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Have you been to Xuan Son National Park in
Thanh Son District, Phu Tho province? If not yet, you are strongly recommended
to take a chance to visit primitive forests of the National Park. Possessing a
diversified floristic composition with hundreds of plant and tree species, a
range of wild rare animals and natural beautiful waterfalls and caves, Xuan Son
National Park is an ideal destination of Vietnamese and foreign visitors.
Topography and hydrology
Xuan Son National Park is located at the extreme south-eastern extent of the
Hoang Lien Mountains, in the watershed of the Red River. Elevations at Xuan Son
are lower than elsewhere in the Hoang Lien mountains: the nearest point above
2,000 m is 40 km to the north-west. Limestone karst covers 1,661 ha, equivalent
to 30% of the area of the national park. The limestone karst contains a large
number of caves, some of which contain river systems.
Biodiversity values
The natural vegetation types at Xuan Son are lowland and lower montage evergreen
forest, as well as lowland and lower montage limestone forest. To date, 314
vascular plant species, 48 mammal species, 121 bird species, 13 reptile species
and 14 amphibian species have been recorded at Xuan Son National Park. The
investment plan reported the occurrence of one group of Black-cheeked Crested
Gibbon Hylobates concolor with three or four individuals, and one group of
Phayre's Leaf Monkey Trachypithecus prairie with 15 to 18 individuals. However,
the current status of these species at the site is not known, and it is possible
that both are locally extinct. In addition, the extensive cave systems at Xuan
Son are reported to support a high diversity of bat species. The flora of the
Xuan Son National Park is very rich and diverse, including 180 families, 680
genera and 1,217 species of 6 vascular plant phyla. The taxon distributions of
these taxes are different. The Magnoliophyta phylum has 151 families (83.88%),
633 genera (93.08%) and 1,130 species (92.85%); the Polypodiophyta has 22
families (12.22%), 38 genera (5.58%) and 74 species (6.08%); the Pinophyta has 3
families, 4 genera and 5 species; the Lycopodiophyta has 2 families, 3 genera
and 6 species; the smallest taxa are Equisetophyta and Psilotophyta with 1
family, 1 genus and 1 species each. The Euphorbiaceae is the most diverse family
(60 species), followed by Rubiaceae (49 species), Fabaceae, Moraceae. There are
26 genera with more than 5 species, made up 4% compared to the total genera of
the flora but with 186 species (15.28% the total species of the flora); these
genera are Ficus (24 species), Ardisia (13 species), Piper and Polygonum, each
with 9 species; Diospyros, Elaeocarpus, Hedyotis. Psychotria and Dendrobium,
each with 7 species; Begonia, Bauhinia, Desmodium, Maesa, Helicia, Solanum,
Callicarpa, Clerodenrun, Carex, Cyperus and Dioscorea, each with 6 species and
lastly Tectaria, Pteris, Schefflera, Garcinia, Rhododendron and Syzygium, each
with 5 species. There are 40 endangered species (representing 3,4% of the total
species of the flora of the Xuanson national park) listed in the Red Data Book
of Vietnam (2004), that need to be given priority for conservation and
protection.Useful plant resources comprise medicinal plants (665 species);
timber plants (202 species); vegetables and edible fruits (132 species);
ornamental plants (90 species); aromatic plants (26 species); bamboo, rattan,
fern, jute (9 species); forages (12 species); floriferous plants (9 species) and
poisonous plants (8 species).
Conservation aspect
The main threats to biodiversity are shifting cultivation and forest fire. These
would appear to be bigger threats in non-limestone areas, where hillsides are
suitable for cultivation. Communities inside the national park, which live in
limestone areas, cultivate wet rice on flat valley bottoms. However, the
limestone hillsides close to these communities are still covered with primary
forest. One conservation issue at Xuan Son is that the national park is,
perhaps, too small to support viable populations of several mammal and bird
species in the long-term. Preventing negative impacts on forests, protecting
biodiversity and developing sources of precious genes of rare flora for high
economic value. Raising public awareness and improving forest-based incomes for
the locals for sustainable forest and environmental protection and management,
as well. Those are two most important tasks in Xuan Son National Park. A wide
belt of land with difficult geographic characteristics and a high potential is
waiting for exploitation. Xuan Son National Park needs creative, high qualified
and enthusiasm staffs to make the region more and more beautiful and wealthy.
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