With the biological diversity of the flora and fauna, Kon Ka Kinh plays an important role in upstream watershed protection for several large rivers that provide water for irrigation and domestic use for a number of districts in Gia Lai and Kon Tum provinces.
Overview
Kon Ka Kinh National Park is located on the Kon Tum Plateau, in the areas of districts Mang Yang, KBang, and Dak Doa of Gia Lai Province. The center of the park is situated in the Commune of Ayun, Mang Yang district, northeast of Gia Lai Province.
With the purpose of preserving subtropical forest in the high mountains with species of gymnosperm, Kon Ka Kinh National Park was one of four national parks in Vietnam, together with three other national parks in Vietnam: Ba Be, Chu Mom Ray and Hoang Lien), also one of 27 national parks in ASEAN was listed on ASEAN Heritage Park. Kon Ka Kinh National Park is a priority zone for the protection of biodiversity of Vietnam as well as ASEAN.
Topography
To the north of the national park, elevations gradually increase towards Mount Ngoc Linh, the highest point in the central Annamites. To the south and west, the topography is flatter, and altitudes are below 500 m. Altitudes within the national park range from 570 m in the Ba river valley, to 1,748 m at the summit of Mount Kon Ka Kinh.
Streams from the eastern part of the park supply water source Ba River, a twisted river running north-south until it meets the confluence A Yun River and then changes its direction to northwest-southeast before emptying into the East Sea in Tuy Hoa city; while to the west of the river lays distributaries of Mekong River. Due to the sloping topography, rivers in this park are short, running fast and creating many waterfalls.
Flora
Due to the characteristics of its topography, climate, soil conditions, and other factors, this park contains a great deal of biodiversity. According to the survey results, Kon Ka Kinh National Park contained 687 flora species of 459 genus and 140 families, of which the class of Magnoliopsida is dominant (104 families, 337 genus, 528 species). Second domination is Liliopsida (15 families, 82 genus, 111 species). Other diviso of Pteridophyta includes 16 families, 32 genus and 40 species. Gymnosperm includes 5 families, 8 genus, 8 species. Moreover, Kon Ka Kinh is also the home to several endangered and preserved endemic species. Most of the area in the park is covered by protozoa with the above-mentioned typical flora. Kon Ka Kinh National Park contains 33,565 ha of natural forest, equivalent to 80% of the total area of the national park. The national park supports a range of montane habitat types. Of particular importance are 2,000 ha of mixed coniferous and broadleaf forest containing Fokienia hodginsii.
Kon Ka Kinh National Park has 33,565 natural forest, accounting for 80% its total area. It is home to mountainous biological typical lives. There are about 20 square kilometres of broad leaf and needle leaf trees, primarily Pomu (Fokienia hodginsii).
Fauna
Kon Ka Kinh National Park is home to 428 animal species, of which, 223 species are of vertabrates living on land (34 ordo, 74 families) and 205 species Invertebrates (such as butterfly) of 10 families of (Lepidoptera).
The National Park is also a globally important site for the conservation of amphibian diversity. Kon Ka Kinh supports a number of amphibian species endemic to the Annamite mountains, including four species assessed as globally threatened during the Global Amphibian Assessment: Leptobrachium banae, L. xanthospilum, Rana attigua and Rhacophorus baliogaster.
The park is of importance to local people as a source of natural resources, such as firewood honey and rattans. Also, the national park supports at least 110 plant species with known medicinal uses. Use of plants in traditional medicine is widespread amongst local people, although the commercial potential of these species remains largely unrealized.
In brief, Kon Ka Kinh National Park contains scenic landscapes and other natural features of interest to visitors.