Kopuatai Peat Dome Ramsar Wetland Management (Waikato, New Zealand)
New Zealand
DOC manages the 10,201 ha Kopuatai Peat Dome, New Zealand's largest unmodified restiad bog and a Ramsar site since 1989, …
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U Minh Thượng Integrated Water & Fire Management — Peat Swamp Forest Protection (Vietnam)
Vietnam · U Minh Thượng · See the Vietnam profile
Since 2009, U Minh Thượng National Park, Vietnam, has had zero forest fires by keeping dry-season water tables above a 50cm threshold, protecting ~3,900 ha of peat swamp — though a 2024 study found peat carbon stocks kept declining 2003–2022 despite the fire-free record.
0
Forest fires since water-management change (2009-present)
3,900 hectares
Peat swamp forest protected
2.68M to 1.09M tonnes
Core-zone peat carbon reserves (2003-2022)
20,000+
Waterbirds supported
Details
- Maturity
- Established
- Promoter
- U Minh Thượng National Park Administration / Southern Institute of Forestry Science / Kiên Giang University / Leibniz University Hannover
- Period
- 2009–present
- Keywords
- peat swamp forest, fire management, water table management, Ramsar wetland, biodiversity conservation
Context
Since 2009, U Minh Thượng National Park in Vietnam's Mekong Delta has managed dry-season water levels above roughly 50cm below the peat surface to prevent ignition, following a catastrophic 2002 fire that destroyed much of the park's peat layer; the park protects about 3,900 hectares of Melaleuca peat swamp forest and was designated the first ASEAN Heritage Park on peatland (2012) and a Ramsar site (2015).
Results
No forest fires have occurred in the park since 2009. However, a 2024 peer-reviewed peat-coring study (Thai et al., Sustainability) found core-zone peat carbon reserves fell from roughly 2.68 million to 1.09 million tonnes between 2003 and 2022, indicating continued peat decomposition and subsidence despite the fire-free record.
Implementation
Implementation detail (cost, timeline, staffing, conditions for success) is not yet available for this practice.
Data sources
Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.
- C-NAPSE web research — accessed 2026-07-17
- U Minh Thượng National Park Administration / Southern Institute of Forestry Science / Kiên Giang University / Leibniz University Hannover — accessed 2026-07-17
- Thai et al. 2024, Sustainability (MDPI) — peat mass & carbon study — accessed 2026-07-17
- ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity — U Minh Thượng National Park profile — accessed 2026-07-17
- Ramsar Sites Information Service — U Minh Thượng National Park — accessed 2026-07-17
Attachments
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