The Role of Tam Dao National Park in Biodiversity Conservation and Environmental Protection in the Northern Delta Region and Vietnam

3.2.3. Cooperative economy

In 1958, with the policy of collectivization, households contributed their land and assets to the cooperative. The main laborers in the households became cooperative members. In 1960, all three provinces basically completed low-level collectivization.

From 1960 to 1965, the cooperative continued to consolidate and gradually develop into large-scale high-level cooperatives (inter-village and whole commune or inter-commune). During this period, the household economy gradually lost its autonomous role. The State invested heavily in material and technical facilities for cooperatives. The management of cooperatives was always improved. Along with the cooperative movement, in rural agriculture, state-owned enterprises (farms, forestry farms, stations, farms) were born and developed strongly. The cooperative policy promoted the development of irrigation and transportation, improved fields, and introduced new varieties into production.

The renovation policy of the 6th Party Congress (1986) created an important premise for fundamental renovation of the economic model, shifting to a market mechanism. Thanks to that, there were great changes in agriculture and rural areas, laying the foundation for the birth of a series of important institutions and policies later.

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However, over the past 10 years, the situation in our country's rural areas, especially in the midlands and mountainous areas, has also had complicated developments in the development process. According to the survey results, only 10-15% of farming households are actually doing well due to experience, sufficient capital and labor. About 25-40% have average income but still depend on objective factors. The remaining 40-50% cannot maintain production without support from the outside. They are not only poor in capital and means of production but also very poor in experience and business knowledge. Low income leads to an unstable life. Currently, in some places, especially in the midlands and mountainous areas, the rate of farmers without land has reached 15-20%. The gap between rich and poor in rural areas is getting wider.

Currently, cooperatives are based on the principle of voluntary mutual benefit to help each other develop production through lending capital (credit cooperatives), popularizing knowledge of crop cultivation, livestock breeding knowledge (agricultural and forestry cooperatives), etc. Currently, agricultural cooperatives mainly perform the tasks of seed and fertilizer services, production support, capital and technical support for member households in the commune. Agricultural cooperatives within the same Party organization in the commune are also the agencies that develop socio-economic targets for the commune, and develop economic development strategies to achieve the set targets.

3.3. The role of Tam Dao National Park in biodiversity conservation and environmental protection in the Northern Delta region and Vietnam

3.3.1. Tam Dao National Park in the context of the Northern Delta and midland region

Tam Dao National Park covers the entire area of Tam Dao mountain range, which is an extension of the mountain system in the North and Northwest of the North into the Red River Delta. The entire West - South, South and East of the National Park are surrounded by plains and midland hills belonging to the provinces located in the north of the Northern Delta such as Tuyen Quang, Vinh Phuc, Thai Nguyen, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Ha Tay, Hanoi. With such a location, Tam Dao mountain range has been separated from the high mountain systems in the Northwest and the Northern provinces by the plains and midland hills, becoming a high island in the middle of the plain. This feature makes the flora and fauna of Tam Dao National Park richer in endemic species than other places, and the National Park has natural limits that animals cannot cross to run to other places. As for the surrounding plains, Tam Dao National Park is located on a majestic mountain range, nearly 1600m above sea level, and the natural forest ecosystem is up to 21,982ha wide, sharing ecosystem services with the local community as well as the surrounding areas, especially regulatory services such as climate regulation, disease regulation, flood regulation, and decomposition of toxins in the environment (cleaning water sources).

3.3.2. The role of Tam Dao National Park in biodiversity conservation.

Tam Dao National Park is a 34,995ha national park located at an altitude of 100 - 1590m, isolated from neighboring highland areas, with complex terrain differentiation, many diverse and unique habitats. For biodiversity conservation, Tam Dao National Park plays an important role due to its great advantages for biodiversity and biodiversity conservation. These are:

- High biodiversity value: nearly 2,500 species of animals and plants are known; of which 116 species have conservation value (14 species of level E, 30 species of level V, 28 species of level T, 44 species of level

R) and 84 endemic species. Some groups such as Mammals, Amphibians and Reptiles have a very high rate of rare species (with conservation value and endemicity) (Mammals 30/70 = 42.8%), Amphibians (15/60 = 25.0%), Reptiles (20/96 = 20.8%). The number of critically endangered species (E) is high, up to 14 species, including 5 large mammals and 1 bird species (White-feathered Pheasant) which are the most sensitive species in current conservation work. The urgency of conservation activities for these groups (mammals, reptiles, amphibians) is very high because they are facing illegal hunting for tourism. Several endangered large mammals have been considered extinct in Tam Dao National Park in recent years, such as Tonkin snub-nosed monkey, black crested gibbon, tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, red wolf, binturong and common otter (Source: Nguyen Xuan Dang, 2006).[14]

- There are genetic resources of species related to cultivated plants: That is wild Shan tea and the group of golden tea species. Protecting these species in the wild state is also protecting valuable genetic resources for future agricultural and forestry development, valuable raw materials for biotechnology development and therefore high-tech agriculture in the future.

- Has diverse habitats: Habitat is the natural living environment of organisms. The more diverse the habitat, the more species of organisms can exist naturally and wildly in the area. On the other hand, in each habitat, there are often many species living together, there is a network of intricate biological relationships (commensalism, symbiosis, food chains and

The food web regulates the number of their species populations and creates sustainable opportunities for them to survive together. The habitat diversity of Tam Dao National Park is formed by the following natural factors: The differentiation of climate according to the altitude: (according to the similarity of temperature) into tropical climate belts from 700-800m altitude and below and subtropical climate belts at altitudes from 800-1590m. Even within a belt, the higher the altitude, the lower the temperature.

- Spatial isolation from areas with similar natural conditions in different places thanks to the surrounding plains makes the endemism of the National Park high, animals have no chance to leave even when the environment is affected. Therefore, conservation will be more effective, unless illegal hunting in the core area cannot be prevented and there is a lack of consensus and cooperation from the local community.

- The large and continuous area of the terrain ensures the continuity of habitats (housing, feeding, prey habitat, etc.) and the safe movement of animals in their life activities (foraging, breeding, etc.). This continuity also ensures the meeting of small groups in the species population living in different locations of the National Park, increasing the chances of reproduction and genetic diversity, helping the population to be larger and have a higher chance of survival. Moreover, the continuity over a large area also ensures more stable ecological conditions, and a higher ability to regulate environmental factors through ecosystem functions (ecosystem services).

- Close to the capital Hanoi and easy to travel: This is a very important condition for conducting population monitoring studies of conservation objects as well as their living conditions.

3.3.3. Role in the environment

a. Water resource regulation and water balance

The Tam Dao mountain range is a territorial unit that has both converging factors and dispersing factors of environmental factors with neighboring areas and the entire plain and midland of the North, especially the factors participating in and closing the water cycle in nature. The converging factors are the differentiation according to the height of the Tam Dao mountain range, the wind-blocking direction that converges clouds, causing rain to create large amounts of rainfall in this territory. The dispersing factor is the ability to store and divide rainfall into two forms of groundwater and surface water, and the rich hydrological system that participates in regulating and transporting that amount of natural water to neighboring areas to serve life, production and out to the East Sea.

The water storage capacity in the Tam Dao mountain peak area is very high, especially in the area of the Pineapple Pond Ghost Forest (Tam Dao 2). Thanks to the tree species here having a very developed, widespread and dense root system, penetrating deeply, creating favorable conditions for rainwater to turn into groundwater, seeping deep into the soil layer, enhancing the capacity to store and regulate water.

b. Climate differentiation, creating different climate sub-regions.

Located in the monsoon climate zone, the climate changes very quickly and depends closely on the monsoon; the wind direction and the direction of the wind-blocking terrain have a clear influence on the climate differentiation. Because the main direction of the Tam Dao range is Northwest - Southeast, the eastern slope is the slope receiving the northeast monsoon and the east wind blowing in from the sea, while the western slope is the hidden slope, creating a difference between the eastern slope and the adjacent plain (Dai Tu, Thai Nguyen) and the western slope and the plain of the two provinces of Tuyen Quang and Vinh Phuc in a series of climate indicators. The temperature indexes (average annual temperature, average maximum temperature, average minimum temperature) and temperature-related factors (evaporation) on the eastern slope (Dai Tu station) are lower than those on the western slope (Tuyen Quang and Vinh Yen stations), on the contrary, the humidity indexes are higher than those on the western slope. This is the result of the northeast monsoon, a cold, humid wind carrying a lot of water vapor that blows in the fall and winter. When it meets the Tam Dao mountain range, it leaves rain in the area.

The eastern slope (windward slope) has more rain, when passing the peak to the western slope, due to the reduced amount of water vapor, there is less rain or sometimes no rain, and the wind, due to receiving heat from the mountain range and vegetation, is warmer than when it meets the eastern slope.

Thus, the Tam Dao range acts as a windbreak, creating two distinct sub-climates in the foothill plains: the eastern sub-region (eastern slope) is colder and rainier, while the western sub-region is warmer and drier (less rain).

3.3.4. Natural disasters.

In terms of natural disasters, the Tam Dao mountain range plays a dual role. For some disasters, such as drought and desertification, it moderates and reduces the severity and damage. For others, such as landslides, flash floods, and inundation, the range is a potential, ferocious culprit. The factors that make up this dual role are geological structure; steep mountain terrain; heavy rain, strong flow; and vegetation cover.

Regarding geological structure: Tam Dao mountain range is made up of Triassic acid eruptive rocks belonging to Tam Dao formation (T 2 td). Tam Dao acid eruptive formation consists mainly of rhyolite, porphyry rhyolite, rhyodacite and their tuffs, with a total thickness of about 800m. Rhyolite contains small to medium sized feldspar and quartz phenocrysts, accounting for about 5-10% of the volume. Tam Dao rhyolite formation is dissected by a system of cracks, creating blocks of different sizes, compressed into sheets, sometimes into slabs, and strongly crushed. Filling the cracks in the rock are quartz veins. (Dang Trung Thuan, 2006) [14]. Because acid eruptions are erupting in stages spaced more or less apart in time, each eruption forms a layer or stratum, the next layer lying on the previous layer. The interface between two layers often has low cohesion, is easily weathered, and when weathered, the cohesion is reduced and is susceptible to landslides along the slope of the interface. In geological terms, it is a sliding surface. When the layers are strongly separated by a system of cracks that create blocks of different sizes separated by quartz veins and are strongly crushed, the

The more the cohesion decreases and the more the risk of landslides increases. Even the soil formed from these types of bedrock has a light mechanical composition, coarse grain size, and is easily eroded and washed away, especially in places with slopes higher than 35 0. The soil is eroded very strongly, leaving behind a layer of hard bedrock. If for some reason the forest cover is destroyed on this site, even with high investment, it will be difficult to restore the forest cover as before. (FIPI, 1992) [19].

In mountainous terrain conditions, the direction and slope of the sliding surface relative to the terrain height affect many processes related to landslides and collapses. On gentler slopes, the sliding surface is in the same direction as the terrain surface, the upper eruption layer covers the lower layer, creating a balance of the slope to keep the slope stable. However, when these layers are severely broken, surface water seeps into the sliding surfaces and fills the cracks, the cohesion is reduced, which can lead to landslides. The landslide process often occurs in a chain, the upper block slides and hits the lower block, breaking the cohesion of the sliding surface, causing this block to slide as well, with greater kinetic energy. Like that, the larger the sliding surface (the larger the area of the layer), the more severe the landslide phenomenon. At the same time, it can also lead to flash floods and mudflows. This phenomenon will be stronger when the slope of the sliding surface is higher. Meanwhile, the steeper slope is located on the back of the sliding surface; the eruption layers are wedged into the slope; The outer ends of the layers accumulate rainwater, are heavily weathered and become brittle, causing landslides and flash floods due to the steepness of the slope.

High rainfall and high groundwater reserves have a positive impact on regulating the flow, minimizing the effects of drought and desertification as presented in section 3.3.1. However, high groundwater levels filling the gaps between the eruption blocks and the sliding surfaces will both reduce the cohesion and promote the weathering process, making the eruption blocks crumbly and easily causing landslides and flash floods. On the contrary, if the surface water permeability is reduced (such as concreting in construction), the amount of surface water will increase, and the risk of flash floods will also be very high.

The role of vegetation cover in case of weak geological structure and steep terrain is very important. It increases the cohesion of layers, bedrock blocks, maintains slope balance and limits the risk of landslides and collapses.

3.4. Ecotourism potential of Tam Dao National Park

3.4.1. Organizational structure of Tam Dao National Park

Organization and Administration Department

Functional rooms

Department of Science and International Cooperation

Tam Dao National Park is a public service unit under the General Department of Forestry. With the following organizational structure:

Board of Directors

Affiliated units

Planning and Finance Department

Center for DVDLST & GDMT

Forest Ranger Department

3.4.2. Structure of the main ecosystems of Tam Dao