Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park in central Quang Binh province has just been recognised as a World Heritage for the second time for its biodiversity by Unesco, with the area under recognition being dramatically expanded.
Park director Le Thanh Tinh said on July 4 recognistion came after an agreement by members who attended the 39th conference by the World Heritage Committee, which was held in Bonn, Germany, on July 3.
He said Phong Nha-Ke Bang was known for having the biggest and most ancient karst compositions in Asia, providing a natural chronology of the earths geological evolution, and its diverse cave and river systems.
Son Doong is recognised as the biggest cave system in the world.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang covers 85,754 ha and Unesco has expanded recognition to a total of 123,326 ha to cover primeval forests that boast the most diverse flora and fauna systems in Southeast Asia.
The park has 2,934 identified species of flora and more than 800 species of fauna, many of which are listed among the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red Book for endangered species in the world, including the Ha Tinh langur, the brown-shanked langur and the white-cheeked gibbon.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang is the third site in Asia and the first in Southeast Asia to be recognised as Natural Heritage.
The park was first recognised as the World Heritage in July 2003.
Dantri.vn
