Tram Chim (12009)
Vietnam, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2012
National site name: Tram Chim
Central coordinates: Latitude: 10.7333, Longitude: 105.5167
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 2
Area of KBA (km2): 79.723
Protected area coverage (%): 98.63
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Tram Chim National Park supports one of the last remnants of the Plain of Reeds wetland ecosystem, which previously covered some 700,000 ha. The site is located 19 km to the east of the Mekong river. The topography of the national park is flat, and slopes slightly to the east. The site has large areas of seasonally inundated grassland and Melaleuca forest. Large populations of waterbirds are found at the site, particularly in the winter when many thousands of waterfowl visit.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas) The site has been reviewed and re-confirmed as a KBA in the process of compiling the revised 2011 CEPF Ecosystem Profile for the Indo-Burma Hotspot.
Additional biodiversity: Non-bird biodiversity: Tram Chim is one of the few places in the Plain of Reeds where the Eleocharis and wild rice Oryza rufipogon community is likely to survive to any extent, and therefore one of the most important sites for the conservation of wild rice.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The vegetation of Tram Chim National Park comprises a mixture of seasonally inundated grassland, regenerating Melaleuca forest and open swamp.
Land use: agriculture (4%) | nature conservation and research (96%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 61 | |
| Forest | 5 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 6 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 29 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Tram Chin now has National Park status, which confers a relatively high degree of protection, yet several threats remain. The frequent encroachment of local people into the national park to hunt and collect firewood is a major conservation issue. Also, because the site is surrounded by rice cultivation, land-use activities outside the site can have a substantial impact on the integrity of the wetland ecosystem of the park. Examples of such impacts are pollutant discharge and alteration of natural water levels. The biggest current threat to the site is mismanagement of the water level: the water level is allowed to remain high for unnaturally long periods each year, leading to changes in the vegetation, especially die-back of the main food plants for Sarus Crane.
Additional information
References: Birdlife International and the Forest Inventory and Planning Instutute (2001) Sourcebook of existing and proposed protected areas in Vietnam. Hanoi, Vietnam: BirdLife International Vietnam Programme and the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute.Buckton, S. T., Ngyuyen Cu, Nguyen Duc Tu and Ha Quy Quynh (1999) The conservation of key wetland sites in the Mekong delta. Hanoi: Birdlife International Vietnam programme.