Núi Chúa National Park, also known in Vietnamese as Vườn quốc gia Núi Chúa, was previously called Núi Chúa Nature Reserve. It is located in Khánh Hòa Province, which is part of the South Central Coast region in Vietnam.

Geography

The National Park was created by a government decision called "Decision 134/QĐ-TTg," which was signed by the Prime Minister of Vietnam on July 9, 2003. This decision changed the Núi Chúa Nature Reserve into Núi Chúa National Park.

Núi Chúa National Park is located on a large, mountainous area that extends into the South China Sea between Cam Ranh Bay and Phan Rang Bay. The land rises from sea level up to 1,039 meters at the top of Núi Chúa peak.

The park is bordered by the South China Sea to the south and east, by Highway No. 1 to the west, and by the border of Khánh Hòa Province to the north. A five-star hotel named Amanoi, owned by Aman Resorts, is also located on the eastern edge of the park. The total area of the park is 24,353 hectares, which includes:

• A protected forest area of 16,087 hectares
• A forest restoration area of 8,261 hectares
• An area for administration and services of 5 hectares
• A buffer zone of 11,200 hectares

The park also shares a border with a protected marine area covering 7,352 hectares.

The northern part of the park is in the southern section of Cam Ranh Bay, which is part of Cam Lập commune in Cam Ranh town, Khánh Hòa Province. The southeastern part of the park is in the South China Sea, covering areas in Vĩnh Hải and Nhơn Hải communes of Ninh Hải district. The western side of the park is next to National Route 1.

Ninh Thuận Province is the driest and hottest province in Vietnam. It receives the least rainfall in south-central Vietnam, with an average of 650 millimeters per year. The dry season lasts for eight months, from November or December to July or August.

Biodiversity values

Núi Chúa National Park is a special place in Vietnam that is very important for protecting nature. It is one of the few areas in Southeast Asia where coastal and ocean habitats are still in good condition. The park helps protect many different plants and animals that live there, including unique dry plants and beaches where sea turtles lay their eggs. It is located on a land area near a marine park with coral reefs.

The park is in the southeastern part of the Great Annamites Ecoregion, which is one of four important natural areas in southern Vietnam identified by the World Wildlife Fund. It includes two types of land areas: the Southern Vietnam Lowland Dry Forests and the Southern Annamite Montane Rain Forests. Because there are few opportunities to expand protected areas in this dry coastal region, it is very important to protect the resources already present. The semi-arid coastal areas of southern Vietnam are the driest in the country, so the plants there are valuable for helping restore other areas that become drier or are affected by rising sea levels due to climate change.

The original plants in the park included evergreen forests, semi-evergreen forests, and deciduous forests. However, most of the forest was destroyed in the early 1990s because of overuse. Today, the only mostly undisturbed primary forest left is the lower montane evergreen forest, found in the northern part of the park at elevations above 800 meters. At lower elevations, there are large areas of damaged and regrown forests. In the southern parts of the park, between 150 and 800 meters above sea level, there are areas covered with shrubs and thorny trees. This type of habitat is only found in very hot and dry areas and is not well represented in Vietnam’s protected areas.

Núi Chúa National Park is home to 72 types of mammals and 181 types of birds. It also protects several species that are important for global conservation, including the black-shanked douc (Pygathrix nigripes), pygmy loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus), Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus), sun bear (U. malayanus), large-antlered muntjac (Muntiacus vuquangensis), and siamese fireback (Lophura diardi). Studies show it has the largest population of black-shanked douc in Vietnam.

Twelve species of bats live in the park, including the lesser short-nosed fruit bat, which is listed in the IUCN Red List of Vietnam. Other bats include the greater short-nosed fruit bat, Ratanaworabhan’s fruit bat, Leschenault’s rousette, great roundleaf bat, intermediate roundleaf bat, bicolored roundleaf bat, intermediate horseshoe bat, Pearson’s horseshoe bat, least horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus sp., and the round-eared tube-nosed bat.

The park is important for both land and ocean life. It has eleven types of turtles, the most for a Special Use Forest in Vietnam. Some of the beaches in the park are the last nesting places in mainland Vietnam for small numbers of endangered green turtles and other marine turtles listed in the IUCN Red List. The coral reefs near the park are very rich, with 307 species recorded and generally in good to excellent condition. Recent surveys by WWF found 46 species with new distribution records for Vietnam and a coral community that is different from other reefs in the country.

Conservation issues

Núi Chúa National Park is now a "island" of natural forest, surrounded by farmland to the north and west, and ocean to the south and east. The biggest threats to protecting wildlife and plants include hunting for basic needs, collecting forest materials, farming spreading into forest areas, and past land clearing for farming.

About 30,000 people live inside the park, and another 25,000 live in the area around the park. Most of these people belong to the Kinh, Cham, and Raglay ethnic groups. The Raglay make up 21% of the population, and the Cham make up 3%. Many people in the park have a low standard of living, especially during six months each year when they do not have enough food. These communities rely heavily on forest resources, which are being used up. Efforts are being made to find other ways for these people to earn a living without harming the forest.

Clearing forests for farming is a major issue. Inside the park, there are more than 600 hectares of rice fields, over 2,500 hectares of farming that moves to new areas each year, and more than 750 hectares of land used for large-scale farming. Farming crops like rice, bananas, cashew nuts, papayas, jackfruit, and pineapples can support the Raglay for up to four months of the year. For the rest of the year, they depend on illegally collected forest products from over 100 plant species. These products, such as wood, charcoal, firewood, and non-timber forest products, are estimated to provide 56% of each person’s income.

Another challenge is the harsh climate, which makes the forest more likely to catch fire. Climate change and unpredictable weather events also affect the area. There is more competition for water that comes from the park’s watershed. Water shortages are increasing because of climate change, with more frequent and severe droughts in the past five years. Studies by Oxfam Great Britain and Kyoto University show that climate change is making droughts worse, making it harder for people to earn a living. As droughts become more common and severe, people are relying more on resources inside the park, especially wood for making charcoal, because other ways to earn a living that depend on water are becoming less reliable.