The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has nominated Can Gio Biosphere Reserve in the namesake district as a Ramsar site, a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, according to the municipal administration’s dispatch recently sent to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

The Ho Chi Minh administration proposed the ministry issue guidelines enabling the city to complete procedures and necessary work for the nomination.

The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty signed in Iran’s Ramsar City in 1971, providing a framework for the conservation and effective use of wetlands and resources.

The Can Gio Biosphere Reserve meets four out of eight criteria of a Ramsar site, according to the municipal People’s Committee.

The reserve boasts the uniqueness of a natural wetland.

The Can Gio Biosphere Reserve is home to various rare species of animals which are listed as endangered, and acts as a stop for over 20,000 birds.

Apart from providing food for fish, the reserve is a favorable habitat and a reproduction place for diverse fish species.

The Can Gio Biosphere Reserve, which covers a mangrove area of nearly 35,000 hectares, houses an abundance of ecosystems and wildlife, contributing to socio-economic growth, environmental protection, and residents’ stability in the city and neighboring localities.

It was recognized as Vietnam’s first international biosphere reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in early 2000.

The expected recognition of the Can Gio Biosphere Reserve as a Ramsar site will help Ho Chi Minh City earn its stripes, and expand its cooperation with local and international partners in wetland management, according to the municipal administration.

Vietnam targets to have 13 Ramsar sites by 2025, while the country’s nine wetlands have been recognized as Ramsar sites. 

Among them are Xuan Thuy National Park in the northern province of Nam Dinh; Bau Sau Wetlands and Seasonal Floodplains, part of Cat Tien National Park in the southern province of Dong Nai; Ba Be National Park in the northern province of Bac Kan; Tram Chim National Park in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap; Mui Ca Mau (Ca Mau Cape) National Park in the southernmost province of Ca Mau; Con Dao National Park in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau; Lang Sen Wetland Reserve in Long An Province, located in the delta region; U Minh Thuong National Park in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang; and Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve in the northern province of Ninh Binh.

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