Research Restoring the Lost Primary Forest Ecosystem in Can Gio to Become the First Biosphere Reserve in Vietnam

Research on the process of restoring the lost primary forest ecosystem in Can Gio to become the first biosphere reserve in Vietnam. This is a pristine mangrove forest ecosystem from the 1960s, which was destroyed by humans and transformed into shrubland and regenerated trees in the 1970s. This forest ecosystem affects the environment and ecology of over 14 million residents of Ho Chi Minh City. A bold plan in 1997 to restore the Can Gio primary forest, transforming it into a secondary forest with high biodiversity and restoring natural plant communities, resulted in the full restoration of plant components and led to its recognition as Vietnam's first biosphere reserve in 2000. The growth process of Rhizophora apiculata contributed significantly to the successful restoration of this forest. Statistical research on plant communities and growth processes of mangrove trees, the dominant species accounting for over 90% of the plant species in the Can Gio mangrove forest, is a particularly successful experience in Vietnam. The contribution of the growth process of Rhizophora apiculata from 1977 to 2000 played a significant role in the successful restoration of the Can Gio primary forest. This study investigated the growth process of tree trunk diameter (D1.3 m), height (Ht), trunk volume (Vt) (m3)/tree, density (N/ha), and forest volume (M) (m3)/ha. These results assessed the contribution of forest growth to the restoration of the Can Gio primary forest, transforming it into the first biosphere reserve in Vietnam.