Restore the landscape of Tra Su Cajuput Forest Wetland

Conserve and restore biodiversity

The An Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has just coordinated with WWF to launch a project to restore wetlands in the Mekong Delta through measures to restore special-use and protective indigo forests in Tra Su Cajuput Forest Landscape Protection Area in the Mekong Delta, Tinh Bien town (An Giang).

Tra Su Cajuput Forest, An Giang province, is located in Vietnam's special-use forest system and has been recognized as a landscape protection area since 2005. With 845 hectares of protected core area and more than 1,100 hectares of buffer zone, this area directly receives floodwater from the Mekong River annually in the rainy season, helping to maintain the seasonal flooding and drying regime of a natural wetland.

The main habitats of Tra Su Cajuput Forest include indigo forests, swamps, and grasslands. The flora in Tra Su Cajuput Forest is diverse, with 140 species, most notably indigo trees and duckweed. The fauna here is also quite rich, with at least 70 species of birds recorded, including 2 species listed in the Vietnam Red Book: Mycteria leucoce and Snakebird; 11 species of mammals, including rare bats; and at least 25 species of reptiles and frogs. In addition, Tra Su Cajuput Forest is also a year-round habitat for 10 indigenous fish species and 13 migratory fish species in the flood season, including 2 fish species that are at risk of extinction: clown featherback and white catfish.

The project on implementing nature-based solutions to restore wetlands and natural processes in the Mekong Delta will focus on research and implementation of nature-based livelihood solutions. These nature-based livelihood solutions are developed and implemented by WWF and the An Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and sponsored by Industria De Diseno Textil Group, SA (referred to as Inditex) of Spain. The project aims to enhance nature's resistance and recovery against the impacts of climate change through conserving and restoring biodiversity in wetlands and developing livelihood models based on nature in the upper region of the Mekong Delta.

Natural farming solutions

Natural farming solutions, combined with the development of modern, high-tech agriculture, will help bring many benefits to people and the agricultural ecosystem in An Giang and create a premise and scientific basis to replicate throughout the Mekong Delta region.

Wishing to contribute to the implementation of Resolution 120/NQ-CP and the Mekong Delta Region Planning for 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, in recent times, WWF-Vietnam has supported the implementation of many natural agricultural production models in the Mekong Delta, such as planting rice in the floating season combined with raising fish, planting rice combined with releasing ducks and indigenous fish in the flood season, planting lotus combined with raising fish and giant freshwater prawns, etc. These models aim to increase the time to store floodwater in the fields, helping increase the amount of alluvium deposited on fields, thereby enriching the soil. At the same time, they also help prevent pathogens from the previous crop and will contribute to replenishing groundwater aquifers and maintaining flow in the delta in the dry season.

The project will focus on the research and implementation of nature-based livelihood solutions implemented from August 1, 2023, to December 31, 2025, to protect and restore wetland habitats and natural cycles of the delta, such as free flow, alluvial accumulation and sedimentation in the buffer zone, through the implementation of activities deployed in and around Tra Su Cajuput Forest in An Giang province.

Specifically, the project will support the Tra Su Cajuput Forest Management Board to newly plant 60 hectares of forest and nurture 100 hectares of degraded forest, restore indigenous habitats and species through appropriate and effective hydrological management and regulation strategies for each sub-zone, and protect and monitor biodiversity in the core area. Outside the buffer zone, flood-based livelihood models will be implemented to bring economic and environmental benefits and support from local people.

The project also develops and tests nature-based livelihood solutions that have the potential to expand and are feasible for large-scale investment across the upper Mekong Delta. Lessons learned will be compiled to share and expand the restoration of wetland habitats and natural cycles.

Tra Su Cajuput Forest needs to be protected

According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Duy, Deputy Director of the An Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, wetlands play a huge role for humans and nature because they can filter toxic substances and store carbon, helping fight impacts of climate change and minimize negative impacts in extreme weather conditions; store rainwater and runoff water during storms, helping reduce floods and support water supply during droughts; ensure biodiversity that is the habitat of thousands of species; and ensure food supplies and create sources of livelihood for people.

In particular, the Mekong Delta plays an extremely important role for nature, food production, and the community. It supplies a significant proportion of rice to the region, is a source of important fish and other "green foods", is a pillar of Vietnam's economy, and is home to 20 million people.

Located upstream of the Mekong Delta, Tra Su Cajuput Forest Landscape Protection Area is a highly biodiverse natural habitat supporting indigenous flora and fauna and is a popular eco-tourism destination, so it needs to be protected. Besides, Tra Su Cajuput Forest welcomes more than 30,000 tourists annually, bringing additional income to the local community.

Tra Su's wetland and buffer zone ecosystems also play an important role in maintaining dynamic and seasonal water flows, which is important for water and fire management during the dry season to limit habitat fragmentation.

"The actual situation of intensive rice production is the main cause of biodiversity loss, reduction of resistance to climate change in the Mekong Delta, and loss of habitat for species in the Tra Su Cajuput Forest Landscape Protection Area. These activities have reduced seasonal flooding across the Mekong Delta, meaning that nutrient-rich alluvium essential for maintaining the delta and habitat is no longer deposited in the flood region," said Mr. Nguyen Duc Duy, Deputy Director of the An Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.