Cat Ba National park

Posted: 11:28 02/07/2022 Views: 2.344

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OVERVIEW OF CAT BA NATIONAL PARK

Cat Ba National Park was established on March 31, 1986 under Decision No. 79/CP of the Council of Ministers (now the Government). Cat Ba National Park is located in Cat Ba archipelago, Cat Hai district, Hai Phong city.

The current area of Cat Ba National Park is 17,362.96 ha, of which 10,912.51 ha is the island and forest part, 6,450.45 ha is the sea part. The park is divided into 3 functional areas: strict protection area with a total area of 5,164.67 ha, ecological restoration area with a total area of 12,094.35 ha and administrative serv ice area with a total area is 103.94 ha.

The main functions and tasks of Cat Ba National Park are: conservation and nature reserve; species - habitat conservation area; landscape protection; management, protection and development of special-use forests; preserve and promote special values of nature, standard models of ecosystems, biodiversity, biological genetic resources, historical and cultural relics, scientific research; provision of forest environmental services. Coordinate with local authorities and functional agencies in the state management of forest and marine resources of the Cat Ba Archipelago and World Biosphere Reserve.

Cat Ba National Park is an extremely unique national park in the system of national parks of Vietnam, the first national park in the country established with both forest and marine ecosystems. As the focal point of the World Biosphere Reserve of Cat Ba Islands and a National Special Scenic Landscape Monument, Cat Ba National Park is a typical example of typical tropical and subtropical marine - island ecosystems. typical features of Asia such as: primeval rainforest ecosystem on limestone island, mangrove ecosystem, coral reef ecosystem, tidal flat ecosystem, cave ecosystem, lake ecosystem salty, bay, pine, aqua.

These ecosystems are adjacent and follow each other, creating extremely rich landscapes and habitats. The park is also the only conservation area of Vietnam and the world where small populations of Cat Ba langur exist.

Due to the diversity of ecosystems and habitats, Cat Ba National Park has extremely rich flora and fauna resources. According to statistics, up to now, the park has recorded 1595 species of higher vascular plants belonging to 850 genera, 187 families in 5 different botanical branches, of which 70 species of endangered and rare plants are recorded in Vietnam Red Book and World Red Book.

In addition to the extremely important values of biodiversity, conservation value, and scientific value, the flora of Cat Ba National Park is also very diverse in terms of use value such as: medicinal plants of 1,026 species, groups of medicinal plants, and others timber providing 432 species, ornamental and shade tree group 253 species, food tree group: 253 species.
Forest animals are also very rich and diverse with 362 species, including 63 species of mammals, 209 species of birds; 58 species of reptiles and 32 species of amphibians, of which 58 species are recorded in the Red Book of Vietnam and the World.

In general, the fauna in the Garden and on Cat Ba Island has a specific nuance of a fauna of the coastal rocky mountainous ecology and features, typical of the island fauna, showing the richness of the flora and fauna. animals adapted to limestone mountain habitats such as Son Duong, Golden Monkey, Hedgehog, Soc...etc. Especially, the Cat Ba langur is a rare and endemic species of Vietnam, living only in the Cat Ba archipelago but not anywhere in the world with the current number of about 70 individuals. .

Insects and Butterflies have also recorded 401 species, because Cat Ba National Park is an isolated area from the mainland, surrounded by the sea, so the exchange or movement of butterflies with the surrounding areas is very difficult and limited. Due to the difference in space, the Garden has an Insect system in general, and a Butterfly system in particular, which is quite different from other areas on the mainland.

Over the years, the park has been cooperating with many scientists, national and international organizations to conduct, investigate, survey, research and discover many new species, valuable research and practical application.
Forest

In just a few years, several new species were discovered for science such as:

The big-nosed gray bat (Hipposideros grandis). This is a new species discovered in Vietnam and announced in 2006

Cat Ba eyelid gecko (Goniurosaurus catbaensis Thomas Ziegler et all). This is a new species discovered in Vietnam and announced in May 2008.

Sphenomorphus tonkinensis (Sphenomorphus tonkinensis). This is a new species discovered in Vietnam and announced in 2011.

Grip-phin bat (Hipposideros griffini). This is a new species discovered in Vietnam and announced in 2012

With more than 6,450 hectares of sea, marine life in Cat Ba National Park is the most abundant and diverse among the northern island regions of Vietnam, this is not only a place to store and disperse large genetic resources of the Gulf of Tonkin, but also has many rare species.

According to the survey results on fisheries of the Institute of Marine Resources and Environment in Hai Phong, currently, marine life in Cat Ba island area has identified 196 species of marine fish, 658 benthic animals, 400 species of phytoplankton, etc. 131 zooplankton species, 177 coral species, 23 mangrove tree species, 102 seaweed species, 3 dolphin species...etc.

In which, there are many rare and precious species that have been included in the Red Book of Vietnam and the World. Cat Ba marine life also has many species of economic value, high export value such as: pearl mussel, green mussel, tumulus, cockle, male sand snail, spiny seahorse, triangular-tailed sambar, tortoiseshell.

The coral reef ecosystem acts like a tropical rainforest under the sea, because it is home to benthic species and fishes. These coral reefs are also divided into many layers and coverage levels like tropical rainforests. If this coral reef is lost, there is a risk that our country's sea will turn into "water desert", which means very little life like a desert. Coral has high value not only in terms of biodiversity but also very valuable in tourism and aquaculture.

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