Tra Su Proposed Nature Reserve
| Alternative site name(s) None Province(s) An Giang Area 2,000 ha Coordinates 10°33' - 10°36'N, 105°02' - 105°04'E Agro-ecological zone Mekong Delta Decreed by government No Management board established No |
Investment plan prepared No VCF eligibility criteria met B Social screening criteria met None Conservation needs assessment prepared No Operational management plan prepared No Tracking tool completed No Yes |
Management history
Tra Su is not included on any government decision regarding the national Special-use Forests system (MARD 1997). Following a survey by BirdLife International and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Tra Su was identified as a key site for wetland biodiversity conservation in the Mekong Delta. Consequently, the two organisations proposed that the site be designated as a protected area by the provincial authorities (Buckton et al. 1999).
On 23 June 2003, An Giang Provincial People's Committee submitted Official Letter No. 22/TT-UB to MARD, to request permission to prepare an investment plan to establish a nature reserve at Tra Su. Subsequently, MARD approved the provincial people's committee's request, by Official Letter No. 1609/CV-BNN-KL dated 25 June 2003, and assigned Ho Chi Minh City Forest Inventory and Planning Sub-institute to assist with the preparation of the investment plan.
To date, an investment plan has not been prepared, and a nature reserve management board has not been established for Tra Su. The site is currently under the management of An Giang Provincial Protection and Special-use Forest Management Board, under An Giang Provincial FPD. Seven protection staff are currently based at the site, at a single guard station (An Giang Provincial Protection and Special-use Forest Management Board in litt. 2003).
Tra Su is included on a list of Special-use Forests to be established by the year 2010, prepared by the FPD of MARD, as a 1,000 ha nature reserve (FPD 2003); this list has not yet been approved by the government.
Topography and hydrology
Tra Su is located in Van Giao commune, Tinh Bien district, An Giang province. The site is located in the Mekong Delta, and has very flat topography. The site is seasonally inundated by floodwaters from the Bassac River.
Biodiversity values
Tra Su supports a small block of Melaleuca plantation and seasonally inundated grassland and swamp. Previously, Melaleuca forest extended beyond the site but this has now been converted to rice cultivation. The site is bisected by a canal, with mature Melaleuca plantation and patches of open swamp to the west, and young Melaleuca plantation and seasonally inundated grassland to the east (Buckton et al. 1999).
One area of young Melaleuca plantation at the site holds a sizeable breeding colony of waterbirds, including over 300 Purple Herons Ardea purpurea, Black-crowned Night Herons Nycticorax nycticorax and Little Cormorants Phalacrocorax niger, and very small numbers of breeding Oriental Darters Anhinga melanogaster, a globally near-threatened species. The site also supports several small colonies of Asian Golden Weaver Ploceus hypoxanthus, another globally near-threatened species, although the fragmented nature of the site means that this population may not be viable in the long term (Buckton et al. 1999).
Tra Su is located about 10 km south of Boeung Prek Lapouv Important Bird Area (IBA) in Cambodia, one of the largest remaining areas of natural and semi-natural habitats in the Mekong Delta. Boeung Prek Lapouv IBA supports large numbers of non-breeding large waterbirds, including the globally threatened Sarus Crane Grus antigone and Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis, and the globally near-threatened Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala (Seng Kim Hout et al. 2003). Whether any of these species of conservation concern may visit Tra Su during the non-breeding season has not yet been assessed. However, in May 2003, four adult Milky Storks M. cinerea were recorded at Tra Su (Robson 2003); this is the only confirmed recent record of this species from Vietnam.
Conservation issues
Buckton et al. (1999) identified the main threats to biodiversity at the site to be: continued planting of Melaleuca in areas of open swamp; and the small size and highly fragmented nature of the habitat. In addition, Buckton et al. (1999) noted that, although the bird colony is given protection by site staff, any commercial exploitation of Melaleuca in the vicinity is likely to cause the colony to disperse. Moreover, Buckton et al. (1999) observed that grassland areas are threatened by gradual encroachment by Melaleuca and the exotic Mimosa pigra.
Other documented values
The site performs a number of economically important ecosystem functions, including regulating acidity in surrounding agricultural land. pH readings as low as 2.9 in surrounding paddyfields indicate severe acidity problems, while, within the site, the pH has been measured as 6.3 (Buckton et al. 1999).
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 support because it does not meet the criteria for supporting forest biodiversity of international importance. In addition, the site is not under appropriate conservation management.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| AI |
|
| AII |
|
| BI |
Proposed Special-use Forest |
| BII |
Nature Reserve |
| BIII |
Under provincial management |
| CI |
|
| CII |
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.
Robson, C. (2003) From the field. OBC Bulletin 38: 72-79.
Seng Kim Hout, Pech Bunnat, Poole, C. M., Tordoff, A. W., Davidson, P. and Delattre, E. (2003) Directory of important bird areas in Cambodia: key sites for conservation. Phnom Penh: Department of Forestry and Wildlife, Department of Nature Conservation and Protection, BirdLife International in Indochina and the Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia Program.
Click here to download pdf file
