Cat Tien National Park

Cat Tien National Park is estimated as the reserve of natural resources in Vietnam with lots of rare, specious and endemic genes of fauna and flora, as plentiful site for scientists, domestic and foreign tourists.

The natural area of Cat Tien National Park is 71.920ha wide including the South of Cat Tien (Dong Nai province) 39.627ha; Cat Loc (Lam Dong province) 27.850ha; the West of Cat Tien (Binh Phuoc province 4.4431-ha).

Cat Tien National Park is part of the wet tropical forest complex and one of the specious natural forests remaining in Vietnam. That is why this area is significant not only in Vietnam but in the world as well. The diversity of the Park has been recognized by WWF when this international organization selected the Park as one of 200 global ecological zones including the land and its water area with its wellknown biological diversity. In 2001 Cat Tien National Park has been listed by UNESCO as the 411th biosphere Reserve Zone in the world.

Cat Tien National Park is also specially significant to the socio-economy of the region as its ecosystem takes an active part in the control of flood, at the same time it is also forest protecting for the water source of Tri An Hydro electrical Power Plant, a freshwater source supplied for Dong Nai province, Ho Chi Minh city and Ba Ria – Vung Tau province.

Cat Tien National Park is geologically in the transiting area from the Southern- Central Highland to the Southern plain. Including typical geological features of the end of Truong Son mountain range and South East of Vietnam, with 5 following major terrain types:

(1) High mountain with slope side: It mainly locates in the North of Cat Tien National Park. The elevation (from the sea level) is 200m – GCOm, slope 15 – 200 with some over 300. The topography is lope at the rnountain sides, the area in the centre of river, stream and at the top are flat. The division grade is complex and be the beginning of small streams flowing into Dong Nai river.

(2) Medium high mountain with slope side: Locating at the West South of Cat Tien National Park with elevation of 200m – 300m, slope 150 – 200, high division. Big streams as Dac Lua, Da Tapok are formed by this hilly midland and finally pour into Dong Nai river.

(3) Low and flat hill: Locating at the East South of Cat Tien National Park with elevation of 130m – 150m, slope of 50 – 70, little division.

(4) Dong Nai river bench and hill  connecting to the swamp: At the West South of Cat Tien National Park, with mean elevation of 130m.

(5) Stream bench mixed with lake and swamp: This type of terrain includes small streams, scattering flooded lands, lakes and ponds in the branch of Dac Lua stream and the central area in the north of the Park. It is often in lack of water in the dry season but flooded in rainy season. In the dry season;, the water exists only in big swampy areas such as Bau Sau, Bau Chim, Bau Co, … The elevation of this area is less than 130m.

The National Park grade is down from the North to the South and West to East, elevation of 626m in Loc Bac and 115m in, Nui Taong.

Cat Tien National Park locates in the middle of two biogeologies changing from Truong Son highland to Southen plain. Therefore it gathers 212 abundant diversity of fauna and flora typical for ecosystem of wet tropical forest in the provinces in South East of Vietnam.

The major component is Dipterocarpaceas, Fabaceae and Lythraceae.

Until now, it has been confirmed in Cat Tien Natiofial Park that there are 1 610 species, 724 branches, 162 families, and 75 groups.

In which:

– Big trees: 176 species; small trees: 335 species; Mini plants: 345 species, floristic composition: 311 species; vine: 238 species; Epiphyte, phytoparasite plants: 143 species; Semi-plant: 62 species.

– Specious plants: 38 species of 13 families such as: Afzelia Xylocarpa, Dalbergia sp., Pterocarpus macrocarpus, Sindora siamensis, Dispyros martima, Xylia xylocarpa, … that have listed in Vietnamese Red Book.

The endemic gene and local endemic trees: 22 species of 12 families such as Thien Thien Dong Nai, Ve Tuyen Ngot of Thien Ly family.

Cat Tien National Park is divided into 5 types of forest as follows:

(1) Often green big leaves forest: The majority is trees of Dipterocarpaceae such as: Dipterocarpus alatus, Dipterocarps intri catus, Dalbergia alatus, Dalbergia mammosa, Afzelia xylocarpa, pterocargus macrocarpus,

(2) Ofteil green leaves with half fallen forest: Mainly are trees with fallen leaves in dry season as Lagerstoemia calyculata, Tetrameles nudiflora, Anogissus acminata,

(3) Trees mixed with bamboo forest: This is affected by the human beings, the forest often green with half of which have leaves fafallen by forest fire, toxic chemicals, the forest canopy is opened and bamboos have occupied. Popular trees are Mesua sp., Eagerstoernia calyculata, Xylia xylocarpa, two main bamboos are Bambusa procera and Giagarrtochloa sp.

(4) Burely bzmboo forest: This is also affected by human beings. After the rice fields made by destroying the forest and be ignored creating fravorable condition for the growing of bamboos. The two popular bamboos are Bambusa procera and Giarochloa sp. Forming big parts of forest; There is only La Nga bamboo exists in flooded area.

(5) Flooded plantation bench: Cat Tien National Park has big area of swamp with water resources not polluted yet. In the rainy season, the river water flooded an area of 2,500ha. It is the deepest area among Bau Sau, Bau Chim, Bau Co, …

Flooded plantation area is favorable iocatioil for Crocodylus siamensis, aquatic plants and animals, water birds, freshwater grasses. Big animals such as Sus scrofa, Cerws unicolor, Box gaurus, … often gather here in dry season. The popular water trees are: Dai phong tu, Loc vling, Sang do mixed with lau, lach, co de …

The fauna zone of Cat Tien National Park has typical features similar to the fauna zone in East Truong Son plain, closely related with Tay Nguyen, most outstandingly is the set of hoofs with 6 popular species as Sris scrofa, traguliis javanicus, Cems unicolor, muntiacus rnuntak, Bos gaurus, Box javanicus, Cervus unicolor. Cat Tien is one of very few forests in Vietnam which wild animals can be observed.

(2) Birds: It includes 348 species of 64 families and 18 sets in which 31 specious and rare species have been discovered and listed in Vietnamese Red Book such as Ciconia episcopus,  Pavo muticus imoerator, Leptoptilos javanicus, Pseudibis Davisoni, Cairina sctulata, …

Arborophila davidi is a rare and specious species of chicken in Vietnam that have not been appeared for years. Scienlists think that they have been extinct until 1997 this species was discovered in Cat Tien National Park.

(3) Reptile: including 79 species of 17 families, 4 sets in which 23 iisted in Vietnamese Red Book as: Crocodylus siamensis, Python reticulatus, Python molurus,…

(4) Animals: including 103 species of 29 fiirniiies, 11 sets in which 25 species listed in Vietnamese Red Book such as: Bos javanicus, Bas gaurus, Panthera tigris, Ursus malayanus, Ursus thibetanus, Lelephas maximus, pardofelis nebulosa, Catopuma temninckii, Cuon alpinus, Hylobates gabriellae, Petaurista philippenis, There still exists Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus as branch of Java Rhinoceros, with 5 to 7 ones that is threatened to be extinct.

(5) Fish: including 133 species of 28 faxilies in which 1 species listed in IUCN Red Book (Mon fish or Dragon fish), 8 species listed in Vietnamese Red Book such as Lang bo, Co chai, Co king nha, co loc bong, Co rong, …

(6) Disomy: including 41 species of 6 families and 2 sets.

 (7) Insect: 751 species investigated including 457 species of butterflies. Some samples of other insect sets  (Coleopterans, Lepidopterans, …) have been collected but been defined yet as the lack of document and experts.

Cat Tien National Pa-k has been founded on Jenczry I, 1992 based on the area of forbidden forest in the South of Cat Tien (Dong Nai province) that has been under protection since 1978, Cat Loc area (Lam Dong province) and the West of Cat Tien (Binh Phuoc province) that has been under protection since 1996. Since December 1998, Cat Tim National Park has been integrated with three a.m areas and controlled by Cat Tien National Park Managmeni Board, ,Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The natural area of Cat Tien National Park is 7 1,920ha, in which the South of Cat Tien (Dong Nai province) is 39.627ha; Cat Loc (Lam Dong province) 27,8521::1; and the West of Cat Tien (Binh Phuoc province) 4,443ha.

On November 10, 2001 Cat Tien National Park has been recognized by UNESCO/NIAB as thc World 41 lthB iosphere Reserved Zone.