Forests 2012, 3(4), 997-1016; doi:10.3390/f3040997
Article

Invasive Plant Species in the National Parks of Vietnam

Dang Thanh Tan 1 email, Pham Quang Thu 1,* email and Bernard Dell 2 email
1 Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences, Dong Ngac, Tu Liem, Hanoi, Vietnam 2 Division of Research and Development, Murdoch University, Perth, 6150, Australia
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 12 September 2012; in revised form: 5 October 2012 / Accepted: 18 October 2012 / Published: 30 October 2012
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exotic and Invasive Plant Species Impacting Forests)
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Abstract: The impact of invasive plant species in national parks and forests in Vietnam is undocumented and management plans have yet to be developed. Ten national parks, ranging from uncut to degraded forests located throughout Vietnam, were surveyed for invasive plant species. Transects were set up along roads, trails where local people access park areas, and also tracks through natural forest. Of 134 exotic weeds, 25 were classified as invasive species and the number of invasive species ranged from 8 to 15 per park. An assessment of the risk of invasive species was made for three national parks based on an invasive species assessment protocol. Examples of highly invasive species were Chromolaena odorata and Mimosa diplotricha in Cat Ba National Park (island evergreen secondary forest over limestone); Mimosa pigra, Panicum repens and Eichhornia crassipes in Tram Chim National Park (lowland wetland forest dominated by melaleuca); and C. odorata, Mikania micrantha and M. diplotricha in Son Tra Nature Conservation area (peninsula evergreen secondary forest). Strategies to monitor and manage invasive weeds in forests and national parks in Vietnam are outlined.
Keywords: biological invasion; exotic weeds; forests; national parks; Vietnam

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Tan, D.T.; Thu, P.Q.; Dell, B. Invasive Plant Species in the National Parks of Vietnam. Forests 2012, 3, 997-1016.

AMA Style

Tan DT, Thu PQ, Dell B. Invasive Plant Species in the National Parks of Vietnam. Forests. 2012; 3(4):997-1016.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tan, Dang T.; Thu, Pham Q.; Dell, Bernard. 2012. "Invasive Plant Species in the National Parks of Vietnam." Forests 3, no. 4: 997-1016.

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