(VOVWORLD) - The Con Dao National Park in Ho Chi Minh City has been added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Green List, joining a prestigious global network of effectively managed conservation sites.
 The Con Dao National Park is one of Vietnam's most valuable hubs for biodiversity conservation. (Photo: VOV) |
The park covers more than 15,000 hectares of land and 14,000 hectares on the sea surface, with many ecosystems of mangrove, coral reefs, and seagrass beds, as well as rare plants and animals. There are more than 1,000 species of flora and 155 forest animals.
Notably, the park is home to green turtles, an endangered species listed in the Vietnam Red Book. In January 2009, Con Dao National Park set the record for the "Most Hatchlings Released into the Sea in Vietnam.” It was also the first in Vietnam to join the the Indian Ocean-Southeast Asia (IOSEA), a marine turtle conservation network.
Vietnam now has three conservation sites on IUCN’s Green List, including Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve in Ninh Binh province, Cat Tien National Park in Dong Nai province, and Con Dao National Park, the most in Southeast Asia.
The recognition reaffirms Vietnam’s commitment to biodiversity protection, climate change response, and sustainable development.