Vietnam News 10 Aug 15:
DA NANG — The Viet Nam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST) and the Frankfurt Zoological Society in Viet Nam have inked a five-year conservation plan.
The agreement covers strengthening of the management and supervision of biodiversity in national parks and natural reserves in the Central and Central Highlands regions.
Head of the representative office of [P1] Dr Ha Thang Long told Viet Nam News that the agreement would support and improve the legal enforcement of flora and fauna protection in Kon Ka Kinh National Park and Ngoc Linh Natural Reserve in the Central Highland Gia Lai and Kon Tum Provinces, respectively.
He said the co-operation deal would also promote conservation activities and biodiversity research in the park and the natural reserve.
"It's the beginning of a change in thinking of the state agency to boost biodiversity in Viet Nam. The joint action by NGOs and government agencies will pave out a long-term strategy for wildlife and biodiversity protection in parks and natural reserves in Viet Nam," Long said.
"Following the agreement, VNFOREST will develop its National Biodiversity Supervision and the Primates Conservation programmes in national parks, technical training courses for rangers, and build a smart date on wildlife," he said.
Experts from the Frankfurt Zoological Society's Viet Nam Primate Conservation Programme said Kon Ka Kinh Park was home to the largest group of grey-shanked douc langurs (pygathrix cinerea), a critically endangered (CR) species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Meanwhile, the Ngoc Linh Natural Reserve has seen a large group of yellow-cheeked gibbons (Nomascus gabriellae), an endangered species.
The national parks and natural reserves in the central region from Quang Binh to Gia Lai provinces are home to species that are facing the risk of extinction, such as Sao La or Asian biocorn (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), grey-shanked douc, the red-shanked douc (Pygathrix nemaeus) and the tiger, besides the elephant.
The Frankfurt Zoological Society has provided US$18,000 to $25,000 a year to support rangers in the Kon Ka Kinh Park since 2010, to boost patrolling in the park to protect the most endangered primates, and on field training courses for students of primate conservation and protection in Viet Nam since 2006. — VNS
