The national park covers 56,621 hectares in total, of which 40,566 hectares are under tight protection, 12,137 hectares are used for forest rehabilitation, and 3,918 hectares are used for administration and services. Chu Mom Ray National Park is one of the four ASEAN Heritage Parks in Vietnam that were added when the environment ministers of the ASEAN member states revised the ASEAN Declaration on Heritage Parks on December 17 and 18, 2003.
Topography and hydrology
Chu Mom Ray National Park is located in the Central Highlands of western Kon Tum province, not far from the border of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The national park is situated in the Kon Tum province’s Ro Koi, Sa Son, Sa Nhon, Ya Xier, and Mo Rai communes in the Sa Thay district, as well as the Sa Loong and Po Y communes in the Ngoc Hoi district. The national park shares a western boundary with Cambodia’s Virachey National Park.
The national park takes its name from Chu Mom Ray, which stands at 1,773 meters above sea level and is the tallest of the medium-high mountains in the area. The national park’s lowest point is about 200 meters, with elevations progressively dropping from east to west. The Krong Po Ko and Dak Hodrai rivers, along with their tributaries, drain the national park. The Se San River receives water from these two rivers and travels across northeastern Cambodia before joining the Mekong River.
Biodiversity values
Chu Mom Ray National Park is home to two primary forest types: lower montane evergreen forest, which is found above 1,000 meters, and lowland evergreen forest, which is found below this altitude. Smaller patches of lowland semi-evergreen forest are also present; these are dispersed at elevations lower than 700 meters. A variety of secondary vegetation types can be found in the remaining parts of the national park (Anon. 1995). These include sizable sections of bamboo and a central grassland that emerged as a result of the Ho Chi Minh Trail’s use of defoliants during the war, which is now significant for wild cattle.
As of late 2003, 1,149 species of vascular plants, 97 species of mammals, 201 species of birds, 47 species of reptiles, 17 species of amphibians, and 18 species of fish have been reported at Chu Mom Ray National Park, according to Lai Duc Hieu, Vice-Director of the park. These include Bulbophyllum amitinandii and Coelogyne schltesii, two recently identified orchid species thought to be unique to southern Indochina.
With a population estimated at 10 to 15 individuals in 1997, Duckworth and Hedges (1998) suggest that Chu Mom Ray National Park would be one of the greatest habitats for Tiger Panthera tigris left in Vietnam. Asian Elephant Elephas maximus has been confirmed to exist at Chu Mom Ray, according to Duckworth and Hedges (1998), although the population has drastically decreased since 1980 and is currently divided into two small groups. Lastly, the authors provide tentative proof that Gaur Bos gaurus is still extant at the location. Additional evidence supporting the presence of Gaur and Banteng B. javanicus at the location was obtained from fieldwork carried out in 2001 and 2002 (C. Turtle in litt. 2003).
A number of bird species of conservation concern were observed at the site during a field survey in 2003. These included the globally near-threatened Black-hooded Laughingthrush Garrulax milleti and the globally threatened Germain’s Peacock Pheasant Polplectron germaini (Nguyen Cu in litt. 2003). Given that these two species have limited ranges, Chu Mom Ray might be located in an area that serves as a transition between the South Vietnamese Lowlands Endemic Bird Areas and the Kon Tum Plateau. According to Tordoff (2002), Chu Mom Ray is probably eligible to be designated as an Important Bird Area because it is probably home to regular large populations of several bird species that are both globally threatened and have restricted ranges.
Conservation issues
Chu Mom Ray National Park’s buffer zone spans 188,749 hectares. The buffer zone is home to 28,570 individuals, including members of the Thai, Ro-mam, Ha Lang, Gia Rai, Kinh, Muong, Xe Dang, and Brau ethnic groups (Lai Duc Hieu, Vice-director of Chu Mom Ray National Park, litt. 2003). As of right now, no one resides inside the national park’s borders (Kon Tum Provincial FPD in litt. 2000).
The occupants of the buffer zone pose a significant danger to the biodiversity of the site. These hazards are identified by Kon Tum Provincial FPD (in litt. 2000) as forest fires, hunting, and clearing forest for shifting cultivation.
The World Bank Forest Protection and Rural Development (FPRD) Project states that the following are the most significant conservation issues at Chu Mom Ray National Park: (i) the park’s boundary is not clearly defined, despite plans to finish it by 2004 (with the exception of 21 km on the eastern side, which is under the greatest pressure from villages); (ii) villages bordering the park are encroaching; and (iii) hunting is permitted within the park; (iv) Forest products that are not wood, such as rattans, dipterocarp resins, Scaphium macropodium fruit, and Thysanolaena maxima, as well as timber, are extracted from the national park; (v) rubber plantations in Mo Ray commune are upgrading the main road that passes through the park; (vi) the area was heavily bombed and doused with defoliants during the Second Indochina War; and (vii) the development of commercial pine and Acacia plantations along the park’s eastern edge poses a significant risk of forest fires (C. Turtle in litt. 2003).
Year of Declaration: 2003
Area (hectares): 56,621
Area and Location:
Chu Mom Ray National Park is situated in western Kon Tum province, in the Central Highlands, close to the point where Viet Nam, Cambodia and Lao PDR meet.
Description:
The Park is named after Chu Mom Ray, which is the highest (1,773 meters) mountain in the region. The park is adjacent to Virachey National Park in the Stung Treng and Ratanikiri provinces of Cambodia and the Southeast Ghong Natural Reserve in the Attapeu province of Lao PDR.
Habitat Types:
Major forest types include lowland evergreen forest, lower montane evergreen forest, lowland semi-evergreen forest, bamboo, and grasslands.
Unique Flora:
The Park harbors two orchid species believed to be endemic to southern Indochina: Coelogyne schltesii and Bulbophyllum amitinandii.
Unique Fauna:
Tigers, the Asian elephant, gaur and banteng have been recorded in the park. The National Park also supports globally threatened and restricted range bird species, including Germain’s peacock pheasant (Polplectron germaini) and the black-hooded laughingthrush (Garrulax milleti).
Ecotourism Destination and Activities:
Added attractions in the Park include the Seminary, Ethnic Hill Tribe Museum, Wooden Church and Kontum Prison.
Biological Richness:
• 1,494 species of plants
• 425 medicinal plant species
• 115 species of mammal
• 272 species of birds
• 62 species of reptiles and amphibians
• 20 species of freshwater fish
• 179 species of insects
