The Vân Long Wetland Nature Reserve in the northern province of Ninh Bình has been recognised as Việt Nam’s ninth Ramsar site. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Đức

NINH BÌNH — The Vân Long Wetland Nature Reserve in the northern province of Ninh Bình has been recognised as Việt Nam’s ninth Ramsar site.

The recognition was decided at the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP13) held at the Festival Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in October. 

After receiving its certificate of recognition at a ceremony on May 22, the reserve is now the 2,360th Ramsar site in the world.

The recognition will help Việt Nam call for international support to research, conserve and sustain the wetlands eco-system amid challenges from climate change.

Located on the northernmost tip of the Pù Luông-Cúc Phương limestone mountain range, the area is one of the few intact lowland inland wetland areas remaining in the Red River Delta. It is centred on a block of limestone karst outcrops that rise from the flat coastal plains of northern Việt Nam.

The freshwater lake, marshes and swamps that surround the karst, together with subterranean hydrological systems, form a wetlands complex that is very rare in the region.

The limestone hills provide a habitat for the critically endangered Delacour’s langur, one of the world’s 25 most endangered primates. The reserve is home to more than half of the animal’s global population and the only place where the species can be observed in the wild.

Birds at the  The Vân Long Wetland Nature Reserve. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Đức

It is also an important refuge and breeding ground for several aquatic species, and home to waterbirds. 

The wetland offers important ecosystem services for the surrounding communities, including its aquatic and agricultural resources and its scenic beauty for recreation and ecotourism.

The other eight Ramsar sites in Việt Nam are U Minh Thượng National Park, Trám Chim National Park, Mũi Cà Mau National Park, Tam Đảo National Park, Xuân Thủy National Park, Ba Bể Lake, Láng Sen Wetland Reserve and Bàu Sấu Wetland in Cát Tiên National Park.