Cat Tien forest is hard to become the World Natural Heritage

Cat Tien National Park will most likely not be recognized as a World Natural Heritage by UNESCO. This is an assessment of the Vietnam Wildlife Conservation Organization (WCS) in a press release, June 3.

The WCS said that the above judgment is based on the candidate assessment documents for the World Natural Heritage issued by UNESCO before the official announcement at the meeting from June 16-27, in Cambodia.

Bau Sau Area - one of the beautiful scenes of Cat Tien National Park.(Photo: Trinh Minh Nhut)

According to UNESCO, the proposed area recognizes the World Natural Heritage site in Cat Tien National Park, which is likely to coincide with the area recognized as the world biosphere reserve and the Ramsar wetland area.

In addition, problems related to hydropower, tourism, quarrying and especially wildlife trade . are also the cause of Cat Tien National Park 'loss of points'.

Cat Tien National Park covers an area of ​​nearly 72,000 hectares, located in the three provinces of Dong Nai, Lam Dong and Binh Phuoc, one of six biosphere reserves recognized by UNESCO in Vietnam in 2011.

At the beginning of 2013, when Dong Nai People's Committee and related units were completing the dossier to submit to UNESCO for recognition of Cat Tien National Park as a World Natural Heritage site, public opinion strongly opposed construction. hydropower in this area.

Many environmental experts say that the controversy regarding the construction of hydropower in Cat Tien National Park shows that the planning and management of forest protection are not good. This will be one of the reasons that Cat Tien National Park was 'lost' when UNESCO approved the World Natural Heritage.