One of the last areas of the Plain of Reeds wetland ecosystem, which formerly encompassed around 700,000 hectares of the Mekong Delta in southwest Vietnam, is Tram Chim National Park (7,313 hectares, 10°4249N 105°3012E). The Brownbeard Rice (Oryza rufipogon) communities are found here in one of the few remaining locations in the area.
Nine globally threatened bird species and five fish species, including the severely endangered Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis and the Giant Barb Catlocarpio siamensis, are supported by the marsh. Over 20,000 waterbirds and over 1% of the population of six different species of waterbirds, including the Easter Sarus Crane Grus antigone sharpii, are often seen at the location throughout the dry season.
In addition to protecting the homes of about 20,000 people along its eastern and southern dykes from flooding, the park’s nearly natural landscape has the important ability to lessen the damage that floods and droughts can do to the downstream portion of the Mekong Delta.
International tourists are drawn to the area by its stunning scenery. The plain saw numerous combat fought during the American-Vietnam War, giving the location historical significance. Rich in grass for fodder, trees for fuel, and most crucially, fish, the park is home to the locals’ primary source of nourishment.
With financing from UNDP/GEF and SIDA, IUCN, the Mekong River Commission (MRC), and UNDP are implementing the Mekong River Basin Wetland Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use Programme, Phase I, with Tram Chim serving as one of the demonstration sites. The program’s objective is to support Lower Mekong subregion nations in creating innovative strategies for fusing ecotourism development with the preservation and sustainable use of wetland biodiversity. WWF recently provided research and pilot projects to Tram Chim National Park in an effort to restore the natural ecosystems, from 2007 to 2011.
