U Minh Thuong National Park

Bird Station at U Minh Thuong Nature Reserve
Little Egret
Locals collecting Nymphaea Nouchali

U Minh Thuong National Park

  • Country: 
    Viet Nam
  • Site number: 
    2228
  • Area: 
    8,038 ha
  • Designation date: 
    30-04-2015
  • Coordinates: 
    09°35'N 105°05'E
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Overview

U Minh Thuong National Park is one of the last remnants of climax peat swamp forest in the biogeographic region, dominated by mixed forests and Melaleuca forests on peat that covers around 3,000 ha (approximately 37%) of the Park. The Site is recognized as one of the three highest priority sites for wetland conservation in the Mekong Delta. It is home to distinctive flora and fauna including 32 mammal species, 187 bird species, 34 reptile and amphibian species, 37 fish species, and 203 insect species. Many of these are globally threatened, including the endangered yellow-breasted bunting (Emberiza aureola), yellow-headed temple turtle (Heosemys annandalii), Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) and fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus). It is also one of the only three sites in the world known to support a population of the endangered hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana). The Site regularly hosts more than 20,000 waterbirds. Most of the fish species observed are native and the distribution of eight of these is restricted to the lower Mekong Basin. U Minh Thuong National Park supports large areas of peat layers and a complex system of canals that can store a large volume of water. It functions as a sponge that maintains the groundwater level and releases surface water to the surrounding areas, and supports production and daily activities of the local communities surrounding the Park. In addition, the Site is of significant spiritual, historical, archaeological, educational and scientific value.

Administrative region: 
U Minh Thuong district, Kien Giang province

  • Global international designation: 
    • UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
  • National legal designation: 
    • National Park - U Minh Thuong
  • Regional (international) legal designations: 
    • Other international designation
  • Last publication date: 
    26-05-2015

Downloads

Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)

Additional reports and documents