Conservation and development of biodiversity in suoi Rao ecolodge

Suoi Rao Ecolodge (Village 2, Suoi Rao Commune, Chau Duc District) is not simply an eco-resort, it is also a place to preserve and develop biodiversity.

Suoi Rao Ecolodge has about 1 million trees with more than 600 species, including many rare species.

At 9:00 a.m. on a weekend, Ms. Le Thi Nga – Chairwoman of the Ornithology Association, the owner of Suoi Rao Ecolodge Resort sat and chatted with us at a wooden table, located behind the restaurant courtyard. "Suoi Rao is like a girl in the highlands who falls asleep,” said Ms. Nga.

More than 10 years ago, with the passion of a landscape designer, biologist, Ms. Nga began her journey to awaken that “highland girl". She started looking to architects and biologists to collect rare plants. At first, there were only about 1,000 trees of all kinds such as caribbean pine, cedar, and conifer, but now her 5ha land of Suoi Rao has about 1 million trees with about 600 species. In which, there are many indigenous trees belonging to the rare and precious line of BR-VT such as: rosemary, chiu liu, blood-smeared incense, red doussie, Mimusops elengi, Chukrasia tabularis A.Juss, Pinus khasya Royle, Dalbergia tonkinensis Prain... Especially the cool-winged trees and the Burmese cherry blossom trees bloom in April and May.

Visitors enjoy cycling in the green space of Suoi Rao Ecolodge.

In addition, Suoi Rao Ecolodge also has 181 medicinal plants such as: Eurycoma longifolia, five herbs, ivory, betel nut, earth ginseng, purple jasmine, Combretum indicum, galangal, forest ginger, common sagebrush, heavenly flower, forest bitter melon, laksa leaves... Especially there are many species of wild plants such as daisy, Achyranthes aspera L growing a lot. Flowers such as Tithonia rotundifolia, wild sunflowers, butterflies, bird of paradise, roses, hydrangeas, etc. are also brought to her garden to be planted. When the garden has many trees and flowers, the temperature and humidity decrease, so the fungus grows on its own; birds, bees and butterflies also fly back; Geckos and squirrels also come here to take refuge.
Assoc. Prof - Dr. Nguyen Hong Quan, Director of the Institute for Circular Economy Development, when coming to Suoi Rao Ecolodge, also affirmed: “This is a biodiversity boost that every single individual like Ms. Nga can do, can contribute to the biodiversity of BR-VT.”

In the sunny morning space, but Suoi Rao Ecolodge still has a cool atmosphere like Da Lat, quiet, you can hear the birds chirping, the stream water murmuring in the distance... Sometimes in the middle of that quiet space, we encountered many old and young tourists who come to Suoi Rao Ecolodge to settle down with this peaceful space to rest, meditate, yoga ... or just to accompaniment a small guitar sound enough for a listener.

I could clearly see the joy in the owner's eyes in that scene. Ms. Nga shared: “Initially, I just thought of turning my 5ha wild, rocky land in Suoi Rao into a forest area to make biodiversity to satisfy my passion for the profession. When there are 1,000 trees, I want 1 million trees. And I turned a small area of land into an ecological forest with hills, with native forest trees, with medicine, with vegetables and flowers, birds... From then on, I want to spread positive energy to many people, so Suoi Rao Ecolodge resort was built".

Ms. Le Thi Nga, the owner of Suoi Rao Ecolodge, picks Daisy in the garden and prepares dishes for tourists.

Then, over the past 10 years, she kept quiet, collecting each tree and species to make her forest more diverse. She built 1 more restaurant, 1 tea room and 8 villas with an area of 30-140m2 made entirely of environmentally friendly materials such as: Natural fired bricks, roof tiles, bamboo, wood... with the architecture of three-room houses in the North, Central and Central Highlands. However, the planted area still accounts for 95% of the total area of the resort.

Each time, Suoi Rao Ecolodge only accepts up to 50 guests to ensure a separate and quiet space. Nights at Suoi Rao Ecolodge, visitors can immerse themselves in the local cultural space with the rock, T'rung, guitar; together, make campfires, dance stalls, throw shuttlecocks... And enjoy the food that is raised and grown in the garden and enjoy nearly 100 kinds of tea ceremony. In addition, tourists can also cycle through the forest, swim in the ecological pool where the pool's water is taken from the stream, kayak and fish and pick lotuses.

“In Vietnam, there are currently 6 Ecolodge zones which are isolated ecological zones with mountainous terrain, fields and forests, including Suoi Rao Ecolodge. Talking about tourism like Suoi Rao Ecolodge is not profitable yet, but the main profit is in the core value - helping people enjoy the fresh air, relax, thereby thinking about the environment more, planting more green trees when conditions permit," Ms. Nga said.

Articles, photos: QUANG VU Source: BRVT Newspaper