of endangered and rare, specious species, 28 ones in 2007 red list of Vietnam and 79 Vietnamese endemic ones. About animals, 1,729 species have been discovered and recognized such as 85 animal ones, 259 bird ones, 99 fish ones, 97 reptile and amphibian ones, 1,189 insect ones, including 58 ones in the list of endangered and rare, specious species, 73 ones in 2007 Red list of Vietnam and 44 in the Red list of International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).

It is necessary to boost dissemination to get people’s involvement and participation in forest and biodiversity protection.

 Besides, for the time being, the Reserve has conducted the project to plant and restore large tress (with large trunk diameters) in War Zone A. This project is run from 2009 to 2015. The Reserve will replace the whole area of foreign imported plants and supplement enough 416 ones/hectare to be fulfill policy to restore and enrich forests with 3.900 hectare area. In 2009, the Reserve planted 495 hectares and planed to grow 527 hectares in 2010 and fulfill the project in 2015.

 Despite many positive results, preserving biodiversity in the Reserve has got a lot of difficulties and challenges; for example, there are many households in and around the Reserve, most of who are poor and ethnic minorities and earn their livings from forest resources; its North and West border Binh Phuoc and Binh Duong provinces, making it difficult to manage and protect forest resources.      

 Therefore, to carry out biodiversity protection effectively in the Reserve, it is vital to implement solutions synchronously, to form co-ordination between related units and local authorities to help people develop economy and not depend on forests, boost calling on people to involve in forest and living environment protection and consider that to be a frequent, continual and long-term work.       

Reported by T. M, translated by Hoai Thu.