Bach Ma National Park

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Bach Ma National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)

Location	Central Vietnam
Nearest city	Hué
Coordinates	16°12′0″N 107°52′0″E / 16.2, 107.86667
Area	220 km²
Established	1986

Bach Ma National Park (Vietnamese: Vườn quốc gia Bạch Mã) is a protected area in central Vietnam, near the city of Hué. It covers 220 km² and is comprised of three zones: a strictly protected core area, an administrative area and a buffer zone.

As of 2004, the park is being considered for expansion in order to create a larger protected area that will create a corridor from the border with Laos to the sea.

[edit] History

It was first protected as a series of forest reserves in 1937, and was declared a protected area by the government of South Vietnam in 1962. In 1986 the area was established as a national park. The forests of the park, like Cat Tien National Park, suffered from the use of defoliants like Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

[edit] Biodiversity of Bach Ma

Bach Ma National Park is situated in the Annamite Mountains and is one of the wettest places in Vietnam. Its mountains are composed mainly of granite, and the topography of the park is generally very steep.

Bach ma's position, at the biogeographical border between northern and southern Vietnam, combined with its variety of habitats, ranging from the coast to high mountains, means the park is rich in biodiversity. It is located in an area that is considered a 'Centre of Plant Diversity' in Vietnam. The main vegetation type is moist evergreen forest and montane forest, as well as areas of scrub and grassland where human disturbance has been high.

The mammal fauna of the park is not well-known, though historically held important species such as Asian Elephant, White-cheeked Gibbons and Red-shanked Douc Langurs. It also protects important bird species, ezpecially Vietnamese endemics such as the Crested Argus, the Annam Partridge, as well as the previously considered extinct Edward's Pheasant.