A waterfall at Bach Ma National Park in Thua Thien-Hue

The centre of the Vietnam National Museum of Nature will cover nearly 18ha of land in Phong My commune of Phong Dien district. It is scheduled to become operational in 2020. 

It aims to serve as a facility for researching and testing some study results of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), rescuing and conserving wild fauna and flora, creating high-quality livestock and poultry breeds, and developing rare herb plants of the central region. 

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Phan Ngoc Tho said the province is home to the Bach Ma National Park, the Tam Giang-Cau Hai lagoon system and the Phong Dien Nature Reserve, where many rare fauna and flora species are living. 

In particular, the Phong Dien Nature Reserve covers 41,433ha of land in Phong Dien and A Luoi districts. It is the first place to record Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) and “mang lon” (giant muntjac, or Megamuntiacus vuquangensis) that have been only found in Vietnam and Laos. 

The reserve harbours 44 mammal species, including 19 in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and 16 in Vietnam’s Red Data Book. It is also home to 34 reptile, 19 amphibian and 172 bird species. 

Tho said the conservation centre is important for his province to become a science-technology hub of Vietnam, while helping the VAST improve its capacity.

VNA