Red-headed cranes (Grus antigone) at Tram Chim National Park (Photo: VNA) They are found in India,Australia and some Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar, Thailand,Cambodia and Vietnam.
In the past 10 years, in Cambodia and Vietnam, wild red-headed populations have declined rapidly from 850 individuals in2010 to just under 160 recorded in 2022. If this declining trendcontinues, they may soonbecome extinct.
Vice Chairman of the Dong Thap People’s Committee Nguyen Phuoc Thien said thatin recent years, due to climate change impacts and changes in the ecologicalenvironment, the number of the cranes returning to the park has fallensharply. They even did not arrive in the park in some years. Therefore, the localityis implementing a project to preserve and develop their population.
The restoration and development at Tram ChimNational Park are of great significance in the conservation of biodiversity aswell as in the cultural and spiritual life of local people. The success of theproject is expected to make important contributions to the protection of the species of the lower Mekong River region, while proving Vietnam'scommitment and high sense of responsibility in implementing internationalinstitutions, he said.
Located in Tam Nong district of the Mekong Delta province ofDong Thap, the park boasts a rich biodiversity that turned itinto the world’s 2000th Ramsar site in 2012. Established in 1985, the7,313-hectare Tram Chim became a national park in 1998 and then the fourthRamsar site in Vietnam.
The park’s plentiful green vegetation is inhabited by morethan 130 species of higher plants featuring six main types of floristicsocieties. Water life in the park is also bustling with the presence of over150 species of freshwater fish, some listed in Vietnam’s Red Book likeclown feather-back fish, common archerfish and giant barbs, nearly 180 algaespecies, 26 epifauna species, 350 species of plankton and 34 species ofamphibian. Tram Chim is home to 198 bird species, including 16 rare ones.
According to leaders of the park, theproject will focus on expanding the sarus crane herd by rearing andreleasing them into the wild. In the 2023-2033 period, it aims to release 150 sarus cranes to the wild, of which 100 individuals are expected to survive.
The restoration and development at Tram ChimNational Park are of great significance in the conservation of biodiversity aswell as in the cultural and spiritual life of local people. The success of theproject is expected to make important contributions to the protection of the species of the lower Mekong River region, while proving Vietnam'scommitment and high sense of responsibility in implementing internationalinstitutions, he said.
Located in Tam Nong district of the Mekong Delta province ofDong Thap, the park boasts a rich biodiversity that turned itinto the world’s 2000th Ramsar site in 2012. Established in 1985, the7,313-hectare Tram Chim became a national park in 1998 and then the fourthRamsar site in Vietnam.
The park’s plentiful green vegetation is inhabited by morethan 130 species of higher plants featuring six main types of floristicsocieties. Water life in the park is also bustling with the presence of over150 species of freshwater fish, some listed in Vietnam’s Red Book likeclown feather-back fish, common archerfish and giant barbs, nearly 180 algaespecies, 26 epifauna species, 350 species of plankton and 34 species ofamphibian. Tram Chim is home to 198 bird species, including 16 rare ones.
According to leaders of the park, theproject will focus on expanding the sarus crane herd by rearing andreleasing them into the wild. In the 2023-2033 period, it aims to release 150 sarus cranes to the wild, of which 100 individuals are expected to survive.
At the same time, the living environment of the bird will beimproved, an organic farming area developed around the park, and environmenteducation and communications strengthened, along with the improvementof livelihood for the local community basing on organic agriculture.
The project has a total cost of about 92 billion VND (3.92million USD).
Recently, the People’s Committee of Dong Thap signed amemorandum of understanding with the Vietnam Zoo Association (VZA), the InternationalCrane Foundation, and the Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand (ZPOT)on the conservation of sarus cranes.
The project has a total cost of about 92 billion VND (3.92million USD).
Recently, the People’s Committee of Dong Thap signed amemorandum of understanding with the Vietnam Zoo Association (VZA), the InternationalCrane Foundation, and the Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand (ZPOT)on the conservation of sarus cranes.
Under the document, the organisations will provide technicalsupport and experience to Dong Thap in preserving sarus cranes and chicks.
Richard David Beilfuss, ICF President and CEO, said that the ICF supports theproject to protect and develop sarus cranes of Dong Thap and will providebest conditions for cooperation among programmes to restore the bird populationin Dong Thap in particular and Vietnam in general, as well as the coordinationbetween Thailand and Vietnam in the work./.
Richard David Beilfuss, ICF President and CEO, said that the ICF supports theproject to protect and develop sarus cranes of Dong Thap and will providebest conditions for cooperation among programmes to restore the bird populationin Dong Thap in particular and Vietnam in general, as well as the coordinationbetween Thailand and Vietnam in the work./.
VNA
