Heritage List of ASEAN

ASEAN has awarded An U Minh Thuong National Park, located in the Mekong delta province of Kien Giang, a certificate recognising it as an ASEAN Heritage Park.

It is the country’s fifth site on the ASEAN list, after Hoang Lien Sa Pa National Park, Kon Ka Kinh National Park, Ba Be National Park, and Chu Mom Ray National Park.

Established 14 January 2002, U Minh Thuong National Park is a peat wetland area surrounded by a 60 km-long dyke.

Covering an area of nearly 3,000 ha, the park is home to 243 plant species, 32 species of animals, 39 species of reptiles and 34 species of fish.

The park is also the haven of a great number of rare and endangered bird species. A total of 187 bird species have been recorded here, including the oriental darter, spot-billed pelican, black-headed ibis, glossy ibis, greater spotted eagle and Asian golden weaver.

At the ceremony to receive the certificate, the Kien Giang provincial People’s Committee was urged to build a dossier for the park to apply for recognition as a Ramsar site.

The Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Heritage Parks is representative of efforts to conserve areas of particular biodiversity importance or exceptional natural features throughout ASEAN member states.

The ASEAN Ministers of Environment cooperatively signed the ASEAN Declaration on Heritage Parks on 18 December 2003.

The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) serves as the secretariat of the ASEAN Heritage Parks Programme and is responsible for reviewing the following principles:

• Maintenance of the essential ecological processes and life-support systems;

• Preservation of genetic diversity;

• Maintenance of species diversity of plants and animals within their natural habitat;

• Ensure sustainable utilisation of resources; and

• Provision of opportunities for outdoor recreation, tourism, education and research to make people recognise the importance of natural resources.

Currently, there are 32 ASEAN parks on the list.

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