HCMC eyes Ramsar site designation for Can Gio wetland

Source: VN Express International

The protective forest in HCMC's outlying Can Gio District meets the requirements to be designated a Ramsar site and should be nominated for it, the city government has said.

In a recent communication to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, it said the Can Gio forest, 35 ha of which comprises mangroves, meets four of the nine criteria to become a Ramsar site.

"It is a representative, rare or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type found in the appropriate biogeographic region, supports vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities, regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds, and is an important source of food for fish and spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks, either within the wetland or elsewhere, depend."

A Ramsar site refers to a site designated to be of international importance under "The Convention on Wetlands."

The convention is an intergovernmental treaty that provides a framework for the conservation and optimal use of wetlands and their resources.

It was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar and came into force in 1975.

Since then almost 90% of UN member states from every region have become "Contracting Parties," according to its official website.

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