Forests in Ca Mau include coastal mangrove forest and alum flooled indigo forest. These are two specific forest ecosystems in the Mekong Delta, with high biological productivity, especially coastal mangroves, and U Minh Ha capercaillie, which play an important role in the ecological balance of the coastal area, climate regulation, and coastal protection.
Ca Mau mangrove forest. Photo: Nguyen Thanh Dung.
By 2021, Ca Mau province will have a concentrated forest area of 94,319 ha; a forest coverage rate of 25.81%. Typical forest ecosystems in Ca Mau province include the wetland forest ecosystem on alum land, the mangrove ecosystem in coastal areas, and small areas of broad-leaved forest ecosystems that are often green on islands. Special-use forests and coastal protection forests of Ca Mau province are the core areas of the Biosphere Reserve. Wetland ecosystems play a very important role in providing environmental services, storing CO2 greenhouse gases; protecting coastlines, preventing windstorms; fixing, and limiting erosion, and marine invasion, limiting the spread of seawater and waves deep into the field, fixing nutrients and improving water quality. Providing habitat, breeding, feeding, and nutrition for commercial fish and coastal ecosystems, cleaning water in coastal areas. Providing wood, firewood, and forest products in addition to wood, medicinal materials, and plant and animal resources. Conserving biodiversity, protecting people, and preserving ecological and geomorphological processes in coastal areas. Ca Mau has 3 main forest types:
Mangrove forest (Ca Mau agenga forest):
Eco forest. Photo: Vo Thanh Quang
Ca Mau mangrove forest has a unique and diverse ecosystem, ranked the second in the world, after Amazon forest in South America. Ca Mau mangrove forest covers an area of nearly 69,000ha. In particular, concentrated in the districts of Ngoc Hien, Nam Can, Dam Doi and Phu Tan.
Small crabs live under the canopy of mangrove forest. Photo: Nguyen Thanh Dung.
Ca Mau mangrove forest is a vegetation with many species of trees such as: mangrove, mam, vet, apple mangrove, da, su, coc, da, da, date palm, ferns, vines, etc. In which, mangroves are the dominant trees species and have high economic value. According to statistics of the Minh Hai Mangrove Research and Application Center (December,1998), Ca Mau mangrove forest has 101 tree species. Of which, there are 32 official tree species belonging to 27 families.
Model of forest-shrimp combination. Photo: Quang Minh.
Ca Mau mangrove forest: there are 28 species of mammals belonging to 12 families. Among them, 5 species are listed in Vietnam's Red Book, 1 species in the IUCN’s Red Book, including species lists of primates (long-tailed macaque, langurs), even-digit hoofed hoof (wild boar), carnivorous set (weasel, fox-cat, short foxes, otters, etc.), 74 species of birds, 17 species of reptiles, 5 species of amphibians, 14 species of shrimp, 175 species of fish, 133 species of plankton plants and animals.
Brackish submerged forest (U Minh cajuput forest).
U Minh cajuput forest. Photo: Ngoc Thu.
U Minh cajuput forest has a total area of about 35,000ha. It gathers in the districts of U Minh, Tran Van Thoi and Thoi Binh. U Minh cajuput forest belongs to inland wetland ecosystem, with cajuput forest on alum and peat soil. Along with U Minh Thuong (Kien Giang) is one of only two places in Vietnam where has this forest ecosystem, at once is an important and valuable wetland in the Lower Mekong River and Southeast Asia. The basic feature of the U Minh basin is the elevation of the basin shape, with the center of the basin being the U Minh Ha forest ecosystem, with the natural succession of the mangrove ecosystem shifting completely to melaleuca forest when going deep inland and gradually sweetening the basin.
Beekeeping profession in U Minh Ha forest. Photo: Quach Ngo Thanh Thuy.
U Minh mangrove forest has high value for biodiversity and plays an important role in stabilization of soil, hydrology, storation and supply of fresh water for people and wildlife; preventing the acidification of soil, regular the climate, conserve biodiversity in inland submerged forests.
Swamphens live in U Minh forest. Photo: Huynh Lam.
Melaleuca flooded forests dominated absolute, under the forest canopy with many species of vines and other small trees. There are many species of animals such as wild boar, monkey, weasel, python, snake, turtle, pangolin, etc. and there are 60 species of freshwater fish and brackish fish living. In particular, melaleuca forest honey bees and annually for large-scale exploitation.
U Minh forest deer. Photo: Huynh Lam.
Forests on the islands of Hon Khoai, Hon Chuoi, and Da Bac.
In addition, Hon Khoai, Hon Chuoi islands covers an area of over 710ha, with many species of valuable timbers and animals living under the canopy of forest.