AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BIOPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF WETLANDS OF TRAM CHIM NATIONAL PARK, DONG THAP PROVINCE, VIET NAM

Abstract

Tram Chim National Park is a 7,600-ha wetland in which the characteristic hydroperiod of the Plain of Reeds in southwestern Vietnam has been reproduced in part. Since the late 1980s, wetlands in Tram Chim were restored by means of a system of dykes and water gates to preserve a mosaic of native vegetation communities that has attracted the Eastern Sarus Crane for seasonal visits for the first time in decades. Problems associated with canal construction and drainage in the Mekong Delta, such as the development of acid sulphate soils, make the success of this site especially remarkable. Like other large wetlands dominated by both herbaceous plants and occasional stands of trees, fire should play a prominent role in its ecological functions. The park is now surrounded by villages, however, and maintaining its integrity against natural threats such as invasion of the alien weed Mimosa pigra and anthropogenic threats such as illegal resource harvesting becomes an increasingly difficult task.