A community-based conservation model, funded by the World Wildlife Fund, was launched on May 14 in Bach Ma National Park in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

The group, consisting of 15 members from seven villages in Thuong Nhat commune, Nam Dong district, one of the National Park’s buffer zones, will meet once per month.

The group is expected to help increase the awareness and participation of local people in protecting the forest’s biodiversity, particularly rare and endangered species.

A view of the park. Photo: Vietnam+

Over past years, the province has allocated 10,000 hectares of forests in the National Park to local households to protect.

According to Chairwoman of the Nam Dong district People’s Committee Le Thi Thu Huong, local people’s work in forest protection has helped reduce poaching and logging by 50 percent.

Established in 1991, Bach Ma Park has a core zone covering 37,487 hectares in Phu Loc and Nam Dong districts.

It boasts 2,373 mushroom and flora species. Among them, 73 plants are listed in the Vietnam Red Data Book of endangered species, while more than 500 others are rare herb plants.

The park also harbours 1,715 fauna species, including 363 types of bird - one third of the number of bird species in Vietnam.

Sixty-nine animals named in the Red Data Book and 15 indigenous species have also been found here.

Source: VNA