Hills to die for: A corner of the newly founded Du Gia National Park in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang. — Photo dulich.vn

HA GIANG  (VNS) — Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has decided to establish a new national park in the northern mountainous province mountainous province of Ha Giang.

The park is a merger of Du Gia Nature Reserves covering 22,000 hectares and Khau Ca Conservation Area of about 2,000ha, which was set aside to protect Rhinopithecus avunculus, a type of langur or monkey.

However, about 9,000 hectares of the park's total area is actually a buffer zone including farms and villages.

This leaves a park covering a total area of more than 15,000ha in the districts of Vi Xuyen, Bac Me and Yen Minh.

The name of the new entity is the Du Gia National Park. It has been set up to better protect the eco-system of the evergreen tropical rain forest, including rare and endangered species such as the northern red pine.

The park will also be used to help stabilise agricultural and industrial production in the region by enhancing the forest's capacity to soak up torrential rain, lessening the effects of flooding.

It will also enable better research and conservation of the park's fauna, flora and typical ecosystems.

It is expected to boost ecotourism and raise awareness of environmental protection and conservation. It will also create jobs and encourage local people to participate in tourism services.

The 8,850 hectare buffer zone around the park covers six communes in the districts of Yen Minh, Bac Me, Vi Xuyen and Quan Ba.

The Prime Minister assigned the provincial People's Committee to manage the park and set up construction and development projects for the park and its buffer zone.

Dong Van Karst Plateau, is also the first Geopark in Viet Nam. A Geopark is a unified area combining geoheritages and cultural heritages. They involve advanced protection and use of geological heritage in a sustainable way. They also promote the economic well-being of the people who live there. — VNS