The official recognition for the 21,000-hectare park was conferred at a ceremony held in Kien Giang's Ha Tien Town on Monday evening.

U Minh Thuong is Vietnam’s eighth Ramsar site, a highly acclaimed title that recognizes the fundamental ecological functions of a wetland and its economic, cultural, scientific and recreational value.

 

Van Ngoc Thinh, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)'s country head in Vietnam, said that his agency will coordinate with relevant authorities and the park’s management in calling on donors to support programs of biodiversity preservation, peat swamp restoration and sustainable tourism development.

U Minh Thuong National Park is home to 32 mammal species, 187 bird species, 34 reptile and amphibian species, 37 fish species and 203 insect species.

Many of these species are globally threatened, including the yellow-breasted bunting, the yellow-headed temple turtle, the Sunda pangolin and the fishing cat.

In 2013 U Minh Thuong, around 365 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City and 60 km from Kien Giang’s Rach Gia Town, was named an Association for Southeast Asian Nations Heritage Park.

Seven other Ramsar sites in Vietnam include Ba Be Lake in Bac Kan Province and Xuan Thuy Natural Wetland Reserve in Nam Dinh Province, both in the northern region.

The five others, all in the southern region, are Bau Sau Wetlands and Seasonal Floodplains in Dong Nai Province's Cat Tien National Park, Con Dao National Park in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, Lang Sen Wetland Reserve in Long An Province, Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Province and Mui Ca Mau National Park in Ca Mau Province.