Tràm Chim National Park () is a

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

in the

Plain of Reeds Plain of Reeds (in vi, Đồng Tháp Mười) 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 ...

in the

Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( vi, Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, lit=Nine Dragon River Delta or simply vi, Đồng Bằng Sông Mê Kông, lit=Mekong River Delta, label=none), also known as the Western Region ( vi, Miền Tây, links=no) or South-weste ...

region of

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. The park was created to restore a degraded wetland, in order to protect several rare birds, especially the sarus crane (''Grus'' ''antigone sharpii'')--a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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 the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

. 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 sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...

Ecology

In its natural state, the Plain of Reeds was a seasonal

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

, 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 ''Melaleuca cajuputi'', commonly known as cajuput or white samet is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is widespread in Australia, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and the Torres Strait islands. It is a medium to tall tree with papery bark, ...

'' trees, grasses, and other grass-like species such as sedges 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 (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, the area was drained and vegetation burned for strategic reasons, which had the effect of drying out and oxidizing 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'') ( km, ត្រីគល់រាំង, ; th, กระโห้, , , or , , ; Vietnamese: ''cá Hô''), is the largest species of cyprinid in the world. Thes ...

, and grasses like '' Oryza rufipogon.'' 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 ''

'', exploiting aquatic resources, and preserving the Plain of Reeds area. In 1986, the sarus crane 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