Untitled Document

A Rapid Field Survey of Kalon Song Mao nature Reserve (Binh Thuan Province) and Lo Go Sa Mat Nature Reserve (Tay Ninh Province), Vietnam.

[Report 16. Full report 0.8 MB. pdf format]

Executive Summary

As part of the European-Commission-funded project Expanding the Protected Areas Network in Vietnam for the 21st Century, BirdLife International and the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute (FIPI) conducted an analysis of Vietnam's protected areas system. During this analysis, BirdLife and FIPI identified 25 sites at which protected areas should be either established or expanded in order that the protected areas system should more equitably represent the full diversity of species and habit at types in Vietnam. These sites included Kalon Song Mao Nature Reserve, Binh Thuan province, and Lo Go-Sa Mat Nature Reserve, Tay Ninh province. There is, however, currently a proposal to remove both sites from Vietnam's protected areas system. Hence, BirdLife International and FIPI recommended that their status be assessed prior to any decision being made about their degazettement, particularly because:

Kalon Song Mao supports nearly all of the protected semi-deciduous forest within the Da Lat Montane Forests Ecoregion, and a significant area of under-protected evergreen forest
Lo Go-Sa Mat supports approximately 50% of all protected evergreen forest within the Eastern Indochina Moist Forests Ecoregion

In December 1999, FIPI and BirdLife International conducted a rapid field survey of Kalon Song Mao and Lo Go-Sa Mat Nature Reserves, in order to evaluate the conservation importance of these sites and assess whether they should be expanded, retained or removed from Vietnam's protected areas system. The results of this survey confirmed that both sites are of importance for conservation and continue to meet the criteria for inclusion within the national net work of special-use forests.

The results of the rapid field survey indicate that Kalon Song Mao Nature Reserve may support populations a number of species of global conservation importance, including Giant Muntjac Megamuntiacus vuquangensis, Buff-cheeked Gibbon Hylobates gabriellae, Douc Langur Pygathrix nemaeus, Silvered Leaf Monkey Semnopithecus cristatus, Slow Loris Nycticebus coucang, Lesser Slow Loris N. pygmaeus, Asiatic Black Bear Ursus thibetanus, Sun Bear U. malayanus, Dhole Cuon alpinus, Golden Jackal Canis aureus and Green Peafowl Pavo muticus.

Kalon Song Mao is located in the upstream water catchment of the Mao River, in Phan Son and Phan Lam communes, Bac Binh district. These communes support 54,266 ha of natural forest, equivalent to 89% of the total area. A large proportion of this forest is currently under the management of Ca Giay Watershed Protection Forest (WPF), although there are seven forest compartments in the north-west of Phan Son commune that also support significant areas of natural forest. The natural vegetation at Kalon Song Mao is ever green forest and semi-deciduous forest, distributed on mountains in the north of the area, and deciduous forest, distributed at lower elevations in the south. The forest at Kalon Song Mao supports several globally threatened animal species, and protects the watersheds of the Ca Giay irrigation system and the Dai Ninh hydroelectric power station.

Observations made during the rapid field survey indicate that human population pressure at the site is low, and that the level of dependence of local communities on forest products is not particularly high.

This report recommends establishing Kalon Song Mao Nature Reserve, with a total area of 40,000 ha. The proposed boundary includes the whole of Ca Giay WPF, together with adjacent areas in Phan Lam and Phan Son communes.

Lo Go-Sa Mat Nature Reserve supports over 26% of the total natural forest area of Tay Ninh province, and is a very important site for the conservation of biodiversity in the region. The result s of the rapid field survey indicate that Lo Go-Sa Mat may support populations of several nationally and globally threatened species, including Tiger Panthera tigris, Douc Langur, Silvered Leaf Monkey, Lesser Slow Loris, Clouded Leopard Pardofelis nebulosa, Asiatic Black Bear, Dhole, Golden Jackal, Green Peafowl, Siamese Fireback Lophura diardi, Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis, Spot -billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis, Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus, Siamese Crocodile Crocodylus siamensis, Chinese Soft -shelled T urtle Pelodiscus sinensis and Mountain Soft-shelled Turtle Palea steindachneri.

A key recommendation of this report is, therefore, to ensure that Lo Go-Sa Mat is retained within the network of special-use forests in Vietnam with the status of nature reserve; there are no reasons to remove this site from the network.

[Report 16. Full report 0.8 MB. pdf format]