Current view: Text account
Site description (2002 baseline):
Site location and context
This coastal IBA consists of the mouth and riverside areas of the Bai Lai river which opens out onto sandy flats and shallows. These extend for possibly 1km or more at low tide. The sand flats and shallows are backed by sand ridges and recently developed shrimp ponds in what was formerly extensive areas of mangrove forest. The Bai Lai river itself is wide, measuring nearly 1 km, and is edged by sections of organically rich silts deposited on top of sand banks and sand flats. These sections contain eel-grass and other salt tolerant plants and are also backed by a narrow fringe of mangrove. A significant high tide roost has been found at the mouth of the small Con Nhan River, located on a slightly elevated sand ridge area.
No figures are available regarding habitat or land use cover, however intertidal area (mud, sand flats and shallows) is likely to account for around 10% of the IBAs area.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Threats to the avian fauna of the site include hunting, bird disturbance, unsustainable harvesting, mangrove conversion and a general decline in water quality and productivity (Niall Moores and Nguyen Phuc Bao Hoa 2001).
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Further research is recommended to identify whether the relationship between the shorebirds present at the site and the harvesting of local resources by local communities is sustainable (Niall Moores and Nguyen Phuc Bao Hoa 2001).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ba Tri (Vietnam). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ba-tri-iba-vietnam on 22/12/2024.
