To highlight the important role of forests for communities in Central Vietnam, WWF hired photographers Pham Ba Trinh and Dang Van Tran to take a series of images that portray the interrelationships between the forests and people’s livelihoods.
The story begins in the enchanting city of Hue, home to various historic and cultural sites, including the ancient Citadel, a myriad of temples, and the legendary Huong (Perfume) River. Discover the life of forest people with Vietnam Travel.
If you were to look upstream to the source of this majestic river, you would discover magnificent forests that harbor an amazing amount of biodiversity. Hidden inside this region, known as the Central Annamites, is a wealth of species unique to this area.
In the 1990′s three of the last large mammal to be discovered were found here, including the saola an elusive and unusual species of cattle. As scientists survey this area a plethora of new species continues to be found, which is remarkable considering that this region was heavily sprayed with dioxin during the American War.
The majesty of these forests is shared by the communities found within them. The Ca Tu and Ta Oi people depend upon the forests for rattan, bamboo, medicinal plants and other non-timber forest products, as they have for centuries. As populations grow and more forestland is converted for other use, the forests and the people who depend upon them teeter between survival and collapse. The best Vietnam Travel Deals can be accquired for the best prices.
To combat these issues, WWF and the Forest Protection Department are working with local communities to establish “community forests”. WWF also helps to advise locals in the development of eco-tourism.
These new, eco-friendly programs allow visitors to explore newly opened areas in A Luoi, such as A Roang commune on the Ho Chi Minh Highway. Tourists can visit historic sites like the infamous Hamburger Hill, and experience life in local Ta Oi communities. Excursions into the forests offer visitors the chance to view gibbons-apes known for their ethereal morning calls, hundreds of bird species, spectacular wild orchids, and, if they are very lucky, the elusive saola.
