Tan Trao Cultural and Historical Site
| Alternative site name(s) Nui Hong Province(s) Tuyen Quang Area 6,633 ha Coordinates 21°48' - 21°50'N, 105°27' - 105°30'E Agro-ecological zone North-eastern Decreed by government Yes Management board established Yes |
Investment plan prepared Yes VCF eligibility criteria met C Social screening criteria met None Conservation needs assessment prepared No Operational management plan prepared No Tracking tool completed No Yes |
Management history
Tan Trao was included on Decision No. 41/TTg of the Prime Minister, dated 24 January 1977, as a 1,081 ha cultural and historical site (MARD 1997). In 1992, an investment plan for a 6,633 ha cultural and historical site was approved by the former Ministry of Forestry (FPD 1998). Tuyen Quang Provincial FPD (in litt. 2000), however, give the area of the cultural and historical site as 14,692 ha in Tan Trao, Trung Yen, Minh Thanh, Binh Yen and Luong Thien communes, Son Duong district, including a strict protection area of 5,808 ha.
Tan Tra is included on a list of Special-use Forests to be established by the year 2010, prepared by the FPD of MARD, as a 6,633 ha cultural and historical site (FPD 2003); this list has not yet been approved by the government.
Topography and hydrology
Tan Trao Cultural and Historical Site is situated in an area of low mountains, and ranges in elevation from 95 to 814 m. The site is drained by the Day river, which joins the Red River at Viet Tri town.
Biodiversity values
The main purpose of establishing Tan Trao as a protected area was to safeguard a site of historical importance, together with the surrounding evergreen forest. Almost all of the natural forest within the area has now been cut down and replaced by agricultural land, settlements or plantation forests. Only about 1,000 ha of natural forest remains at the site.
Conservation issues
The overall level of impact of local people living within the site is relatively high. This population is comprised of a number of different ethnic groups, including the Kinh, Tay, Nung, Dao and Cao Lan. In the cultural and historical site, households experience, on average, two to three months of food shortages each year, so people rely heavily on forest resources. Almost all of the inhabitants of the cultural and historical site are fixed residents cultivating permanent farmland. A small proportion of the population still practice shifting cultivation due to a scarcity of permanent agricultural land. The major impacts of local people on the natural habitats of the cultural and historical site are exploitation of forest products, forest fire, unsustainable cultivation practices and illegal hunting (Tuyen Quang Provincial FPD in litt. 2000).
Other documented values
Tan Trao is an important historical site. Famous as the revolutionary base of the Vietnamese government and Communist Party during the resistance war against the French, Tan Trao attracts a significant number of domestic tourists each year. Amongst the historical relics at the site are Uncle Ho's hut and the National Congress meeting house.
Related projects
In the early 1990s, the provincial FPD prepared an investment plan for Tan Trao Cultural and Historical Site. With funding from the national 327 Programme, approximately 1,000 ha of natural forest was protected, and a further 600 ha of bare land was replanted with indigenous tree species, such as Chukrasia tabularis and Canarium spp. As of 2000, however, no funds had been allocated to the cultural and historical site from the 661 Programme (Tuyen Quang Provincial FPD in litt. 2000).
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
Tan Trao is ineligible for VCF support because it does not meet the criteria for supporting forest biodiversity of international importance. In addition, Tan Trao is a cultural and historical site.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| AI |
|
| AII |
|
| BI |
Decision No. 41/TTg, dated 24/01/77 |
| BII |
|
| BIII |
Under provincial management |
| CI |
Management board established |
| CII |
Social screening requirements
A social screening report has not been prepared for the site.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| A |
|
| B |
|
| C |
|
| D |
Literature sources
None.
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