Kon Ka Kinh national park, dubbed the “roof of Gia Lai province”, is set to become a biodiversity reserve hub owing to its diversified flora and fauna.
Recognised as an ASEAN heritage park in 2003, Kon Ka Kinh stretches over 42,000 hectares, more than 33,500 of which are covered by natural forests that lie 1,748 metres above sea level. The park is home to over 1,000 flora and 351 fauna species; many of them are listed in the Vietnam Red Book and mingle with centuries-old towering trees and evergreen, coniferous and broadleaf forests, according to the Forest Investigation and Planning Institute of Vietnam. It contains flora native to northern Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Myanmar. With its favourable natural conditions and mild climate, the park offers ecological tours and cultural festivals to visitors, thus improving local livelihoods. Gia Lai has added conserving Kon Ka King Park in its sustainable development goals for 2011-2020. Infrastructure and equipment designed for Kon Ka Kinh conservation will be added and illegal hunting will face crackdowns. The park management board will develop community-based management mechanisms based on improving staff capacity, studying biodiversity and protecting endangered animals and birds in collaboration with scientific institutes, universities and international organisations. Together with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the park will design a specific ecological tourism strategy that includes links with other local attractions. It will also raise public awareness of environmental protection among younger generations by incorporating forest protection into development projects and putting foreign financial aid towards the cause.
