Lang Sen Wetland Reserve (

Vietnamese language Vietnamese () is an Austroasiatic languages, Austroasiatic language Speech, spoken primarily in Vietnam where it is the official language. It belongs to the Vietic languages, Vietic subgroup of the Austroasiatic language family. Vietnamese is s ...

: ''Khu bảo tồn đất ngập nước Láng Sen'') is a wetland area in Dong Thap Muoi, Long An Province,

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Description

The reserve covers an area of 5030 hectares. The area features the diverse topography and

geomorphology Geomorphology () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth's surface. Geomorphologists seek to understand wh ...

of a typical

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

. Lang Sen area is heavily covered with flora varied to the seasonal tides of the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of and a drainage area of , discharging of wat ...

river (

Bassac River The Bassac River (; Tonlé Bassac) or Hậu River ( 瀧後 or 後江) is a distributary of the Tonlé Sap and Mekong River. The river starts in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and flows southerly, crossing the border into Vietnam near Châu Đốc. Th ...

), especially planted cajuput forest which attracts a diverse fauna to inhabit here. According to the preliminary survey, there exists 156 wild species belonging to 60 families; 149

vertebrate Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...

species belonging to 46 families, of which 13 species are listed in Vietnam's Red Data Book; the aquatic species are abundant. Among new species discovered are the Wild Mekong, a gecko with bright orange legs, a yellow neck, and a blue-grey body with yellow bars on its bright orange sides.http://www.wwf.org.uk/wwf_articles.cfm?unewsid=5518 Wild Mekong: new species discovered every two days

Diversity

The diversity of the flora and fauna here has been damaged by the agricultural activities of the local residents, reducing the number of endemic species once lived here. Since 1998, several researches and surveys have been implemented by local and international organizations in order to collect appropriate proof for the establishment of a natural reserve. In early 2004, this wetland area became a wetland reserve by the decision of the Vietnamese government. It was also chosen as one of two typical areas of wise biological diversity reserve in Mekong Basin sponsored by

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

, GEF,

UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

, and MWBP.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lang Sen Wetland Reserve Nature conservation in Vietnam Nature reserves Ramsar sites in Vietnam