The central province of Quang Binh on May 22 gave prizes to 19 works of a writing contest on the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, which is part of activities marking the 10 th anniversary of its recognition as the World Natural Heritage Site.

The contest titled “Learning about the World Natural Heritage Site of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park” aims to help people, particularly the youth, improve their awareness of protecting the heritage as well as introduce the heritage’s outstanding values.

Two months after launching, the contest’s organising board received more than 21,000 entries, of which 70 writings were selected to the final round.
Also on the occasion, the provincial People’s Committee presented certificate of merit to 3 organisations and 11 individuals in recognition of their contributions to discovering and exploring the park’s caves.

The Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, located in the middle of the Annamite Mountain Range in Quang Binh province, comprises an area of 85,754 ha and contains terrestrial and aquatic habitats, primary and secondary forest, sites of natural regeneration, tropical dense forests and savanna.

The property contains and protects over 104 km of caves and underground rivers, making it one of the most outstanding limestone karst ecosystems in the world.

A large number of faunal and floral species occur within the property with over 568 vertebrate species recorded. This impressive level of biodiversity and species richness includes a number of endemic species as well as threatened species including tiger, Asiatic black bear, Asian elephant, giant muntjac, Asian wild dog, and the recently discovered sao la.-VNA