The Babbler September, 2004 Number 11 Welcome *Jonathan C. Eames Feature *10 years of BirdLife in Vietnam Regional News * Wild birds accused of spreading avian' flu *Vulture census in Cambodia *World Bank's Nod for Forest Concession Angers Watchdog *Forest Protection and Development to be strengthened *New populations of a critically endangered primate (Delacour's Langur) confirmed in Pu Luong Nature Reserve, Thanh Hoa Rarest of the rare *Edwards's Pheasant Project updates *Khe Net Nature Reserve *IBA Conservation in Cambodia Book reviews Staff news From the Archives
BirdLife International in Indochina Welcome to Babbler 11. This has been an exciting quarter for programme development, and there is particularly good news from Myanmar: On August 4th I had the opportunity to meet the Minister of Forestry, His Excellency Brig. General Thein Aung. At our meeting the Minister informed me that BirdLfe’s proposal to include Ngawun Reserve Forest and Nagwun Extension within an expanded Lenya National Park, had been discussed at cabinet level and approved by Cabinet and the Prime Minister. The Minister also informed me that the Ministry of Forestry was ready to begin work with BirdLife on proposal development for a project to address the conservation of the site. This is really excellent news and we are delighted. We could not have asked for better support from Government for our proposal. In August I made a visit to the UK and visited many colleagues and prospective partners. As a result, in 2005 our colleagues at RSPB will support Gurney’s Pitta research in Myanmar in and vulture research in Cambodia. We are now engaged on the development of an exciting new research project with colleagues at the University of East Anglia. I am also pleased to announce that the British Birdwatching Fair approved our proposal for the conservation of lowland forests in Myanmar to be the theme for BirdFair 2005. The good news from Vietnam this quarter is that the Dak Lak People’s Committee has now approved in writing our medium-sized GEF project which focuses on the establishment and development of Chu Yang Sin National Park in the central highlands. Major proposals were also submitted this quarter to the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, the Darwin Initiative and the Global Conservation Fund at Conservation International. This quarter, together with FFI and WWF, we will begin work on our bid for the Vietnam Conservation Fund. So I hope to have further good news to report to you in Babbler 12 due at the end of the year.
BirdLife International in Indochina #4, Lane 209, Doi Can Hanoi, Vietnam Tel: + 84 4 722 3864 If you have any contributions or suggestions for the next issue, Fax: + 84 4 722 3835 E-mail: birdlife@birdlife.netnam.vn please contact phuong@birdlife.netnam.vn by 10 December . www.birdlifeindochina.com
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Features
10 years of BirdLife in Vietnam In December 1994, Jonathan Eames wrote Heaven & Earth (World Birdwatch 16(4): 10–13), an article about the BirdLife Vietnam programme. Jonathan, now Programme Manager of BirdLife International in Indochina, reflects on his ten years in the region. At the recent launch in Hanoi of two new BirdLife publications, I was reminded of how things have changed and BirdLife’s role has evolved over the past decade in Vietnam. When I first arrived in Hanoi, in 1992, I was seconded to a fledgling WWF programme and housed in two damp rooms in a remote annex of what was then the Ministry of Forestry. Today, BirdLife International in Indochina has Country Programmes in Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam, and combined staff and supporters of 70. At the launches, Pham Tuan Anh, our Vietnam Programme Co-ordinator, was speaking to around 100 colleagues from government, donors and NGOs. Ten years ago this scene was scarcely imaginable as it is unlikely any NGO would ever have organised such a meeting. Even if it had, and the power hadn’t failed (power cuts then were commonplace and meetings regularly plunged into darkness),
only a handful of supporters would have been expected to attend. Back in 1994, reports were hastily photocopied, simply because there were no modern printing facilities in Hanoi. Today, we were launching a highquality, locally printed, second edition of a manual on Vietnam’s protected areas, containing information on about 200 sites, at least six of them owing their existence to work undertaken by BirdLife, and a treatise on slipper orchids, reinforcing BirdLife’s reputation as a leading authority on biodiversity in its broadest sense (we have also published an annotated checklist of the butterflies of Vietnam).This is all the more remarkable when you consider that during my first ever meeting with a senior official in the Ministry of Forestry (later incorporated into the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), I was asked “who is BirdLife?”, and was then informed that the protected areas system was perfect and needed no
further revision, thank you very much. In the early 1990s, BirdLife identified the Annamese Lowlands as the most threatened of the three (now four) Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs) in Vietnam, and we were carrying out fieldwork to identify and prioritise sites for conservation. This led to the first new protected area proposed by an NGO in Vietnam being gazetted, and a further four nature reserves gazetted by the decade’s end. Support from the British Birdfair in 1996 enabled us to undertake vital conservation actions at one of these sites. Ten years on, and BirdLife, together with other leading NGOs and international donors, is a full partner with the MARD in the Forest Sector Support Programme and Partnership. Recently we were invited to comment on the new draft forest law, which provides for innovative forest management opportunities - how times have changed!
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Dawn mist over Da Lat plateau, where BirdLife surveys made some startling ornithological discoveries. Photo: J.C. Eames
Our achievements over the last decade have been considerable: we have researched and published IBA directories for Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.As I write, BirdLife teams are establishing Site Support Groups (SSGs) at IBAs in Vietnam’s Annamese Lowlands and along the Sekong River in northern Cambodia. By the year’s end, we will have established our first SSG in the Eastern Himalayas EBA in Myanmar. Our ornithological discoveries in the central highlands of southern Vietnam have been spectacular: three new species and 12 subspecies discovered, affording the area EBA status. More recently, we have found the world’s
largest remaining populations of Gurney’s Pitta Pitta gurneyi in Myanmar, and internationally significant numbers of vultures in Cambodia and Myanmar, helping maintain our reputation for being at the vanguard of ornithological research for Critically Endangered species. So what of the future? The September 2014 issue of World Birdwatch (now published in Hanoi), will carry reports from the Chief Executive Officers of three new BirdLife Partners in South-East Asia. Gurney’s Pitta will be considered of Least Concern, and Pink-headed Duck Rhodonessa caryophyllacea, the last Critically Endangered
species in the region, will have been downgraded to Vulnerable. IBAs will be enshrined within national laws throughout the region, and our network of “wilderness protected areas” across the Sundaic lowlands of Myanmar, the northern dry forests of Cambodia and the central highlands of Vietnam will have achieved World Heritage Site status. This might appear fanciful, but we came a long way in our first decade.
Jonathan C. Eames Programme Manager BirdLife International in Indochina eames@birdlife.netnam.vn
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Regional News WILD BIRDS FALSELY ACCUSED OF SPREADING AVIAN' FLU which clearly demonstrated that the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian ‘flu had developed in Chinese domestic ducks, from where it had spread to poultry, and there was no evidence that wild birds were responsible for spreading the disease. The Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST, BirdLife in Thailand) issued statements to the Thai press, and high-level Condemned and then reprieved after BirdLife intervened, the Asian through meetings was able to Openbill Anastomus oscitansis a significant predator of an introduced convince the snail which threatens rice crops in Thailand. authorities that a stork Photo: Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne/www.jetwingeco.com cull would be an inappropriate response to the crisis. In early July, avian influenza (‘flu) broke out again amongst poultry farms in SouthThroughout, BirdLife drew attention to the East Asia. Two farms north of Bangkok, vital role of Asian Openbills as a significant Thailand, near Ayutthaya and Pathum predator of an introduced snail which is Thani, were hit by a recurrence of the ‘flu, otherwise a serious pest of rice crops in the which to-date has killed 16 Vietnamese and country. The United Nations Food and eight Thais during an epidemic that swept Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a through much of Asia earlier in 2004, and statement urging countries not to cull wild caused the authorities to slaughter millions birds, pointing out that it would do nothing of chickens and domestic ducks. The Thai to help prevent or control avian ‘flu Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, at first outbreaks, and that the major factors ordered a cull of Asian Openbill storks contributing to the spread of avian ‘flu were Anastomus oscitans, because of concerns poor hygienic practices related to the that the birds were spreading avian ‘flu—a production, processing and marketing of measure he had similarly proposed during poultry, contaminated products, gaps in biothe earlier outbreak of the disease. BirdLife security and individuals not following reacted swiftly to this threat, publicly recommended control measures. Thankfully, expressing concern that these birds were the threat to the storks quickly subsided, but being made into scapegoats, whereas the unless proper measures are taken to control real problem lay within management of the future outbreaks, the disease will reoccur poultry industry. BirdLife Director, Dr regularly. BirdLife must remain vigilant to Michael Rands, wrote to Prime Minister ensure that the finger of blame is not pointed Thaksin, drawing his attention to research once again at wild bird populations. recently published in Nature (430: 209–213)
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VULTURE CENSUS IN CAMBODIA - PRELIMINARY RESULTS Following the two vulture census surveys undertaken jointly by BirdLife, WCS, WWF, Ministries of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and Environment in July are preliminary results from the 8 field sites. In total 162 birds were recorded during the first survey and 157 during the second. Two nesting sites have been discovered: 15-20 nests in Lomphat and 4 nests near Memang (Mondulkiri). The latter is the same site where Tan Setha recorded nests in 2002. BirdLife are investigating a possible third site in Siam Pang. One of the two marked vultures was seen by Sopheak in the Srepok (SVA) during the second census; this is probably the same bird that was seen in Siam Pang in May and it has now moved over 260 km from where it was caught in December 2003. Some other interesting species were also recorded: 4 White-shouldered Ibis in Lomphat during the first survey and a Leopard and 12 Banteng in Phnom Prich. Although results should be viewed as preliminary only, a few important points can be made: Firstly the overall number of white-rumped and slender-billed vultures is remarkably consistent, despite different counts at individual sites. The total numbers of these species are almost exactly the same as the single count from Siam Pang during May 2004. Of the two marked birds, only one was seen during the second survey. This bird has now moved across the entire range of the suitable habitat, suggesting that the population is freely mixing. The main difference between the census counts and the May Siam Pang count was the increase in Red-headed Vultures. This species was seen at almost all sites and is probably the most widespread, but with individuals ranging less widely. Previous data have suggested that this species has a much wider range in Cambodia (e.g. a nest found on the border of Preah Vihear and Siem Reap, individuals seen in southern Mondulkiri, etc..). Each survey team was asked to interview local people and look for additional carcasses. Only 3 carcasses were found (in Chhep, Phnom Prich and Lomphat). This suggests that food availability for the vultures is low. In conclusion, the results would seem to suggest a relatively small population, which is wideranging and (probably) has limited food. Monitoring of breeding sites during December-February will be essential. It should be stressed that these results are preliminary and that without more marked vultures it is impossible to estimate population sizes or home ranges. Source: Tom Clements, WCS
Slender-billed Vulture Gyps teniurostris together with White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis. Photo: J. C. Eames The Babbler, September 2004
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CAMBODIA: WORLD BANK'S NOD FOR FOREST CONCESSIONS ANGERS WATCHDOG The World Bank stands accused of recommending to the Cambodian government that the forest concession agreements of six companies, believed to be fronted by relatives of Cambodia's senior politicians and their cronies, be renewed for further 25 years despite an independent review calling for their end. A statement released by the London-based environmental watchdog Global Witness, this week, said forest concession companies have been responsible for much of the illegal logging in Cambodia, while abusing the rights of forest-dependent communities. ''Persistent timber theft and tax evasion by the companies, in collusion with corrupt officials, has seen the revenues siphoned off into private bank accounts, rather than funding Cambodia's development,'' said the statement. The environmental watchdog revealed that the World Bank recommending that the Cambodian government allow renewed logging by six of the forest concessionaires for a further 25 years. ''All six companies have breached Cambodian law or the terms of their contracts and have demonstrated an absence of technical capacity,'' said Global Witness Director Simon Taylor in the statement. ''Most are little more than fronts for cronies and relatives of senior government officials. Despite this, the World Bank project has used loan money to assist them in producing new forest management plans, which it now argues that the Government should approve,'' added Taylor. Global Witness identified the companies as Colexin (a joint venture between the Cambodian government and a Japanese company); Everbright (a Chinese state-owned company); Cherndar Plywood (a Taiwanese venture); TPP (a Thai-owned firm); Timas Resources (a Singapore-based company) and Samraong Wood (whose shares are nominally held by Cambodians with connections to Timas Resources). But the World Bank acknowledges that the forestry sector in Cambodia is badly affected by corruption. ''Unless properly managed, it will not only fail to deliver adequate resources to the people of the country but could actually make the poor even worse off,'' Peter Stephens, the Bank's regional communications manager for East Asia, based in Singapore, told IPS in an e-mail interview. ''It is for this reason that the World Bank remains involved in the forestry sector, though we know that there are no quick, perfect or easy solutions to the problems,'' he added. Stephens said the Bank is seeking ways to bring ''order, transparency and commercial discipline to the forest concession system.'' ''This approach has seen the number of concessionaires reduced from 25 to the single digits; and the area under concession will in the end be reduced from its original six million hectares to less than 2.4 million hectares,'' he pointed out. The World Bank has been engaged in various aspects of the Cambodian forestry sector since 1995. In 2000, the bank approved a 30 million U.S. dollar Structural Adjustment Credit to help the Cambodian government institute economic policy reforms in a range of sectors, including forestry as well as general public administration and finance. The International Development Association (IDA), which is part of the World Bank Group, also, in 2000, approved a 4.8 million U.S. dollar loan for forest concession management in Cambodia. Global Witness has been calling for the cancellation of all forest concession agreements in Cambodia since 1996. However, the World Bank has pursued a policy of concessionaire reform rather than insisting on cancellation. A recent independent Forest Sector Review (FSR), commissioned by the Cambodian government and international donors, to provide a road map for forest policy in Cambodia, has recommended that the concession system be scrapped.
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The review instead proposes the development of management systems at the community level, thus giving forest-dependent Cambodians much greater control over their resource. Global Witness accuses the World Bank of endorsing management plans in which companies openly outline their intention to exclude local people from areas of forest and to log trees over which communities have legally recognised user rights. But Stephens said the Bank always supported ''other initiatives'' such as community forestry. ''We are also looking to the (Cambodian) government to take a stronger hand in managing the sector in ways that reduce the incidence of corruption and increase the benefits to and protection of local people,'' said the World Bank official. An Asian Development Bank-funded forest sector review conducted in 1999 and released in 2000 described the forest concession system as a ''total system failure.'' ''The scenario is clear: the industry wants to cover its investment costs rapidly and continue earning as long as the resource lasts. In permitting this level of forest exploitation, Cambodia displays a classic example of unwise forest resource utilisation,'' said the report. ''The country may soon turn from being a net exporter of timber to a net importer,'' the report warned. The money that has been made from legal and illegal logging and the political influence that it represents is staggering in Cambodia. The official figure, for instance, for revenue from timber sales between January 1996 and April 1997 was less than 15 million dollars. However, the estimated value for logs and sawed timber exported or illegally sold within Cambodia is well over 100 million dollars for the same period. According to environmental monitors, when the value of cut wood waiting in stockpiles along many rural Cambodian roads is included, the figure rises by nearly 30 million dollars. ''It is pure fantasy for the World Bank to think it could encourage the concessionaries to practise forest management,'' Mike Davis, Global Witness' Cambodia campaigner, told IPS in a phone interview. ''The concessionaires are not moral entities. They are crooks and fly-by-night operators not interested in sustainable logging,'' he added. Source: UNDP
VIETNAM: FOREST PROTECTION AND DEVELOPMENT TO BE STRENGTHENED Vietnam will close down natural forests in those localities where deforestation is conducted on a wide scale. This is one of the major measures mentioned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at a conference in Hanoi on Aug. 9-10 to discuss solutions to safeguard and develop forests. Addressing the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung asked the agricultural sector to boost education to raise public awareness about forest protection. He also instructed people’s committees at all levels, especially in localities where deforestation is reported frequently to strengthen on-the-spot safeguarding forces. Rangers nationwide have since July, 2003 uncovered over 51,000 cases of violating the law on forest management and protection. Since 2000, the area of destroyed forests dropped 45.5 percent annually and the wood exploitation at natural forests fell from 700,000 m3 in 1995 to 250,000 m3 this year. In an effort to reduce migration, the country has so far conducted more than 60 projects to help stabilize people’s lives and remove 1,120 households living in the forests to designated areas. Dac Lac, Kien Giang and Ca Mau provinces are appreciated for the job. Source: UNDP
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NEW POPULATIONS OF CRICTICALLY ENDANGERED DELACOURS LANGUR CONFIRMED IN PU LUONG NATURE RESERVE, THANH HOA PROVINCE, VIETNAM Scientists from a group comprising conservation NGOs and Vietnamese national authorities today confirmed the existence of several new groups of Delacours Langur, a critically endangered primate species, at Pu Luong Nature Reserve, Quan Hoa and Ba Thuoc Districts in north-west Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. The discovery comes at a crucial juncture for the langur, which is endemic to northern Vietnam and considered one of the world’s top 25 most endangered primate species. The discovery was made during a joint study conducted by the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre (EPRC) managed by Frankfurt Zoological Society, and the Pu Luong-Cuc Phuong Conservation Project, managed by Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and the Vietnam Forest Protection Department.
Delacours Langur, popularly named ‘Vooc Mong Trang’ in Vietnamese (‘the langur with white ‘rump’) on account of the white colour of its lower body and upper legs, occurs only in a belt of limestone karst mountains that Delacour's langur. Photo: Tilo Nadler stretch across northern Vietnam. This area, known as the Pu Luong-Cuc Phuong limestone range, represents the last refuge for the species whose populations are estimated to have declined by over 50% in the last ten years alone. The population of Delacours Langur in the wild is believed to have dwindled to a mere 300 animals. Only two of the known sub-populations comprise as many as 30-35 animals. One exists in Van Long Provincial Nature Reserve, located in Gia Vien District in Ninh Binh Province. The second has been confirmed in Pu Luong Provincial Nature Reserve by the newly reported sightings in the wild. Tilo Nadler, Director of the EPRC, which was founded ten years ago specifically to promote efforts to conserve the Delacours Langur, believes the latest sightings offer additional hope for the survival of the species. However, he notes that much remains to be done to prevent extinction of the langur in the wild. ‘Over half of all populations of the langurs are severely threatened by hunting, which represents the greatest short term threat to the primate. Additionally, habitat loss and further fragmentation of the remaining populations makes them extremely vulnerable to extinction’. Programmes to strengthen law enforcement and educate the local people are urgently required. Stricter enforcement of existing anti-hunting and forest protection laws, and prosecution of offenders, is a necessity. Measures to control firearms and the rampant trade in wildlife for meat and medicine will be especially necessary for the success of efforts to conserve the species. The Pu Luong-Cuc Phuong Conservation Project is working to support the efforts of the Forest Protection Department and their locally based rangers, who at present lack the capacity to effectively protect all the sub-populations. The project also aims to raise local awareness of the species’ plight, as its survival will depend heavily on gaining the support of all local and national authorities as well as local communities. (Source: FFI Vietnam)
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REDISCOVERY OF THE SILVER-BACKED CHEVROTAIN Tragulus versicolor In the April, 2004 issue of Oryx (p.133), attention was drawn to Tragulus versicolor, a possibly extinct species of chevrotain or mouse-deer from Vietnam. The species is only know from a few specimens collected in the beginning of the 20th century, all from Nha Trang, a coastal town in central Vietnam. Recently, AVB and GVK reinvestigated several Tragulus specimens from Vietnam deposited in the Zoological Museum of Moscow University, Russian. Among these they found one with the unmistakable characteristics of T. versicolor. This specimen, an adult male, had been obtained from local hunters in January 1990 nearby Tra River, c.20 km north of Ka Nak in Gia Lai Province at an altitude of c.500 m. This new T. versicolor specimen is important because it demonstrates that the species still existed 14 years ago and also significantly expands the range of T. versicolor. The specimen was collected in tall forest in a river valley, giving some indication of the species' habitat. The original vegetation of this area was lowland, semi-evergreen forest, with the understorey relatively free of dense thickets and the forest floor well-exposed and passable. Much of this once extensive vegetation type has now disappeared, but a few areas, some of which are protected, still contain sizeable stands of semi-evergreen forest. Based on vegetation maps (MacKinnon, J., 1996, Review of the Protected Areas System of the Indomalayan Realm) the following protected areas could be important targets for a T. versicolor survey: Kon Ka Kinh, Kon Cha Rang, Mom Ray, Nam Ca and Mam Lung Source: Oryx/July, 2004
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Rarest of the rare Edwards's Pheasant Lophura edwardsis ENforest duckThis forest duck qualifies as Justification This pheasant is classified as Endangered because it has a very small, severely fragmented range and population that are both continuing to decline, primarily owing to lowland deforestation. However, if habitat loss and hunting continue to operate, it may warrant upgrading to Critical in the very near future. Identification 58-65 cm. Blue-black pheasant (male) with short, shaggy white crest and red facial skin. Female uniform cold greyish-brown with warmer tinged wings and blackish tail with brown central feathers. Juvenile (both sexes) resembles female but females may have black spots/bars on mantle, scapulars and wing-coverts, males show patches of adult plumage. Similar spp. Like Vietnamese Pheasant L. hatinhensis but male lacks white tail feathers. Voice Alarm call is low guttural uk uk uk uk uk. Population estimate 250 - 999
Population
Altitude
Range estimate
Country endemic?
decreasing (continuing)
Lowland
3800 km2
Yes, Vietnam
Range & Population Lophura edwardsi is endemic to central Vietnam. Known historically from at least eight localities in Quang Tri and Thua Thien provinces, it was described as locally fairly common. The first recent records were of birds trapped by local hunters in 1996, in Hoang Hoa district (Quang Tri province), and in Phong My district (Thua Thien province). In 1997, at least four specimens were trapped in Ba Long commune, Quang Tri province, and in 1999, a record was reported from Bao Ninh district, Quang Binh province. In 1994, its population was estimated at <1,000 individuals, based on extent of remaining habitat. In December 1998, the captive population numbered 902 individuals, including some Swinhoe's Pheasant L. swinhoei hybrids. Ecology It was said to inhabit exceedingly damp mountain forests up to an estimated 600 m, favouring thick underbrush and lianas. However, all early collecting localities were in the forested level lowlands, and there is no evidence that it can live above 300 m. Threats Its historical range is now almost completely denuded of primary forest through a combination of herbicide spraying during the Vietnam war, logging and clearance for agriculture. The last forest areas known to support the species are subject to continuing degradation by woodcutters. Hunting pressure from various forest-product collectors poses an additional threat. Action CITES Appendix I. Surveys for the species were conducted in 1988 and 1991. The localities from which recent records derive have been incorporated within two proposed nature reserves, Phong Dien and Dakrong, for which a management feasibility study has been completed. Bach Ma National Park lies within the historical range of the species, and a poster campaign to obtain local information was conducted there in 1996, although as yet there have been no confirmed records from this park. Hybrid lines are now being excluded from the captivebreeding programme. Targets *Conduct further surveys of remaining forest fragments within its historical range. *Continue research into the taxonomic relationship of Lophura pheasants in Vietnam. *Establish the proposed Phong Dien and Dakrong Nature Reserves. *Initiate a local poster campaign to increase conservation awareness of Annamese lowland Lophura pheasants.
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Project updates BIODIVERSITY SURVEY CARRIED OUT IN YOK DON NATIONAL PARK From 11 to 27 June 2004, as part of the Creating Protected Areas for Resource Conservation using Landscape Ecology (PARC) Project at Yok Don National Park, scientists from BirdLife International in Indochina conducted their fifth biodiversity survey at four sites within Yok Don National Park. The survey focused on a study of larger mammals and birds. Anecdotal mammal records were collated. A bird survey was designed to reveal diversity and relative abundance of bird species at different locations. The aim of this report is to present the results of this survey, and the conservation values of the three Banteng Bos banteng. Photo: PARC project survey sites. Threats to the sites were area comprises of the Cu Mâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Lanh Hill and also identified and mitigating measures the Dak Rue area in the north of the Serepok proposed. Conservation management River. This area is dominated by dry recommendations are made, together with dipterocarp forest, and disturbed semirecommendations for future research. evergreen forest and bamboo are found along the watercourses. The waterholes in The first area visited during the field survey the area were partly filled with rainwater was the southern Serepok sector, where the and recolonised by the grasses during the topography is generally flat with typical survey. On the north-east of the site, there is altitudes in the range of 220 to 230 m asl. a ridge of low-lying hills extending east The highest points include Yok Don west towards Cambodia (Cu Minh and Cu Mountain (463 m asl.) and Yok Da M'Lanh), which supports predominately Mountain (472 m asl). The vegetation here semi-evergreen forests. comprises dry dipterocarp forest, mixed semi-evergreen forest and bamboo along the watercourses, and at higher elevations, a mosaic with evergreen forest. Seasonally inundated grasslands that were flooded during the survey, were found in the area. The second survey area was the Serepok River. The water level of this river was relatively high during the survey. The river was fast-flowing with prominent bare rocks and emerged scrubs in places. The banks of the river are, for the most part, lined with majestic semi-evergreen riverine forest. Undisturbed semi-evergreen forest extends for up to 100 m from the banks of the river. Extensive areas of dry dipterocarp forest lie beyond this on either side. The last survey
A total of 45 mammal species were recorded during the survey. Notable records included sight records of Crab-eating Macaque Macaca fascicularis, Dhole Cuon alpinus, Golden Jackal Canis aureus, and Smoothcoated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata. Fresh tracks and dung of Asian Elephant Elephas maximus, Banteng, and Gaur were found in almost all sites visited during the survey. Finally, the most remarkable record during the large mammal survey was the Southern Serow Naemorhedus sumatraensis, a new species to the list of mammals recorded for Yok Don National Park.
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A total of 136 bird species were recorded during the survey. Two Globally Threatened species (BirdLife International 2004) were recorded during the survey comprising Green Peafowl Pavo muticus (Vulnerable), and Lesser Adjutant Leptotilos javanicus (Vulnerable). Six Globally Nearthreatened species, Siamese Fireback Lophura diardi, Grey-headed Fish Eagle Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus, Lesser Fish Eagle Ichthyophaga humilis, Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus, White-rumped Falcon Polihierax insignis, and Asian Golden Weaver Ploceus hypoxanthus were recorded. In addition to which, 5 bird species of national conservation concern as per Anon. (2000) were recorded. Ten camera traps were set at four locations from 15 April to 28 June. In total, 505 trap days were conducted. Three species of mammal were caught in the traps during this period. These species were identified from seven photographs. The species photographed comprised Gaur Bos gaurus, Banteng Bos banteng, and Wild Pig Sus scrofa. Incorporating the results with those from the 2003 project, this gives a relatively high encounter/night ratio, in comparison with the results of camera trapping from other sites in Vietnam including Na Hang Nature Reserve and Pu Mat National Park.
Gaur Bos Gaurus. Photo: PARC project
During the survey we once again found widespread evidence of illegal hunting, logging and NTFP collecting by local people and the soldiers in the national park. We found no evidence that any of the recommendations made in our third and fourth interim reports had been implemented. Therefore, all the conservation recommendations made in those reports are still appropriate. However, during the wet season, there is a extra need to intensify the patrol activities in the Serepok River to control the illegal activities such as electric fishing, wildlife trading and transportation.
NEW NATURE RESERVE IN QUANG BINH - KHE NET Quang Binh People's Committee has recently assigned Quang Binh FPD to prepare an investment plan of Khe Net Nature Reserve to submit it to MARD for their approval. The proposed nature reserve will have a total area of 28,000 ha, including 8,000 ha under strict protection. The new nature reserve located in 3 districts: Kim Hoa, Tuyen Hoa and Thuan Hoa, and borders with Ke Go Nature Reserve in Ha Tinh Province. In 1994, BirdLife International conducted a field survey in the lowland forests of central Vietnam, with the aim of identifying a suitable site for the conservation of endemic pheasant species, including Vietnamese Pheasant Lophura hatinhensis and Imperial Pheasant L. imperialis. Based on the results of this survey, BirdLife recommended establishing a nature reserve at Khe Net, in Quang Binh province, with the objective of protecting part of the only known population of Vietnamese Pheasant in the world . In 1999, following their review of the Special-use Forests network of Vietnam, BirdLife International and the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute (FIPI) reiterated the proposal to establish a nature reserve at Khe Net. Following this proposal, BirdLife and FIPI conducted a biodiversity survey and socio-economic
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assessment of Khe Net in 2000, in order to collect data for a feasibility study for the establishment of a nature reserve at the site. This feasibility study was published in 2001, and proposed the establishment of a 23,524 ha nature reserve. Khe Net is contiguous with Ke Go Nature Reserve, which lies in Ha Tinh province to the north. The two sites combined support one of the largest remaining tracts of View of the forest around Khe Net proposed nature reserve from Ho lowland evergreen Chi Minh highway. forest in the Annamese Photo: Vu Minh Phuong/BirdLife Lowlands Endemic Bird Area (EBA). This EBA supports nine restricted-range bird species, six of which have been recorded at Khe Net: Annam Partridge Arborophila merlini, Vietnamese Pheasant, Imperial Pheasant, Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata, Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler Jabouilleia danjoui and Grey-faced Tit Babbler Macronous kelleyi. Most notably, the Khe Net-Ke Go area is the only area in the world known to support a population of the globally endangered Vietnamese Pheasant. Because of its importance for the conservation of globally threatened and restrictedrange bird species, Khe Net qualifies as an Important Bird Area. The mammal fauna of Khe Net is characterised by high species diversity but low abundance. Several globally threatened mammal species recorded at the site are believed to occur at very low densities as a result of high hunting pressure. These include Gaur Bos gaurus and Southern Serow Naemorhedus sumatraensis. During the BirdLife/FIPI survey in 2000, a population of Annamese Leaf Monkey Trachypithecus hatinhensis was discovered at Khe Net. This discovery is of great conservation significance, as it is the first time in Vietnam that this species has been recorded away from the Phong Nha-Ke Bang limestone area. In addition, the BirdLife/FIPI survey recorded the recently described large mammal, Large-antlered Muntjac Muntiacus vuquangensis, at the proposed nature reserve. Unfortunately, many of the other key species in the area are under high hunting pressure. This pressure is being exacerbated as the area is exposed to outside market forces, a process that is likely to accelerate once the Ho Chi Minh National Highway, which bisects the area, is soon will be completed. Now that this area has been brought to the attention of the local government and the conservation community, it is to be hoped that immediate conservation action will be forthcoming to protect this excellent example of the Annamese lowlands ecosystem.
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CONSERVATION OF CAMBODIA'S WETLANDS
Boeung Prek Lapouv IBA Conservation activities are continuing in Boeng Prek Lapouv IBA in Takeo Province. The formal process of designating the area as a Sarus Crane Protected Area is underway within the relevant government ministries. It is anticipated that this will be finalised in the coming months. BirdLife continues to work closely with ministry counterparts to facilitate this process and provide support where necessary. For example, BirdLife is supporting a site visit by the director of the Wildlife Protection Office and the Undersecretary of the MAFF. With financial support from Danida, a Site Support Group (SSG) is continuing its activities in the area. Their goal is to increase conservation awareness among local communities and district/provincial staff. The Programme Office continues to provide logistical support to the SSG in the form of equipment, supplies, and salary supplements where appropriate. The site staff now have the necessary equipment and awareness to conduct regular patrols within the boundaries of the IBA. Patrols focus on educating people on the importance of the area for Sarus Cranes and other wildlife and when necessary enforce existing wildlife and fisheries laws. This office is currently exploring the eco-tourism potential for BPL. An initial step is a comprehensive A ministerial committee was formed to conduct a site visit and assess the viability and suitability of the site as a eco-tourism feasibility study that formal protected area. This also illustrates the site's will assess the impact and needs for potential for nature-based tourism and bird watching organised birdwatching trips to the visits. The goal is to merge community development with area. Given BPLs proximity to conservation so the natural environment and local Phnom Penh, relatively undisturbed communities both benefit. nature, and excellent birdwatching opportunities, the area presents an excellent opportunity to be an example where conservation and eco-tourism merge in a sustainable way.
Kampong Trach IBA This area, southeast of Phnom Penh, holds perhaps the 3rd largest non-breeding population of the Eastern Sarus Crane. The area also sits on the Vietnam border and is threatened by fishing pressure, human activity, and wholescale land conversion into agricultural use (photo in the left). The Programme officers have selected a SSG team and that is comprised of provincial forestry staff, The Babbler, September 2004
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local and border police, and local community members. Given the small size of the area and its vulnerability to human disturbance, the immediate goal is to curb illegal (cross-border) activities and to educate local communities about the importance of the area and the existing wildlife laws. The SSG has been supplied with field equipment and a formal schedule of activities is in place.
Western Siem Pang and Sekong River IBAs This IBA continues to prove itself as being incredibly rich in biodiversity and a highlight in Cambodiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s northern landscape. MacArthur funding is providing the support to continue conservation activities in this IBA and start the development of similar Site Support Group activities in the adjacent Sekong River.
Given the large size of the IBA, BirdLife now has 4 separate SSGs working throughout the Western Siem Pang. Programme staff are currently meeting with the communities along the Sekong river to establish SSG groups that will monitor the critical riparian habitats along this beautiful tributary of the Mekong river. In following with our goal to empower local people and build relationships with government counterparts, all of these SSGs are composed of commune leaders, village members, local police staff, and provincial forestry staff. BirdLife now has a functional office in Siem Pang town that serves as the base for the conservation activities in both IBAs. The Cambodia Programme Office has provided logistical and equipment support to the SSGs and outlined the upcoming wet season activities. The SSG members are visiting critical wetlands on a regular basis to patrol for illegal or disruptive human activities and survey for bird, and other wildlife, presence. Activities also include community awareness raising and there are plans to promote conservation with local school children. The picture above is show the varieties of children's exercise books produced by our SSG.
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Book reviews Conservation Science and Action. Edited by William J. Sutherland (reprinted 2002). ISBN 0-86542-762-3 (360 Pages). Conservation Science and Action is intended for upper level undergraduate course in conservation biology. This book reviews the latest thinking and approaches, and in doing so, provides a readily accessible reference work for conservation professionals and managers. Conservation biology is now one of the most dynamic disciplines in the life of sciences. William Sutherland and his international team of authors have therefore selected many of the liveliest topics where key advances are currently being made. They stress ideas and also point of unresolved issues and possible future developments. As conservation is an applied subject, emphasis is given to action throughout.
Bird Ecology and Conservation: A Handbook of Techniques by William J. Sutherland, Ian Newton and Rhys E. Green (2002). ISBN 0 19 852085 9 (Hbk) and ISBN 0 19 852086 7 (Pbk). In this intensely practical handbook, a team of leading ornithologists describes a wide range of standard methods that can be applied to the study of avian ecology and conservation. Topics covered range from surveys, tracking and handling, breeding biology, foraging behaviour, and migration. Chapters on conservation techniques describe how to assess species overexploitation, the methods available for the intensive conservation of endangered species, and the principles involved in the maintenance and restoration of habitats. This comprehensive synthesis will be essential reading for graduate students and researchers as well as a valuable resource for environmental consultants and professional conservationist worldwide. Bird Ecology and Conservation is the first title in a new series of practical handbooks which include titles focusing on specific taxonomic groups as well as those describing broader themes and subjects. The series editor is William J. Sutherland.
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Speciation and Biogeography of Birds by Ian Newton (2004) ISBN 0-12-517375-X (670 Pages) This book provides a fresh synthesis of knowledge of species formation in birds and of the factors that influence their geographical distributions. It draws on information from the earth sciences and palaeoclimatology, as well as from studies on the evolution, ecology, distribution and migration patterns of birds. Full account is taken of the recent findings in molecular (DNA) biology, as they bear upon questions of avian evolution and distributional history. No other book currently available covers this range of subject matter or attempts to combine it into a coherent whole. The book is intended primarily for students and young researchers in avian evolution, biogeography and ecology. However, it is written in simple language throughout, in the hope that it will be easily understood by newcomers to these fields and by interested bird-watchers and other lay readers. The book describes how birds species are formed, and how they are defined and classified by taxonomists. It describes how the number and types of bird species vary from region to region across the world, and how their current patterns of distribution have been influenced by earth history: by the movements of the continents and by the formation and loss of oceanic islands, by glacial and other climatic cycles, and by the influence of human activities. It also describes the role of contemporary ecological factors, such as climate, habitat and food-supplies, in influencing the current geographical ranges and migration patterns of birds worldwide. The author is know for his research into various aspects of avian ecology and migration. He has written more than 250 research papers and five books, including Population Ecology of Raptors (1979) and Population Limitation in Birds (1998). He has served as President of the British Ecological Society, and of the British Ornithologist' Union, and is an Honorary Fellow of the American Ornithologist's Union.
An illustrated checklist for the butterflies of Myanmar. Kinyon S. (2004). Smithsonian Institution This is the first illustrated checklist of the butterflies of Myanmar and represents a collaborative effort between scientists at the Conservation and Research Center of the Smithsonian Institution and the National Wildlife and Conservation Department of the Ministry of Forestry, Myanmar. The book follows a standard field guide presentation with colour plates of butterfly upperwings, with scientific names, distribution and status information on the facing page. The illustrations are produced to a high quality and the pages bookmarked so that one can quickly find the families. There are no introductory chapters and no appendicies or indicies. The book is a major contribution to the literature on Lepidoptera of the Indo-Malayan Realm and will be invaluable to those with an interest in the butterflies of Myanmar.
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Thailand’s Natural Heritage: A look at some of the rarest animals in the Kingdom. Kekule, L. Bruce (2004) Bangkok. WKT Publishing Co. Ltd. ISBN: 974-92327-7-1. This book, by Thailand’s leading wildlife photographer, is the much awaited follow-up to his highly acclaimed Wildlife in the Kingdom of Thailand, reviewed in Babbler 5. Once again Bruce has produced another book containing a sumptuous collection of outstanding wildlife photographs. The book was originally built around a series of newspaper articles written by Bruce and published in the Bangkok Post. Although an early intention was to produce a book accessible to young people, the idea grew and was expanded to include a large selection of Bruce’s mouthwatering camera trap photographs. Over recent years Bruce has pioneered advanced camera trapping techniques and has taken the discipline to another level. His camera trap photographs are so good it is often completely impossible to tell they are taken automatically. Many of the photographs in this book are taken in two of Bruce’s favorite haunts, the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, which forms part of Thailand’s World Heritage Site, and at Kaeng Krachen, Thailand’s largest national park. Whilst there are many stunning photographs of Tiger, Leopard, Asian Elephant, Gaur and Banteng, some of the photographic essays feature the more unusual and there are chapters on Mesozoic dinosaurs and a vagrant Common Crane. The book is published by Bruce’s own company and the quality of production is simply outstanding. This book is highly recommended for all with an interest in South-East Asian wildlife.
Asia Birding Number 1 June 2004. Oriental Bird Club This is the all new-look bulletin of the Oriental Bird Club. Whilst the OBC is to be congratulated on improving the quality of production and the quality of photographs, I fear that the name switch may be significant for more ominous reasons: Asia Birding looks more like Birding World. Whilst birding is an interest that probably most of OBC’s members actively enjoy, the OBC was formed to address all issues relating to Oriental ornithology and conservation, of which birding is only a part. Thus, to draw attention to birding itself suggests a shift towards the interests of only a sub-set of OBC members, most of whom are located in the UK and Europe. The new name also suggests a shift away from the birds of the Indo-Malayan Realm to a more Asiawide view. I note that eastern Russia is now included within OBC’s sphere of interest and wonder how long before we get papers on Tufted Puffins and Ross’s Gull! Ironically, this issue of the bulletin did in fact have many more articles on Oriental birds than many recent issues, whose focus has been on Palearctic migrants.
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Staff news U Uga, Chairman of the Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA) U Uga served in the Forest Department, Myanmar from 1965 to 2000 holding numerous positions, namely; Extra Assistant Conservator of Forests; Assistant Conservator of Forests; Assistant Director, Forest Department; Park Warden (Hlawga Wildlife Park, Shwesettaw Wildlife Sanctuary, Popa Mountain Park); Deputy Director, and Director, Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division, Forest Department, Ministry of Forestry; Director, Training and Research Development Division, Forest Department, Ministry of Forestry. U Uga retired from the Forest Department at the end of year 2000. After retirement, from the beginning of 2001 to mid of 2002, he served as Short Term Visitor, Smithsonian Institution, National Zoological Park, Conservation and Research Center, Front Royal, U.S.A; Visiting Research Fellow, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, Japan; and Short Term Visitor, International Society of Mangrove Ecosystems, Ryuku University, Okinawa, Japan. Currently, he is a member of the Myanmar Academy of Forestry Sciences; and Chairman of BANCA. He has a BSc in Forestry and Biology from Yangon University and a Master of Natural Resources from the University of New England, Australia.
From the Archives
This pair of Pink-headed Ducks Rhodonessa caryophyllacea were photographed in 1926 at Foxwarren Park, Surrey, UK by D. Seth-Smith. The photograph was recently published in Extinct Birds by Errol Fuller published in 2000 by Oxford University Press. The photograph was included by courtesy of John Edwards. The Babbler, September 2004