HCMC – ASEAN environmental officials have proposed the ASEAN ministers of Environment recognize two Vietnamese sites as the 54th and 55th ASEAN heritage parks, the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment reported.
The proposal was made during the 33rd Meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials on Environment and related events held from October 3-7 in Cambodia.
According to the Cambodian Ministry of Environment, the gathering aimed at promoting regional cooperation for the protection, restoration and sustainable use of natural resources.
The two sites are Con Dao National Park in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Bach Ma National Park near the central city of Hue.
If approved, the parks are expected to receive ASEAN Heritage Park certificates at the 17th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment, bringing the tally of the country’s ASEAN heritage parks to 12.
The Con Dao National Park met nine out of 10 criteria for an ASEAN heritage park, and the other satisfied all of them.
The Bach Ma National Park, a nature reserve with nearly 37,500 hectares located in the central province of Thua Thien Hue, plays an important role in the biodiversity conservation of Vietnam and ASEAN as it is home to many rare animals listed in Vietnam’s Red Data Book.
The Con Dao National Park is a natural reserve area on Con Dao Island, in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau. It was internationally recognized as a new wetland Ramsar site in Vietnam in 2014.
Since the launch of the ASEAN Heritage Park program, Vietnam has boasted 10 ASEAN Heritage Parks, including Nui Ba, Vu Quang, Lo Go – Xa Mat, Ba Be, Kon Ka Kinh, Chu Mom Ray, Hoang Lien, U Minh Thuong, Bai Tu Long national parks and Ngon Linh Natural Reserve.
