The central province of Quang Binh on May 22 gave prizes to 19 works of a
writing contest on the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, which is part
of activities marking the 10 th anniversary of its recognition as the
World Natural Heritage Site.
The contest titled “Learning about
the World Natural Heritage Site of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park” aims
to help people, particularly the youth, improve their awareness of
protecting the heritage as well as introduce the heritage’s outstanding
values.
Two months after launching, the contest’s organising
board received more than 21,000 entries, of which 70 writings were
selected to the final round.
Also on the occasion, the
provincial People’s Committee presented certificate of merit to 3
organisations and 11 individuals in recognition of their contributions
to discovering and exploring the park’s caves.
The Phong Nha – Ke
Bang National Park, located in the middle of the Annamite Mountain
Range in Quang Binh province, comprises an area of 85,754 ha and
contains terrestrial and aquatic habitats, primary and secondary forest,
sites of natural regeneration, tropical dense forests and savanna.
The property contains and protects over 104 km of caves and
underground rivers, making it one of the most outstanding limestone
karst ecosystems in the world.
A large number of faunal and
floral species occur within the property with over 568 vertebrate
species recorded. This impressive level of biodiversity and species
richness includes a number of endemic species as well as threatened
species including tiger, Asiatic black bear, Asian elephant, giant
muntjac, Asian wild dog, and the recently discovered sao la.-VNA