U Minh Thuong National Park biodiversity recognised

U Minh Thuong National Park covers over 21,000 hectares in An Minh Bắc Commune and Minh Thuận Commune, 8,000 hectares of which belong to the forest’s core area. With nearly 300 hectares of mixed and primeval melaleuca forest, U Minh Thuong was recognized as an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2013.

"The primeval coal swamps in U Minh Thuong National Park are especially rare. They have existed for over 3 thousand years in low oxygen conditions", Pham Quoc Dan, Vice Director of U Minh Thuong National Park, Kien Giang Province, said.

Apart from melaleuca forests, there are more than 243 plant species, 32 animal species, 186 bird species, and more than 70 species of reptiles and fish, many of which are red-listed as threatened species.

According to environmental experts, the biodiversity of U Minh Thuong National Park is most prominent in the Mekong Delta. This means further plans to conserve the tropical wetlands forest are necessary.