Tree planting trip in Can Gio Mangrove Forest

Tree planting trip in Can Gio Mangrove Forest:

3rd April 2010, 36 TRG International staff took a tree planting trip to Can Gio Mangrove Forest with an environmental protection purpose. It was a great opportunity to explore the mangrove forest life in reality. We was taught about its ecosystem, how they works, and understood why it is called by "the green lungs" of HCMC. The mangrove forest has tried to help us for a long time by absorbing thousand tons of carbon dioxide which we release everyday. 1200 trees were planted as a part of our effort to protect the environment, we hope that more activities will be launched to grab people's attention about the importance of Can Gio Mangrove Forest.

Some of our pictures:

More information about Can Gio Mangrove Forest

The Can Gio Mangrove Forest is located in Can Gio District in HCMC; 70km southeast from the center of Ho Chi Minh City.

Known as the 'green lungs of Saigon', the Can Gio Biosphere Reserve to the south of the city covers around 80,000 ha of the river delta and is cloaked in rich mangrove forest that is full of wildlife, with 42 plant species including 36 orders and 24 families, 700 aquatic invertebrate fauna species, 137 species of fish, 130 species of bird and 44 terrestrial vertebrate fauna species of which there are 11 species of reptile listed in the Red Book such as Crocodylus porosus, Aquatic varanidae, Cobra…

The mangrove forest in Can Gio was originally over 2000 years old, and so dense that the interior was cold, foggy and dark, and full of dangerous animals such as tigers and crocodiles. During the war the mangroves were a dense hiding place from which to launch attacks on the city, which both the Vietnamese and Americans found extremely difficult to penetrate or patrol. Sadly this led to the Americans dropping a huge amount of chemical defoliant or dioxin on the area, significantly damaging the mangrove forest, in an attempt to maintain control. Now the mangrove is beginning to recover and is protected by the government and international law, and there are efforts to reintroduce much of the wildlife that fled the area.

The mangrove forest in Can Gio performs many valuable ecological functions, including coastal stabilization, and protection against coastal erosion, oil spills and storm surges. The mangrove forest is a source of fuel wood and construction materials.

Thanks to its bio-diversity and environmental values; the Can Gio Mangrove Forest is recognized by UNESCO as the first World Biosphere Reserve in Vietnam in January 2000.