Bau Sau (Crocodile Lake) Wetlands and Seasonal Floodplains. 04/08/05; Dong Nai; 13,759 ha; 11°28'N 107°23'E. Cat Tien National Park. A freshwater complex and transition zone between the Great Annamite ecoregion and lower Mekong Delta with Vietnam's last remaining lowland semi-evergreen forests representative of the Indo-Chinese region. Bau Sau is a key habitat for 50 very rare IUCN red-listed species like Siamese Crocodile, Asian Arowana, Black-shanked Douc, Asian Elephant, Wild Gaur, Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbon and Smooth-coated Otter, 131 endemic fish and 6 species of turtles, tortoises and terrapins. Several red-listed birds include Pseudibis davisoni, Cairina scutulata, Grus antigone and Leptoptilos javanicus, and plants Dipterocarpus dyeri and Diospyros mun. Despite human activities such as subsistence fishing, hunting and collection of wood products, it is the best-conserved and almost pristine habitat of the national park as a result of enhanced protection by local management. It also serves as a floodwater retention reservoir with significant flow regulation protecting populated downstream localities. An ecological threat arises from invasion of exotic Mimosa pigra and water hyacinth bringing succession from open water to swamp vegetation. Conservation efforts include control of invasive species, crocodile census, waterbird surveys, awareness raising and range patrolling. Ramsar site no. 1499. Most recent RIS information: 2005.

Fecha de última publicación: 04-08-2005