[Report 4. Full report 1.5 MB. pdf format]

Executive Summary

In June and July 1998, BirdLife International worked in collaboration with the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute (Hanoi) to assess the feasibility of upgrading Phong Dien and Dakrong Watershed Protection Forests to Nature Reserve status. This feasibility study, funded by the European Union and BirdLife International, was part of the government's commitment to increase Vietnam's protected area coverage to 2 million hectares by the year 2000.

In 1992, BirdLife International conducted a world-wide survey which identified 221 centres of bird endemism. Bird endemism is believed to be a good indicator of an area's overall biodiversity. The Annamese Lowlands of central Vietnam is one of three Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs) in Vietnam.

Phong Dien and Dakrong Districts, of Thua Thien Hue and Quang Tri provinces, central Vietnam are located in the southern part the Annamese Lowlands EBA, and enclose the largest remaining area of evergreen and semi-evergreen lowland forest (below 1,000 m).

Lowland forest was once distributed throughout the coastal lowlands and foothills of central Vietnam. The forest area has been significantly reduced by human exploitation and the defoliation of vast tracts in Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue provinces during the American-Vietnamese War. Only a small fraction of this once-extensive forest type now remains.

The best extant example of lowland forest within the Annamese Lowlands EBA is in northern Phong Dien district and southern Dakrong district. An effort at protection was made in 1993, when these areas were designated as Watershed Protection Forests (WPFs) but, in reality, this classification protects the forests from little more than commercial logging.

This study analysed the feasibility of upgrading these WPFs to two separate but contiguous nature reserves. The proposed Phong Dien Nature Reserve would cover 34,406 ha, and the proposed Dakrong Nature Reserve would cover 35,072 ha. Combined, they would constitute the largest protected area in the Annamese Lowlands EBA.

To better assess the value of conserving the area, a preliminary inventory of the area's flora and fauna was conducted. The inventory revealed that the proposed nature reserves are home to a number of endemic and threatened species. Two of the most recently discovered large mammal species in the world (Sao La and Giant Muntjac) both occur in the area. Edwards's Pheasant, thought to be extinct for 67 years, was rediscovered in the area; Phong Dien and Dakrong WPFs are believed to comprise the last remaining refuge of this critically endangered species.

To further assess the merits of protecting the area, local butterfly species were identified. Butterflies have well-documented niche separation and consume a wide variety of species-specific food. Thus the number of butterfly species and their distribution is an indicator of habitat diversity. The high number of butterfly species found in the area further suggests that it supports diverse habitats.

Besides protecting the largest remnants of lowland forest in central Vietnam, a number of endangered species (especially Edwards's pheasant) and an area with high overall biodiversity, the proposed nature reserves would aim to restrict the non-sustainable use of forest resources, improve flood and erosion control, establish buffer zones, and provide a number of jobs for local people. The nature reserves could also be linked to several other conservation areas by wildlife corridors. Moreover, the area compares favourably with other protected areas in Vietnam for both biodiversity and endemic species in need of conservation. In short, the conservation value of the area is high.

Creating viable nature reserves, however, will not be easy. While there are no people known to be living inside the area (as of July 1998), approximately 31,000 live in Phong Dien and Dakrong districts of which several thousand live near the proposed nature reserves' boundaries. Small-scale cutting of timber inside the area is widespread, and many of the locals use the forests for hunting and gathering. Slash-and- burn agriculture is still practised in the area, and there are six agricultural sites within the proposed protected area.

The study made several recommendations to address these problems including:

1. reorienting the government's on-going agroforesty programme towards the establishment of silviculture areas (using native species) as buffer zones; and

2. hiring, training and equipping a number of local people to act as guards for the nature reserves.

There are also problems with the boundaries of the proposed area itself. Several important conservation areas are not included. The proposed southern border, for example, bisects a large section of primary forest and, unless the entire forest is included, a valuable corridor to other protected areas (particularly Bach Ma National Park) will be lost. This study recommends that five such areas are included in the proposed nature reserves.

The overall recommended management objectives for the protected area are to:

1. conserve the largest remnants of lowland forest in central Vietnam; and

2. protect the area's populations of endangered and endemic species, especially Edwards's Pheasant.

Recommended next steps include:

3. conducting assessments of the five areas recommended for inclusion in the protected areas;

4. seeking funding and approval for the proposed Nature Reserves from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Investment and Planning; and

5. conducting more detailed socio-economic and forestry studies of the communities near the proposed protected areas.

[Report 4. Full report 1.5 MB. pdf format]