Th park suffered historically during the Vietnam War when it was extensively sprayed with pesticides like the defoliant Agent Orange. To this day these areas have extensive bamboo and grassland cover and trees have not yet grown back.

About 50% of Cat Tien National Park is evergreen forest, dominated by Dipterocarpaceae, 40% of the park comprises of bamboo woodland, the remaining 10% is farmland, wetlands and grassland. The park fauna is impressive, if highly threatened, comprising of such impressive megafauna as Javan Rhinos (only one of two populations in the world), Asian Elephants, Gaur, Sun Bears and, possibly, Banteng, and wild Water Buffalo. Some accounts also list tigers, Leopards, Clouded Leopards, Dholes and Asiatic black bears, however a recent series of surveys did not confirm this. The park also holds hosts of smaller mammal species, including Yellow-cheeked Gibbons, Silvered Langurs, Crab-eating Macaques, Lesser Slow Loris, as well as civets, mouse deer, and tree shrews.

The park also has impressive bird species including White-winged Ducks, Siamese Firebacks, Great Hornbills and lack Eagles