Protecting forests & ecosystems

Pu Mat National Park is located along the Truong Son mountain range, representing a region of tropical and subtropical forests with high mountainous terrain. Pu Mat boasts a diverse ecosystem with 2,494 plant species, 132 mammal species, 324 bird species, and 86 reptile and amphibian species. Notably, this includes 8 plant species and 5 animal species listed as endangered or critically endangered on the IUCN Red List (2007). Representative animal species recorded in Pu Mat include the Asian elephant, tiger, saola, Sunda pangolin, red-shanked douc langur, Annamite striped rabbit, Annamite muntjac, and big-headed turtle.

Cat Tien National Park is a protected area spanning the provinces of Dong Nai, Lam Dong, and Binh Phuoc in southern Vietnam, approximately 150 km north of Ho Chi Minh City. The park is characterized by its tropical lowland evergreen forests and is recognized as one of the country's most important biodiversity hotspots. Cat Tien is home to around 300 bird species - nearly half of all bird species recorded in Vietnam - and more than 450 butterfly species, representing over half of the country's butterfly diversity. The park also hosts the Dao Tien Endangered Primate Species Centre, which provides sanctuary for several threatened primate species, including the yellow-cheeked gibbon, silvered langur, black-shanked douc, and pygmy slow loris.

Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve is part of the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve in southern Vietnam. Covering nearly 100,000 hectares, the reserve encompasses tropical forests, including primary forests, regenerating forests, and the Tri An Hydropower Reservoir. The reserve is recognized for its exceptional biodiversity, providing habitat for more than 1,600 plant species and approximately 1,900 animal species. Among them are 110 rare and threatened species listed in the Vietnam Red Data Book. Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve is also home to Vietnam's last remaining wild herd of Asian elephants, with around 15 individuals living together in their natural habitat.

U Minh Thuong National Park, located in An Giang Province, is one of the most important peat swamp Melaleuca forest ecosystems in the Mekong Delta. The park is characterized by extensive Melaleuca forests growing on deep peat soils that have formed over thousands of years, creating a unique wetland ecosystem of exceptional biodiversity and significant carbon storage value. U Minh Thuong provides habitat for a wide range of wildlife and plant species, including many rare and threatened species, particularly waterbirds and other wetland-dependent fauna. By regulating water resources, storing carbon, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and maintaining ecological balance, the park plays a strategic role in addressing the impacts of climate change.

U Minh Ha National Park, located in Ca Mau Province, is one of the two remaining Melaleuca peat swamp forest ecosystems that define the U Minh region. Covering more than 8,500 hectares of core protected area, with an extensive surrounding buffer zone, the park represents one of the Mekong Delta's most distinctive inland wetland ecosystems. Its dominant ecosystem consists of Melaleuca (Melaleuca cajuputi) forests growing on peat soils, which play a vital role in carbon storage, water regulation, and maintaining ecological balance. U Minh Ha provides habitat for a rich diversity of wildlife, including water birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals, many of which are of high conservation value. In addition to conserving biodiversity, the park plays a strategic role in forest fire prevention and management, hydrological management, and climate change adaptation in Vietnam's southernmost region.