Wetland function and values of xuan thuy mangrove forest

Group 6 – K55TTKHMT – FES – HUS - VNU

HANOI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE, VNU
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE
---------------o0o---------------

WETLANDS - BIOLOGY AND REGULATION
Topic:

WETLAND FUNCTION AND VALUE OF XUAN THUY
MANGROVE FOREST

Instructor: Prof. Nguyen Thi Loan
Group 6:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Hoang Tuan Anh
Pham Duc Tu
Le Danh Quan
Tran Thi Nhung

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Group 6 – K55TTKHMT – FES – HUS - VNU

Contents
I.

Introduction: state of wetland resources in Vietnam
II.
Wetland Functions
1. Fish and wildlife habitat & food webs
2. Wetland supermarket
3. Recreation & Research
III.
Values of Xuan Thuy mangrove forest
1. Economic values
2. Values in terms of protection
3. Ecological values
4. Research values
5. Other values
IV.
Conclusions
V.
References

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Group 6 – K55TTKHMT – FES – HUS - VNU

WETLAND FUNCTION AND VALUE OF XUAN THUY
MANGROVE FOREST

I.

INTRODUCTION

Vietnam has total area about 33,000 km 2 and length of coastal line about 3,260 km,
about 3000 near shore island, more than 100 estuaries with 2 biggest estuaries are Red
river delta and Mekong delta.
Population is over 91 millions people (2012). Up to 28/64 provinces & over 30%
population in the coastal zone.
Vietnam has abundant and diverse in natural resources.
Vietnam has total wetland area about 10 million hectares, accounting for 30% of total
area of the country with various types of habitats (grassland, mangrove forest, estuary,
freshwater reservoir, etc). Vietnam has high biodiversity with many endemic,
endangered species.There are 68 wetland areas with national and international
importance (VEPA , 2001), including 2 Ramsar site (Xuan Thuy, Bau Sau).
Million Vietnamese people are relying on these resources. Play an important role in
Vietnamese people’s culture and ritual for thousands of years.

Figure 1: Sea grass – C.rotundatata (Phu Quy island)
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Group 6 – K55TTKHMT – FES – HUS - VNU

Figure 2: Mangrove – Hon Gom Peninsular

Figure 3: Peatswamp – U Minh Thuong National Park

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Group 6 – K55TTKHMT – FES – HUS - VNU
WETLAND FUNCTIONS

II.

1. Fish and wildlife habitat & food webs

The park has a rich, biodiverse coastal wetland environment that is home to about 110
aquatic plant species, 500 species of benthos and zooplankton. Many aquatic species
of high economic value, like shrimps, fish, crabs and oysters, are also found in the
area. Fish, shrimps and crabs provide the main income of the local community.
Though wetlands are most often associated with waterfowl, they provide essential
habitat for a wide variety of species – birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and
insects – up to 45% of which are rare and endangered. Some species, such as the wood
duck and muskrat, spend most of their life within wetlands, while others – striped bass,
peregrine falcon and deer – occasionally visit wetlands for food, water, or shelter.
Those species that require wetland habitat to complete at least a portion of their life
cycle are called obligate species.
2. Wetland supermarket

Wetlands can be thought of as “biological supermarkets.” They produce great
quantities of food that attract many animal species. The complex, dynamic feeding
relationships among the organisms inhabiting wetland environments are referred to as
food webs. The combination of shallow water, high levels of inorganic nutrients, and
high rates of primary productivity (the synthesis of new plant biomass through
photosynthesis) in many wetlands is ideal for the development of organisms that form
the base of the food web.
Wetlands are also valuable for the variety of commercial products harvested from
them:
Food
 Wild rice, cranberries, blueberries, mint
 Salmon, alewife and other major commercial fish species
 Shrimp, blue crab

Other products






Marsh grasses for baskets and chair caning
Peat and sphagnum moss for landscaping
Reeds for bedding and thatch
Timber such as northern white cedar, tupelo, and bald cypress
Beaver, muskrat, nutria, mink, and otter furs

3. Recreation & Research

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Group 6 – K55TTKHMT – FES – HUS - VNU
Xuân Thủy National Park is a tourist attraction for people who enjoy the peace and
love to explore nature. As a staging and wintering site on the East Asian-Australian
flyway, the best time to visit Xuan Thuy is September to April. In August and
September, it is still possible to see non-breeding Painted Stork, as well as early
migrants, such as Black-winged Stilt. Later, from October onwards, it relatively easy
to find wintering Black-faced Spoonbills, particularly at their roost sites in the shrimp
ponds.
In Xuan Thuy National Park, you can ask for the assistance from park staff, who know
the site very well and are able to show us where to watch particular bird species. It will
be so good if you can get a guide from the park. Basically, you can take the hiking

routes or boating routes to the sites of interest. It means that you can travel by foot to
some places of interest; or you can only be reached by boat at high tide.
Hiking Routes: Walking through the natural and artificial habitats along the dike
system in Con Ngan Island, where the park headquarters is located. Especially, in the
high tide time, you can find numerous bird roosting in the shrimp ponds, including
Black-faced Spoonbill, gulls, ducks and waders.
Boating Routes: In the high tide time, you can get boat to reach the offshore mudflats
and sandy flats, where Spoon-billed Sandpiper can be found among large flocks of
waders. An alternative boat route involves visiting Con Xanh island, which supports
some Casuarina forest, where is very suitable for the migrating non-waterbirds. In the
island, you can find the pittas and other passerines during migrating season. Another
way, you can take boat to the off shore mudflats and sandy flats areas of Giao Xuan
Commune, where is the best area for watching the shorebirds. In this site, you can find
big flocks of waders and especially Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordmann's Greenshank,
many species of gulls including Saunders's Gull, duck species and sometime Blackfaced Spoonbill and Black-headed Ibis.
The diversity and natural beauty of wetlands provide a living, hands-on classroom for
education and scientific research, as this guidebook demonstrates.

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Group 6 – K55TTKHMT – FES – HUS - VNU

Figure 4: Wetland ecosystem
Wetlands support a rich food web, from Microscopic algae and submerged vascular
plants to great blue herons and otters.

III.

VALUES OF XUAN THUY MANGROVES FOREST

1. Economic values

In 2007, fisheries came up for 36.1% of a family’s income, there were 1,800 hectare of
aquaculture ponds in the Buffer Zone. With the annual growth rate of the marine
business being 14.9%, this sector is in fast expansion and is seen to have a higher
economic turnover than traditional agriculture. On the other side, clam-rearing for
example can have a high financial return, but also needs big investments and puts a
high pressure on the environment. Ngoài ra cho thêm ở trong slide vào
2. Values in term of protection

Giao Thuy is a landlocked district so suffered from the South China Sea storms. the
dyke protection is very important. Some studies show that since the mangrove forest
area first developed, dikes are stable, and virtually unaffected by waves and tides.

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Figure 5: Mangrove forest
3. Ecological values

Xuan Thuy mangrove is a staging and wintering area for shorebirds, gulls and
waterfowl in the coastal zone of the Red River Delta. The mangrove is a living space
for 250 species of birds (150 migratory and 50 water bird species) from 41 families
and 13 orders. 9 species are designated as endangered in the IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species for example the Spoon-billed Sandpiperand Nordmann's
Greenshank. 65- 75 Black-faced Spoonbill – who were chosen to be the symbol of
Xuan Thuy Mangrove - are seen in the migratory season. The total number of Blackfaced Spoonbill in the world are about 1000, it shows that 5% of the whole population

of the species are living in Xuan Thuy Mangrove during the winter season. The
mangrove also provides a habitat for other rare animal species. These includes species
of otter, porpoise. Furthermore it has 30 species of reptiles and an uncounted number
of different insects.
Xuan Thuy Mangroves are 120 species of vascular plants (20 of which thrive
particularly well in the wetland habitat). The mangrove forest helps stabilizing the
alluvial soil as well as functioning as flood protection and playing an important role in
different biochemical cycles. 111 aquatic plant species have been recorded. Certain
species of seaweed in particular are of high economic value. Over 500 species of
benthos and zooplankton (shrimp, fish, crab, oysters etc.) have also been identified.

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Group 6 – K55TTKHMT – FES – HUS - VNU

Figure 6: Black-faced Spoonbill
4. Research values

Since it is a very important natural site in Southeast Asia, Xuan Thuy Mangrove has
been subject to many both Vietnamese and international scientific researches. There
have been written more than 10 PhD theses, tens of master and hundreds of research
papers by students from over 30 Vietnamese universities. Non-governmental
organizations also conducted research before implementing new projects which
usually are related to the conservation of environment or to sustainable development.
In terms of preservation matter, Xuan Thuy Mangrove has the following objectives
and tasks:
To preserve the typical submerged land ecological system of the Red river-mouth
region, the specific fauna and flora species of the submerged land ecological system,
especially aquatic species, water birds and migration birds.

To build material and technical bases in service of training, scientific research,
environmental education and eco-tourist development, thus contributing to socioeconomic development and creating jobs for local population communities.
To serve scientific research, environmental education and eco-tourist development.
To maintain Xuan Thuy Mangrove as a Ramsar site through conservation of
biodiversity and responsible fisheries.

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Group 6 – K55TTKHMT – FES – HUS - VNU
To raise public awareness and also recognized local community efforts in the
conservation of Xuan Thuy Mangrove, the sustainable and wise-use of the park's
resources, and responsible fisheries and management.
5. The others values

The tourism
As a staging and wintering site on the East Asian-Australian flyway, the best time to
visit Xuan Thuy is September to April. In August and September, it is still possible to
see non-breeding Painted Stork, as well as early migrants, such as Black-winged Stilt.
Later, from October onwards, it relatively easy to find wintering Black-faced
Spoonbills, particularly at their roost sites in the shrimp ponds.
In Xuan Thuy Mangrove, you can ask for the assistance from park staff, who know the
site very well and are able to show us where to watch particular bird species. It will be
so good if you can get a guide from the park. Basically, you can take the hiking routes
or boating routes to the sites of interest. It means that you can travel by foot to some
places of interest; or you can only be reached by boat at high tide. Hiking Routes:
Walking through the natural and artificial habitats along the dike system in Con Ngan
Island, where the park headquarters is located. Especially, in the high tide time, you
can find numerous birds roosting in the shrimp ponds, including Black-faced
Spoonbill, gulls, ducks and waders.

Boating Routes: In the high tide time, you can get boat to reach the offshore mudflats
and sandy flats, where Spoon-billed Sandpiper can be found among large flocks of
waders. An alternative boat route involves visiting Con Xanh island, which supports
some Casuarina forest, where is very suitable for the migrating non-waterbirds. In the
island, you can find the pittas and other passerines during migrating season. Another
way, you can take boat to the off shore mudflats and sandy flats areas of Giao Xuan
Commune, where is the best area for watching the shorebirds. In this site, you can find
big flocks of waders and especially Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordmann's Greenshank,
many species of gulls including Saunders's Gull, duck species and sometime Blackfaced Spoonbill and Black-headed Ibis. Xuan Thuy Mangrove is the pride for local
people in their wetlands area, its relevance as a Ramsar site, its importance for their
eco-tourist development.

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Group 6 – K55TTKHMT – FES – HUS - VNU

Figure 7: Tourism in Xuan Thuy National Park
IV.

CONCLUSIONS

The Community based ecotourism model is feasible in term of natural resource
conservation in Xuan Thuy National Park, Vietnam




Natural resource are effectively protected and used.
The income of local people is increased

Capacity and awareness of stakeholders in the local community are
considerably enhanced.

Ecotourism model is creative way in order to reach sustainable development.
REFERENCES
www.epa.gov
V.
1.

Last visited: Sunday, May 5th 2013 at 23:09 P.M
2.

www.monre.gov.vn

Last visited: Sunday, May 5th 2013, at 23:15 P.M

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Group 6 – K55TTKHMT – FES – HUS - VNU
3.

The Regional Training Course on Sustainable Use and Management of
Coastal Wetlands, 5-20 November 2007, Mahidol University, Thailand.

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