Current view: Text account
Site description (2002 baseline):
Site location and context
The Nghia Hung district has 12 km of coastline and is bordered to the west and east by the Day and Ninh Co Rivers. There are three coastal communes in the district; Ngia Trung, Nam Dien and Nghia Phuc.
During April 1994, it was estimated that more than 30,000 shorebirds were in Nghia Hung district. A high tide roost of shorebirds has been located on the southernmost offshore island: three high-tide counts were made on the island and a maximum of 1774 shorebirds were recorded during May 1996.
Non-bird biodiversity: Can also be classified as A4i for containing 2.1% of the world population of Tringa erythropus.
Nghia Hung supports 13 different habitats and is one of the most diverse areas in the Red River Delta. Adjacent to the Ninh Co estuary is an area with sandy beaches, dunes and saltmarsh. Some of the dunes have been afforested with Casuarina equisetifolia, to the west of which is an area with crab ponds suporting a reed bed of Phragmite sp. Along the Ninh Co River, there is an area of salt ponds. Beyond the main dike lies an intertidal area of 3500 ha, 60 % of which is covered with the mangrove Kandelia candel. Five kilometres offshore, there are two small sandy islands, covering 25 ha, which supports dunes. The southern island has a small area of saltmarsh and Casuarina equisetifolia.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The main threats to biodiversity at Nghia Hung are hunting, over-exploitation of marine products and disturbance.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Several constraints to management have been identified, including the absence of a coastal zone management plan for the district, lack of technical capacity among the district FPD staff, and lack of awareness of the biological value of mangrove and intertidal mudflats.
Nghia Hung was proposed a nature reserve by Birdlife and the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute (FIPI). This idea has the support of Nam Dinh Provincial People's Committee and Forest protection Department (FPD). Nghia Hung is not listed on any official decree related to the Special-use Forest system, however is included on a proposed list of protected areas currently being prepared by FPD and FIPI, as a 7,600 ha nature reserve.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Nghia Hung (Vietnam). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/nghia-hung-iba-vietnam on 22/12/2024.
