Nominating Xuan Thuy National Park as an ASEAN Heritage Park

Nominating Xuan Thuy National Park as a Heritage Park

On December 4, 2023, Nam Dinh Provincial People's Committee sent Document No. 957 to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) on the appraisal and approval of the policy of nominating Xuan Thuy National Park as an ASEAN Heritage Park (AHP Area).

Xuan Thuy National Park was established under Decision No. 01/2003 of the Prime Minister on the basis of transfer from Xuan Thuy Wetland Reserve.

Xuan Thuy National Park is considered a typical wetland in the coastal estuary area of Northern Vietnam and was the first wetland in Vietnam and Southeast Asia to be recognized as a Ramsar site in 1988. The Park's core area is of special importance in the Red River Delta Inter-Provincial Wetland Biosphere Reserve.

Xuan Thuy National Park is the habitat of 1,656 species of animals and plants, including 1 species of plant, 2 species of mammals, 8 species of fish, 8 species of reptiles, 32 species of birds, and 1 species of horseshoe crab in the Vietnam Red Book (2007) and the IUCN Red List (2022). This is also one of six important bird areas of key wetlands in the Northern Delta and is located on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP).

The establishment of Xuan Thuy National Park aims to preserve intact a typical standard wetland ecosystem in the coastal estuary area and protect wild animals, especially endangered, precious, and rare aquatic species and bird species in the area.

In recent years, the Park has implemented many programs on scientific research, international cooperation, and supporting the creation of sustainable livelihoods for local communities, thereby contributing to socio-economic development in the region. At the same time, preserve and promote cultural and historical values in the region to educate revolutionary traditions and develop ecotourism, opening up many opportunities for cooperation and investment with international organizations on nature conservation.

The nomination as an AHP Area contributes to the conservation and development of Xuan Thuy National Park while enhancing the unit's value and position in Southeast Asia.

Xuan Thuy National Park meets 12 criteria

On December 18, 2023, MONRE issued Decision No. 3900 on the establishment of a Council to appraise the nomination dossier for the title of AHP Area for Xuan Thuy National Park in Nam Dinh province. The Appraisal Council includes representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Nam Dinh Provincial People's Committee, and experts in the field.

On January 18, 2024, the Appraisal Council held a meeting to review and evaluate the nomination dossier for Xuan Thuy National Park and approved the dossier, requesting the Park to continue to complete the dossier according to the comments from council members.

Next, the Appraisal Council had a dossier appraisal report and assessed the dossier nominating Xuan Thuy National Park as an AHP Area that basically meets the requirements as prescribed in Article 20, Decree No. 08/2022 on order, procedures, and competence for nominating natural heritages to international organizations for recognition and meets the criteria for the AHP Area of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity. At the same time, conduct a vote to approve the appraisal dossier to nominate Xuan Thuy National Park as an AHP Area, with the result of 9/9 member votes unanimously approving with the condition that corrections and supplements must be made (total score of 246.6; average score of 27.4) (appraisal report attached).

According to the appraisal report, the Appraisal Council evaluated the nomination dossier as basically meeting 12 criteria for AHP Areas of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity.

According to the Appraisal Council, Xuan Thuy National Park ensures the integrity of the typical wetland ecosystem in the coastal estuary area of Northern Vietnam. The Park is managed, conserved, and has clear area boundaries on the map and marked on the field. Ecosystems are not harmed or affected by changes in natural structure, biodiversity loss, or conservation values. This is the habitat of 1,656 species of animals and plants, including 222 species of birds.

The Park has 7 typical ecosystem types, including the tidal marsh ecosystem with mangrove forests. Mangrove forests in the area have a large area and are diverse in plant community types and the number of mangrove tree species. This is also an area with the regular appearance and maintenance of 7 types of plant communities and is an important habitat for many endangered, precious, and rare wildlife species.

The diversity of animal species, especially aquatic species, has helped Xuan Thuy National Park become the wetland with the largest biological productivity in the Red River Delta. This is considered the largest bird station in the Northern region, with 222 species belonging to 42 families of 12 orders.

The natural terrain in Xuan Thuy National Park is created according to the laws of deposition and erosion of the Red River Delta's coastal estuary. Results of monitoring forest developments in the area over the past 5 years show that 113.05 ha of dead and degraded mangrove forests have been restored, and 114.16 ha of mangrove and casuarina forests have been naturally regenerated.

In 1988, the wetland of Xuan Thuy National Park was officially recognized as the first Ramsar site in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Especially, the participation of Xuan Thuy National Park in the Ramsar Convention marks Vietnam becoming the 50^th member of this convention. The Park was recognized by UNESCO as a core area of special importance of the Red River Delta Inter-Provincial Wetland Biosphere Reserve in December 2004.

Mangrove forests in Xuan Thuy National Park are the region's major carbon sink. Studies have shown that the mangrove ecosystem in the Park has the ability to accumulate 14.32 tons of carbon/ha/year, of which carbon stored underground accounts for over 81% of the total cumulative carbon value.

Based on the above-mentioned legal documents, on August 22, 2024, MONRE submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister on nominating Xuan Thuy National Park in Nam Dinh province as an ASEAN Heritage Park (AHP Area).

The ASEAN Heritage Park is an initiative of the ASEAN Ministers of Environment, implemented based on the ASEAN Declaration on Heritage Parks since 2003. AHP Areas are defined as "protected areas of regional importance in preserving all the typical ecosystems of the ASEAN region.".

To be recognized as an AHP Area, nature reserves need to meet criteria such as integrity, representativeness, naturalness, conservation importance, nominated areas having legality, uniqueness, and species importance, and a number of other criteria.

Since 2003, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has been the focal point to guide and nominate natural reserves in Vietnam for recognition as AHP Areas. As of now, Vietnam has 12 AHP Areas.