[Report 6 in Vietnamese. Full report 7.1 MB. pdf format]

Executive Summary

Recognising that the current protected areas network is inadequate to effectively preserve the full complement of Vietnamese biodiversity,MARD (the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) have proposed to increase the area of Special-use Forest reserves from 1.3 million to 2 million hectares.

This exciting development allows a rare opportunity to choose,in an objective way,which areas should be added to the network.It also offers the chance to redress some of the imbalance in coverage of the present network.

This report is an analysis of information collated by BirdLife International and the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute,and highlights:

1. Natural forest types, ecoregions, provinces, elevation zones etc. that are poorly protected within the current protected areas network;

2. Globally Threatened species (of very large mammals, primates and birds) that are currently under represented within the existing network;

3.Areas, currently protected by decree, that now have little if any biological or conservation value.

The report concludes by recommending:

4. Areas for protection that would improve the equitable representation of the network and help prevent species extinctions.

The current protected areas network has a number of problems that need addressing - the proposed expansion of the network presents the ideally opportunity to do this. Points that need addressing are:

1. The unequal representation of biodiversity within the current protected areas network

2. The vast area of degraded, non-forest lands within the current network

3. Trans-Province reserves being managed as two (or more) separate areas

The accuracy of information concerning protected areas, especially area, precise reserve boundaries, name and legal status.
Vietnam is 27% covered in Natural Forest, but this coverage is declining at a rate that will see the country devoid of forest within 90 years. Evergreen Forest, although the commonest forest type, is being lost the fastest.

Although 1.3 million ha of land is protected, only 770,000 ha comprise forested land. The distribution of this protected area is uneven: Evergreen Forest is poorly represented within the current network and certain ecologically distinct regions (Vietnam has 16 ecoregions as defined by Wikramanayake et al. 1997) are underprotected. Protected areas tend to have been sited in higher elevation regions, and at the species level, certain globally threatened species currently enjoy no protection at all. At least three provinces supporting areas of forest have no protected areas under their jurisdiction.

The solution to this disparity is to use the opportunity now presenting itself to target the additional protection in those areas, habitats etc. that are currently poorly represented.

The analysis presented in this report shows how much, and where the expansion of the protected areas network must be if all forest types, Ecoregions, and elevation zones are to be equally represented. It also shows which provinces should be targetedfor the inclusion of a protected area, and ensures that all globally threatened species are to be at least partially safeguarded within the network.

Taking into account all of these factors, and by considering existing proposals, the potential for extending current protected areas, joining sites together and looking for the largest available forest area, this report has identified 25 areas that should be added to the current network. In combination, these areas would increase the protected area coverage to 2.1 million ha, and ensure a more equitable coverage of Vietnamese biodiversity.

Also identified are a number of protected areas that support little in terms of biodiversity value, and should therefore be degazetted to help increase the efficiency of the network as a whole.

[Report 6 in Vietnamese. Full report 7.1 MB. pdf format]