Half of Vietnam's key conservation sites protected

Hanoi, Vietnam, 13th March 2003 -- The Head of BirdLife International's Asia Division, Richard Grimmett, today launched BirdLife International's landmark publication, Key Sites for Conservation in Vietnam, at a reception held at the Press Club in Hanoi hosted by BirdLife in Indochina [1, 2, 3].

The directory is the first ever list of all the sites internationally recognised as the most critically important places for bird and biodiversity conservation, termed Important Bird Area, in Vietnam and identifies some of the main threats affecting them. More than half of the sites, by area, are in protected areas. [4, 5, 6]

Speaking at the launch, Richard Grimmett commented "Vietnam has remarkably rich biodiversity. Earlier fieldwork aimed at identifying Important Bird Areas by the BirdLife team and their Vietnamese counterparts discovered three species of bird new to science. This in itself is a remarkable achievement, and the Government of Vietnam is to be congratulated on establishing two new protected areas to conserve these species: Ngoc Linh and Kon Ka Kinh." [7, 8]

"The publication describes a network of Important Bird Areas, the protection of which would go a long way towards the conservation of biodiversity and the wider environment in Vietnam. It draws attention to on-going conservation efforts, and highlights the need for continued and intensified conservation effort." said His Excellency Bjarne H. Sorensen, Ambassador of Denmark to Vietnam, of the publication.

"It is my hope that this publication will of use for government agencies, donors and NGOs. On behalf of the Royal Danish Embassy, I warmly congratulate the Research Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources and BirdLife International in Indochina for their efforts." he added.

However, 68% of the sites identified are threatened by agricultural intensification. [9] This threat is particularly serious for wetlands, including coastal mudflats and wet grasslands in the Mekong Delta. But there are some encouraging signs. For example, at Ha Nam island where local people, shrimp farmers, the police and other stakeholders have come together to establish a site-support group and draw up a plan to ensure the long-term sustainability of their area, both for themselves and the wildlife found there.

The directory's aims are to inform decision-makers at local, national and international levels of the biodiversity value of sites, to identify threats to this biodiversity, and to recommend appropriate steps that can be taken to ensure its conservation.

It identifies clear priorities for conservation action, and encourages government agencies, donors and NGOs to address them. The information is presented in such a way that it will also be of interest to birdwatchers, and this book will thereby support the development of ecotourism in Vietnam. [10]

ADDITIONAL NOTES

1. BirdLife International is a global alliance of conservation organisations working in more than 100 countries who, together, are the leading authority on the status of birds, their habitats and the issues and problems affecting bird life. In Asia, the BirdLife International Partnership comprises partners in Hong Kong, (Hong Kong Bird Watching Society); India (Bombay Natural History Society) Indonesia (BirdLife Indonesia); Japan (Wild Bird Society of Japan); Malaysia (Malaysian Nature Society); Nepal (Bird Conservation Nepal); Pakistan (Ornithological Society of Pakistan); Philippines (Haribon Foundation); Russia (Russian Bird Conservation Union); Singapore (Nature Society (Singapore)); Sri Lanka (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka); Taiwan (Wild Bird Federation Taiwan); Thailand (Bird Conservation Society of Thailand); and Vietnam (BirdLife International in Indochina).

2. Key Sites for Conservation in Vietnam, BirdLife International in Indochina and Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Hanoi 2003.

3. Both English and Vietnamese language versions of the Directory have been published.

4. The study, funded by the Danish development agency, Danida, took two years to complete and identifies the most important places for biodivsersity conservation in the country. In all, 63 areas qualify as Important Bird Areas. They total 1.69 million ha. Of these, 28 (44%) are within protected areas, equivalent to 51% of the total area of IBAs.

5. In Vietnam, the IBA programme is co-ordinated by BirdLife International in Indochina, in collaboration with the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources of the National Centre for Natural Science and Technology, and with financial support from Danida.

6. The global Important Bird Area (IBA) programme is co-ordinated by BirdLife International, and aims to identify and protect a network of critical sites for the world's birds using standardised, internationally agreed criteria. The IBA programme has proved to be a very cost-effective and flexible way of identifying and promoting coherent and organised action for priority sites for birds and biodiversity at the regional, national and local levels. For more information, see http://www.birdlife.org/sites/ibaprogramme.cfm

7. BirdLife's work in Vietnam has resulted in the discovery of three species of bird new to science: Black-crowned Barwing, Golden-winged Laughingthrush and Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush.

8. BirdLife's IBA work in Vietnam has already resulted in the establishment of new protected areas by the government. These include a new national park announced by the Prime Minister on 12 July 2002 at Lo Go Xa Mat, in an area that was destined to be converted into agricultural land but will now offer protection for Germain's Peacock-pheasant and other threatened bird species.

9. The main threat affecting IBAs in Vietnam is the large increase in the wildlife trade, through opening up of Vietnam's international borders. Hunting and trapping is a problem at 56 of the sites identified, and impacts particularly on populations of hornbills, green-pigeons and pheasants.

10. BirdLife International recommends the following actions to conserve Vietnam's IBAs and birds:

Designation and protection of IBAs under international agreements where the relevant criteria are met;
Designation of IBAs as protected areas under national law;
Adherence to national and international law regarding site protection;
Involvement of local communities, NGOs, land-users and the public in IBA protection;
Effective and adequate management of IBAs;
Integration of environmental objectives into all policy sectors;
Maximisation of the use and dissemination of data; and
Monitoring of IBAs in order to help refine conservation and policy mechanisms.

Hardcopy versions of the directory will be published in both English and Vietnamese. For further information, contact Vu Thi Minh Phuong, Communications Officer, Tel/Fax: 851 7217 or email at: phuong@birdlife.netnam.vn