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Cat Tien National Park – source: cattiennationalpark.com.vn
Cat Tien National Park was established on the basis of merging Nam Cat Tien Forbidden Forest, Tay Cat Tien Nature Reserve and Cat Loc Rhinoceros Reserve, located in the territory of 3 provinces of Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai and Lam Dong. The central area of the park is 71,920 hectares, of which 39,627 hectares are in Dong Nai province, 27,850 hectares are in Lam Dong province and 4,443 hectares are in Binh Phuoc province.
Cat Tien Biosphere Reserve in Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc, Lam Dong and Dak Lak provinces was recognized on November 10, 2001 with a total area of 728,756 hectares; population: about 170,500 people; after expanding the core area and changing its name to Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve, it was recognized by UNESCO on June 28, 2011 with 969,993 hectares; population: about 170,500 people.
Bau Sau Wetland in Cat Tien National Park was recognized as a Ramsar Site in 2005.
Cat Tien National Park is an area that currently preserves many rare species of flora and fauna; it is an important area to maintain the broad-leaved evergreen forest ecosystem – the only (currently) living environment of the one-horned rhinoceros in Vietnam, Indochina and the world. The natural forest coverage in this area is up to 80%, with a diverse ecosystem: moist evergreen forest, grasslands and flooded areas. The natural terrain interspersed with ponds, swamps, streams, plus more than 90km of Dong Nai River has created a typical landscape for Cat Tien Park, with rapids, waterfalls, flooded and semi-flooded areas, etc. Geological and geomorphological traces demonstrate the transformation of nature in this area millions of years ago. Currently, Cat Tien National Park is one of the world biosphere reserves in Vietnam, recognized by UNESCO. According to statistics, Cat Tien National Park has 1,610 plant species and 1,568 animal species. Of these, 31 plant species and 84 animal species are listed in the Vietnam Red Book, 50 bird species are prioritized for protection at the global level and listed in the IUCN Red Book, 2008). In particular, there are 3 species and subspecies endemic to Vietnam that are at risk of extinction: the black-shanked douc langur, the Vietnamese one-horned rhinoceros and the Southern muntjac.
Most of Cat Tien’s area lies in the transitional terrain from the South Central Highlands to the Southern Delta, including typical terrain types of the end of the Truong Son range and the Southeast region. The park has an inland riverine wetland ecosystem, a very unique type of wetland in Vietnam and the world; the wetland is surrounded by natural forests, including rivers, streams, waterfalls, rapids, valleys, ponds, swamps and semi-flooded areas… Cat Tien National Park was ranked as a national monument in 1997. In the Cat Tien area, there are many beautiful landscapes, such as Troi waterfall, Ben Cu waterfall, Dung waterfall, Mo Parrot waterfall, Nokrot – Nokrot waterfall… One of the outstanding ecosystems here is the river system and ponds. Dong Nai River, has a basin area of 40,800 km2; the section flowing through Cat Tien National Park is about 90km long. Dac Lua Stream is about 20 km long, collecting water from the lakes into the river. Bau Sau is the largest lake, with a surface area of 92.63 hectares. There are about 100 Siamese crocodiles in the lake. This area is also home to the famous catfish. Bau Ca is a natural lake, with a surface area of 74.3 hectares. Bau Beo has an area of 23.92 hectares. The lake is surrounded by many large trees… In the Cat Tien area, there is also a fairly large grassland area, where rare large animals (gaur, muntjac) are preserved, well protected, with almost no human impact.
Regarding the flora of Cat Tien area: The most prominent is the broad-leaved evergreen forest, with an area of 17,819 ha, where there are mainly plant species belonging to the Dipterocarpaceae family, such as Dipterocarpaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Ba Ria rosewood, rosewood, go, and rosewood, and large wood species, etc.; the semi-deciduous evergreen forest has an area of 5,097 ha, including deciduous trees in the dry season, such as Lagerstroemia guava, Aglaonema, etc., and large deciduous trees that lose their leaves and return to their original state in the rainy season; the mixed bamboo forest has an area of 14,361 ha, etc.; the pure bamboo forest has an area of 29,805 ha, formed under human impact, with species of Lo O bamboo, mum, and tre gai (la nga); the submerged and semi-submerged vegetation has an area of 3,516 ha, distributed mainly in the central area of Nam Cat Tien area.
Birds of Cat Tien National Park – source: cattiennationalpark.com.vn
Archaeological traces show that an ancient culture once existed in this area. Historically, the Cat Tien area and its vicinity were home to many ethnic minorities: Ma, Choro, Stieng, Mnong, Tay, Nung, Hmong, Dao, Hoa, Muong, Ede, etc. These ethnic groups still preserve many unique cultural activities, beliefs, and festivals, such as the buffalo sacrifice ceremony of the Stieng and Ma people, the Sayangva festival (New Rice Celebration) of the Choro people, the New Rice Celebration of the Stieng and Mnong people, etc. and many customs, practices, and crafts that need to be studied and preserved.
Archaeologists have also discovered 12 archaeological mound-shaped sites (which are the ruins of temples and towers) in the Cat Tien area, along with many other artifacts and architectural remains. At Mound 1, located on “Monkey Hill” (about 50m high), brick architectural remains have been discovered, including a worship tower, a lobby and architecture on both sides of the road in front… In this area, a Ganesa statue, bricks, stones, Linga – Yoni idols, a small quartz Linga placed on a bronze Yoni, two river pebble Lingas with a brick Yoni, a small gold Linga,…
From the perspective of preserving natural heritage and cultural heritage, it can be seen that Cat Tien National Park includes the following basic values:
– Cat Tien National Park is a beautiful landscape area, still maintaining a tropical wetland ecosystem, with a rich flora and fauna, with a geological history of hundreds of millions of years. On the other hand, the biodiversity of Cat Tien National Park has been internationally recognized and affirmed (World Biosphere Reserve – 2001; Bau Sau Wetland System was listed on the Ramsar list in 2005). This is the basis for nature conservation and exploitation of landscape values for tourism development, serving the socio-economic development of localities.
– In the Cat Tien National Park area and surrounding areas, many archaeological sites and relics have been discovered, dating back quite early, spanning many centuries. From the results of archaeological research, it can be initially confirmed that in this area there was at least a flourishing culture from the 2nd to the 7th century AD. And, the Linga and Yoni idols excavated at the Cat Tien archaeological site (Lam Dong) are considered to be the largest in Vietnam today. On the other hand, in history, the Cat Tien area was also home to many indigenous peoples, with diverse and unique cultural traditions… During the period of resistance against the French and Americans, this place was also a very important base and war zone.
– In addition, Cat Tien area is also an attractive place for researchers to explore the mysteries of the natural world and ecosystems, and is an important practical school in the study of fauna, flora, geology, and geomorphology for students, researchers in Vietnam and the world.
With the special historical, cultural, scientific and aesthetic values of the relic, the Prime Minister decided to recognize Cat Tien National Park as a special national relic (Decision No. 1419/QD-TTg dated September 27, 2012).
Source: Department of Natural Resources and Environment