VietNamNet Bridge – The World Wildlife Protection Foundation and Coca Cola have kicked off a $750,000 project to improve the water quality and environment of Tram Chi National Park in the southern province of Dong Thap.

Red-headed cranes in Tram Chim National Park.

Tram Chim is the last wetland area in the Mekong Delta and the most popular destination of red-headed crane in Vietnam. According to Nguyen Huu Thien, from the World Wildlife Protection Foundation, this project will run from now till the end of 2011.

Thien said Tram Chim has a unique ecology with more than 130 species of indigenous plants, 232 species of birds, including 16 on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), nearly 150 species of fresh-water fish, accounting for 33% of the total species of fresh-water fish in the Mekong Delta. However, this area has fallen into disrepair due to lack of investment and mismanagement.

“We will improve the system of canals and restore the hydrographic rhythm to recover valuable plants there, including co nang, a kind of grass which is a favourite cooking of red-headed cranes,” said Thien.

This project will also aim to restore fields, killing mai duong (Mimosa pigra), a harmful grass species which is spreading in Tram Chim.

Nguyen Van Hung, Deputy Director of Tram Chim National Park, said the recovery of the ecological system of Tram Chim will help improve water quality, restore underground water resources, control floods and prevent droughts in the Mekong Delta’s lower section.

(Source: VNE)