On the afternoon of November 28, Con Dao National Park Management Board held a ceremony to receive the certificate of recognition of Heritage Trees, and the certificate of record setting of Hon Trung bird sanctuary, on the occasion of the anniversary of "Vietnam Forestry Day" (November 28, 1959 - November 28, 2024).
This event marks the efforts of Con Dao National Park in preserving and promoting the value of natural heritage, raising awareness of environmental conservation for sustainable development; introducing and promoting the biodiversity of Con Dao for tourism development.
During the ceremony, the Vietnam Heritage Tree Council awarded certificates of recognition for 24 heritage trees to Con Dao National Park. These include 1 banyan tree at Hon Bay Canh (237 years old, 7 m in circumference, 17 m high); 1 banyan tree at Ong Dung Beach (155 years old, 4.6 m in circumference, 14 m high); 1 black star tree at Bai Dai Beach (237 years old, 7.9 m in circumference, 25 m high) and a population of 21 phong ba trees at Hon Cau (119 years old). To date, Con Dao district has 105 heritage trees, including trees such as banyan, langur, thi, nhoi, and red coc...
At the same time, the Vietnam Record Organization also awarded a certificate to establish Hon Trung as the seabird sanctuary with the highest breeding density in Vietnam. Hon Trung is the name of a small, deserted island, with an area of only nearly 2 hectares, only grass and rocks, but it is quite important in the management area of Con Dao National Park. This is the habitat and breeding ground of many rare bird species such as: black-backed tern, large-crested tern, white-bellied tern, white-breasted swift, grey-headed tern...; with an average surveyed egg density of 4.88 eggs/m2.
On the afternoon of November 28, the Con Dao National Park Management Board coordinated with the World Conservation Union (IUCN) to organize a ceremony to summarize the sea turtle conservation volunteer program in 2024. This is a program initiated by IUCN in 2014 with the cooperation of Con Dao National Park, attracting the attention of the community.
According to statistics, in 2024, more than 140 volunteers were selected for the sea turtle conservation program at Con Dao National Park; divided into 7 groups to volunteer in Con Dao. Volunteers have supported Con Dao National Park rangers in carrying out sea turtle conservation work such as: monitoring and safely relocating 424 nests with 44,006 eggs, successfully releasing 12,238 baby turtles into the sea, leveling turtle egg-laying grounds, cleaning turtle egg incubation ponds, etc.
At the same time, participate in guiding and introducing sea turtle rescue work, protecting natural resources for tourists; collecting and treating garbage on small islands; increasing production...
To date, the program has had more than 500 volunteers from diverse professions (students, civil servants, businessmen, freelancers, doctors, lawyers, artists, teachers, journalists, etc.) go to Con Dao to support the rangers in their task of preserving sea turtles during the peak of the turtle egg-laying season (from June to September) every year.
