A gem in the evergreen tropical forest ecosystem

Rare and unique habitat

Ea So Nature Reserve is a special-use forest with high biodiversity, featuring many unique habitats characteristic of the transitional area between the Central Highlands and the South Central Coast. The reserve is home to 709 plant species, 44 mammal species, 158 bird species, and 23 reptile species.

In 1999, the Dak Lak Provincial People’s Committee issued a decision to establish Ea So Nature Reserve, with a total area of 28,848 hectares located in the former Ea Kar district. This is a place with rare and unique habitats, including vast, flat natural grasslands and semi-deciduous broadleaf forests. It is also home to populations of large, endangered ungulates such as wild cattle, gaur, deer, along with many rare bird species and precious timber species.

According to the classification standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Ea So Nature Reserve meets 4 out of 6 criteria, including: species diversity; ecosystems and landscape-level mosaics; habitats and ecosystem services of importance.

The vegetation of Ea So Nature Reserve is highly diverse, with more than 16,000 hectares of evergreen broadleaf forest, nearly 5,700 hectares of semi-deciduous forest, 133 hectares of dry dipterocarp forest, nearly 4,300 hectares of grasslands, shrublands, and scattered timber, 598 hectares of plantation forest, and 28.5 hectares of surface water.

This diversity of vegetation types and habitats provides abundant food sources and living conditions for many animal species, contributing to the formation of a rich and distinctive forest fauna with endemic characteristics.

In addition, the grassland landscapes within Ea So Nature Reserve are almost unique among Vietnam’s special-use forests, making them a distinctive hallmark of Ea So. They contribute not only to biodiversity conservation but also to the potential for ecotourism and recreation.

According to the Department of Nature Conservation and Biodiversity (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), Ea So Nature Reserve is a "precious gem" in the evergreen tropical forest ecosystem, interspersed with vast year-round humid grasslands rarely found in Vietnam and across Southeast Asia. This unique habitat provides ideal conditions for large ungulates to survive and thrive, especially the rare and globally endangered wild cattle and gray gaur.

Furthermore, the topography of Ea So’s forest area, deeply fragmented by millions of years of geological formation, has created numerous waterfalls, rapids, and steep cliffs painting a majestic and pristine natural landscape, unique to the Dak Lak highlands.

Tourism and scientific research potential

At the end of 2023, the Standing Committee of the Dak Lak Provincial Party Committee approved the policy to upgrade Ea So Nature Reserve into Ea So National Park, with the aim of conserving a standard model of the transitional forest ecosystem between the Central Highlands and the South Central Coast; supporting scientific research, environmental education, and ecotourism development; and contributing to socio-economic development, especially for buffer zone communities.

In May 2024, the Dak Lak Provincial People’s Committee approved the Ecotourism, Resort, and Recreation Project at Ea So Nature Reserve Management Board for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2045.

Mr. Le Minh Tien, Director of the Management Board of Ea So Nature Reserve, said that after the project was approved, the Management Board took the lead in coordinating with organizations and individuals to develop ecotourism, resort, and recreational projects. These have been carried out through self-organization, partnerships, or leasing of forest environments in line with the approved ecotourism and recreation plan.

Regarding scientific research, teaching, and field training in the special-use forest, Mr. Le Minh Tien noted that the Management Board has signed cooperation agreements on scientific research with the Institute of Forestry in South-Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands to implement several research projects within Ea So Nature Reserve.

The Management Board has also fostered cooperation in research and training with universities, scientists, and organizations both domestically and internationally, conducting studies and proposing effective solutions for forest management, protection, and biodiversity conservation monitoring in the Reserve. At the same time, it has sought to connect with domestic and international programs and projects to enhance research, monitoring, and conservation of several endangered and rare flagship species.