Vietnam News 30 Jan 12;
DA NANG — Authorities at central Da Nang City's Ba Na Nature Reserve have been urged to build more zoos and aviaries to ensure better protection for endangered species in the area.
Researchers working on a study of endangered wildlife in forested areas across Da Nang Province's Hoa Vang District made the call, advising authorities that new zoos and aviaries would help protect animals while also providing a boost for the local tourism sector.
The recently completed survey of endangered wildlife took more than 10 years to carry out, and researchers working on the project have 27 rare species listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species in 2009. Many of the species are also protected by Vietnamese law, which bans or restricts trade in certain types of endangered animals.
The group of researchers was led by Professor Le Vu Khoi, former head of Viet Nam National University's Science and Technology Department.
"The study aims to seek solutions to protect and develop biodiversity in the nature reserve," said Khoi.
According to the study, endangered red-shanked douc langurs (Pygathrix nemaeus), called cha va chan nau in Vietnamese, are still living in the nature reserve.
In Viet Nam, the population of red-shanked douc langurs has been reported to be concentrated in the Son Tra Island Nature Reserve, where at least 171 langurs have been spotted.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, hunting is currently the major threat to the langurs, who are used to make traditional medicine in Laos, Viet Nam and Thailand.
Deforestation was also a major threat to the survival of the species, Khoi said.
The study also confirmed that some species could no longer be found in the nature reserve, including the Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris coberti), leopard (Panthera pardus), Sambar deer (Cervus unicolour) and Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinis), he said.
Khoi said authorities needed to take prompt action, such as tightening control on illegal hunting of rare species and bolstering efforts to curb deforestation.
Ba Na Nature Reserve is home of 256 species of animals and 544 plants located on Ba Na Mountain. — VNS
