Tràm Chim National Park
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Tràm Chim National Park () is a
national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
in the
Plain of Reeds Plain of Reeds (in ) is an inland wetland in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Most of the wetlands are within Long An Province and Đồng Tháp Province. Physical characteristics Đồng Tháp Mười is a "back swamp" forming a large inundated depress ...
in the
Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( or simply ), also known as the Western Region () or South-western region (), is the list of regions of Vietnam, region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong, Mekong River River delta, approaches and empties into the sea th ...
region of
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. The park was created to restore a degraded wetland, in order to protect several rare birds, especially the
sarus crane The sarus crane (''Antigone antigone'') is a large nonmigratory Crane (bird), crane found in parts of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia. The tallest of the flying birds, standing at a height of up to , they are a c ...
(''Grus'' ''antigone sharpii'')--a
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
listed on the
IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...
. It is also a designated wetland of international importance under the
Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on We ...
.


Ecology

In its natural state, the Plain of Reeds was a seasonal
wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
, covered in shallow water for three to six months annually, with annual grass fires in the dry season. Vegetation is thought to have been dominated by '' Melaleuca cajuputi'' trees, grasses, and other grass-like species such as
sedges The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large; botanists have described some 5,500 known species in about 90 generathe largest being the "true sedges" (genu ...
and ''
Eleocharis ''Eleocharis'' is a virtually cosmopolitan genus of 250 or more species of flowering plants in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. The name is derived from the Greek words ἕλειος (''heleios''), meaning "marsh dweller," and χάρις (''charis'' ...
''. Human modification of the environment began in the 18th century, with rice cultivation. During the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, the area was drained and vegetation burned for strategic reasons, which had the effect of drying out and
oxidizing Redox ( , , reduction–oxidation or oxidation–reduction) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of the reactants change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is ...
the
acid sulfate soils Acid sulfate soils are naturally occurring soils, sediments or organic substrates (e.g. peat) that are formed under waterlogged conditions. These soils contain iron sulfide minerals (predominantly as the mineral pyrite) and/or their oxidation produ ...
, making them highly acidic and inhospitable. Fires also increased in frequency. Efforts began in 1985 to restore the flooding regime, with success in attracting wildlife. After restoration, species that used to inhabit the area returned, including birds such as the sarus crane and
Bengal florican The Bengal florican (''Houbaropsis bengalensis''), also called the Bengal bustard, is a bustard species native to the Indian subcontinent, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List because fewer than 1,00 ...
, fish like the
giant barb The giant barb, Siamese Giant carp, or simply Siamese carp (''Catlocarpio siamensis''; , ; , , , or , , ; Vietnamese: ''cá Hô'') is the largest species of cyprinid in the world. These migratory fish are found only in the Mae Klong, Mekong, and ...
, and grasses like ''
Oryza rufipogon ''Oryza rufipogon'' is a species of flowering plant in the family ''Poaceae''. It is known as brownbeard rice, wild rice, and red rice. In 1965, ''Oryza nivara'' was separated off from ''O. rufipogon''. The separation has been questioned, a ...
.'' The fish provide an important role in feeding the local population.


Park history

In 1985, Tram Chim was established by the provincial government as Tram Chim Afforestation and Fishery Company with the goals of planting '' Melaleuca cajuputi'', exploiting aquatic resources, and preserving the Plain of Reeds area. In 1986, the
sarus crane The sarus crane (''Antigone antigone'') is a large nonmigratory Crane (bird), crane found in parts of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia. The tallest of the flying birds, standing at a height of up to , they are a c ...
was found here. In 1991, Tram Chim became a provincial-level natural reserve to specifically protect the cranes. In 1994, the reserve became a national natural reserve by the decision Circular 4991/KGVX. The protected area covers . In September 1998, the area was adjusted to . In 1998, this area became Tram Chim National Park by the governmental decision 253/1998/QĐ dated December 29, 1998.


References


Tram Chim National Park
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tram Chim National Park National parks of Vietnam Geography of Đồng Tháp province Protected areas established in 1998 Ramsar sites in Vietnam Tourist attractions in Đồng Tháp province