Cha La Bird Sanctuary Nature Reserve
| Alternative site name(s) Cac San Chim, Cai Nuoc, San Chim Ca Mau Province(s) Ca Mau Area 14 ha Coordinates 8º58'N, 105º06'E Agro-ecological zone Mekong Delta Decreed by government Yes Management board established Yes |
Investment plan prepared Yes VCF eligibility criteria met B, C Social screening criteria met None Conservation needs assessment prepared No Operational management plan prepared No Tracking tool completed No Yes |
Management history
Cha La bird sanctuary, together with Bac Lieu and Dam Doi bird sanctuaries (see separate site cards), was included on Decision 194/CT of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, dated 9 August 1986, as a 500 ha nature reserve with the name Cac San Chim (MARD 1997). An investment plan for Cha La bird sanctuary, prepared in 1999, proposed establishing a 14 ha nature reserve. This investment plan was approved by Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee on 12 October 1999 (Cai Nuoc District DARD in litt. 2000). Cha La bird sanctuary is managed by a forest guard station with three members of staff, under the management of Dong Thoi Commune People's Committee (Ca Mau Provincial FPD in litt. 2003).
Cha La bird sanctuary is not included on a list of Special-use Forests to be established by the year 2010, prepared by the FPD of MARD (FPD 2003).
Topography and hydrology
Cha La bird sanctuary is a 14 ha patch of mangrove forest surrounded by agricultural land that is irrigated by a system of canals and supports a number of settlements.
Biodiversity values
Cha La bird sanctuary supports mangrove forest dominated by the palm Phoenix padulosa together with Nypa fruticans, Bruguiera parviflora, Excoecaria agallocha and, on the ground, Acrostichum aureum. Lianas such as Flagellaria indica and Sarcolobus globosus are also present.
Many waterbird species are known to breed at this site, the most abundant being cormorants, herons and egrets. Cha La bird sanctuary is particularly noteworthy for the presence of Darter Anhinga melanogaster, Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans, Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus and Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus.
Conservation issues
The principal threat to the bird populations at Cha La bird sanctuary is poaching. Both young birds and eggs are taken illegally for food and sale in local markets. The bird sanctuary is situated close to human settlements and is surrounded by agricultural land. Pesticides are widely used on the adjacent rice fields where many of the birds feed, thus posing an additional threat to their survival.
Other documented values
Cha La bird sanctuary has long been a popular destination for tourists visiting the Mekong Delta. The bird sanctuary attracts both domestic and foreign tourists, and several tour companies operate excursions to the site. Tourism infrastructure at Cha La bird sanctuary is underdeveloped at present. If the site was well managed and protected, however, it would have potential as a site for recreation, conservation education and scientific research.
Related projects
No information.
Conservation needs assessment
A conservation needs assessment has not been conducted for the site.
Operational management plan
An operational management plan has not been prepared for the site.
Eligibility against VCF criteria
The site is ineligible for VCF funding because it does not meet the criteria for supporting forest biodiversity of international importance.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| AI |
|
| AII |
|
| BI |
Decision No. 194/CT, dated 09/08/86 |
| BII |
Nature Reserve |
| BIII |
Under provincial management |
| CI |
|
| CII |
Managed as a Special-use Forest by a forest guard station under the management of Dong Thoi Commune People's Committee |
Social screening requirements
A social screening report has not been prepared for the site.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| A |
|
| B |
|
| C |
|
| D |
Literature sources
Buckton, S. T., Nguyen Cu, Ha Quy Quynh and Nguyen Duc Tu (1999) The conservation of key wetland sites in the Mekong Delta. Hanoi: BirdLife International Vietnam Programme.
Buckton, S. T., Nguyen Cu, Ha Quy Quynh and Nguyen Duc Tu (2000) [The conservation of key wetland sites in the Mekong Delta]. Hanoi: BirdLife International Vietnam Programme. In Vietnamese.
Dang Trung Tan ed. (1998) [Report on the reviewing and inventory of the bird colonies in Ca Mau province]. Ca Mau: Ca Mau Provincial Department of Science, Technology and the Environment. In Vietnamese.
Do Tuoc and Le Trong Trai (1996) [Bird sanctuaries in the Mekong Delta]. Tap Chi Hoat Dong Khoa Hoc [Journal of Science] 7: 24-26. In Vietnamese.
Euroconsult (1996) Coastal wetland protection and development: southern Mekong Delta. Ho Chi Minh City: World Bank and the Government of Vietnam.
Scott, D. A. (1989) A directory of Asian wetlands. Gland: IUCN.
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