A visitor shows off the new photo book, titled 'Treasure', about the rich biodiversity of the Sơn Trà Nature Reserve in Đà Nẵng. Photo courtesy of Tình Nguyễn

ĐÀ NẲNG  A photo book on the rich biodiversity of the Sơn Trà Nature Reserve in Đà Nẵng City titled Treasure has been released to promote the reserve's unique landscapes ranging from primary forest, a habitat for endangered primates like the red-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus), to oceans and coastal ecosystems.

Hoàng Sơn Trà, chairman of the Sơn Trà Ward People’s Council [Assembly] said the 272-page book, which has 125 photos by professional and amateur photographers from Việt Nam and abroad, aims to introduce data on the reserve, considered a precious green gem of Đà Nẵng and the central region as a whole.

The book is a collection of the best photos depicting the landscapes and rhythm of the primary forest, the lives of endangered wildlife species and the important role of the reserve, Trà said.

He said the initiative to publish the book started in 2024, and the photos were selected from previous photography exhibitions and contests that featured the wildlife and landscapes of the reserve.

A photo captures the moment a female red-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus) jumps from a treetop while holding its baby in the Sơn Trà Nature Reserve. Photo courtesy of Bùi Thanh Lang

The photo book, which is published by the Sự Thật (Truth) National Political Publishing House in both Vietnamese and English in cooperation with the Sơn Trà Ward People’s Committee [Administration], will be kept as a source of information on the reserve and a contribution to the biodiversity conservation and protection database of Đà Nẵng.

The 4,400ha Sơn Trà Reserve, 10km from central Đà Nẵng City, is a unique biodiversity conservation site with more than 1,010 plant and 370 animal species.

The site is home to about 1,300 red-shanked douc langurs, which have been declared critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in 2013 and are nearly extinct, although currently more than 1,000 of the monkeys live in the reserve.

A photo of winter in the Sơn Trà primary forest taken by photographer Quang Nguyễn. The photo is one of hundreds published in a new photo book on the Sơn Trà Nature Reserve. Photo courtesy of Quảng Nguyễn

More than 10,000 tourists visit the site each month, and it has been designated by the tourism authority as a "must visit destination" in Đà Nẵng.

The city has approved a plan through 2030 for the protection of biodiversity in the Sơn Trà Nature Reserve. VNS