57578184 final report le thi dien

Conservation of the Red-Shanked Douc Langur (Pygathrix nemaeus nemaeus) in Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam Final Report Prepared for People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) By Le Thi Dien April, 2009 Executive Summary: The red-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus nemaeus), is an endangered monkey distributing in Vietnam, Lao, and Cambodia Through this study, we reported the total number of animals observed during the study is 22 animals (estimate 26 animals) The survey area is 130 km2 Therefore, current population density estimated was 0.17 individuals per km2 P nemaeus were mainly found at elevation between 500 and 1.300m above sea level in Bach Ma National Park Groups of P nemaues often distribute in restoration forest habitat or tropical broadleaf evergreen rain forest habitat A total of 41 belonging to 25 families were observed eaten by P nemaeus at Bach Ma National Park One of the most important finding is we add fifteen new tree species used by P nemaeus to the existing food list P nemaeus were observed feeding on variety of food items including leaves, buds, flower buds, flowers, fruits, and bamboo shoots We also recognised that three main threats to P nemaeus were identified during the study, including hunting, habitat destruction and tourism Two senior students were instructed to research and three training courses were be organized to improve conservation awareness of the BNP staffs, students of Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, and local people in endangered primate species survey and monitoring INTRODUCTION The colobine monkeys of the genus Pygathrix are native to Indochina Until only ten years ago, just two distinct taxa were recognized: the red-shanked douc, Pygathrix nemaeus, named by Linnaeus in 1771, in the northern part of Central Vietnam and Central Laos; and the black-shanked douc, P nigripes, from South Vietnam and east Cambodia, described exactly a century later by Milne-Edwards In Vietnam the douc langur is found from Tay Ninh province to Nghe An province (Pham, 1993) Red-shanked douc langurs (Pygathrix nemaeus nemaeus) are found in Bach Ma National Park, and black-shanked douc langurs (Pygathrix nemaeus nigripes) are found in Nam Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam (Eames and Robson, 1993) Both the red and black-shanked douc langurs are found in Kong Cha Rang, Kon Khi Kinh, and Mom Ray Nature Reserves (Lippold, 1995)1 http://www.theprimata.com/pygathrix_nemaeus.html The beautiful red-shanked douc langur is only found in north and central Vietnam and Laos Its habitat is in the lowland to montane primary and secondary rainforest where it lives in the mid to upper levels of the canopy2 They live in moist tropical rain forest but have also adapted to dry (monsoon) forest (Camille Dorian, 2002) The red-shanked douc langur has been listed as EN A1cd (IUCN Red List ver 2.3 (1994)), Appendix I (CITES), Endangered (Red Book on Fauna of Vietnam, 2004), and category IB (Decree 32/2006/ND-CP of Vietnam) However, their population sizes in the wild appear to decline because of several conservation problems Firstly, habitat loss and forest fragmentation is one of the most important factors threatening this species The loss of natural forest by war, logging and the replacement of secondary natural forests by commercial plantation forests in the area has reduced the quality and quantity of natural habitat drastically Secondly, it is currently known as one of the most popular primates in the food and pet trade They are considered a delicacy all over Southeast Asia In addition, it is also in danger of becoming medicinal products because some traditional oriental medicines use douc langur body parts (Camille Dorian, 2002) Under pressure from hunting and habitat loss, the number of this species is dwindling fast Lastly, limiting on skills of species monitoring and conserving of conservationists due to lacking the specific information of species as well as non-participating of local communities on wildlife conservation is another cause of the decline of this species in nature Without immediate and decisive conservation action, these species are likely to become extinct very soon3 There have been conservationists doing researches into distribution, population size and diet of the species Pham Nhat (1993) investigated into 49 floras of 22 fammilies used as food by P nemaeus Some authors have identified the occurrence of the species in Bach Ma Natonal Park such as Eames & Robson, 1993; Lippold, 1995; Matsumarra, 1997; Huynh Van Keo and Van Ngoc Thinh, 1998 However, due to the high hunting pressure in Bach Ma National Park, douc langur populations have considerably reduced (Vu Ngoc Thanh, pers comm.) Therefore, data on biology, ecology, distribution, population abundance, and threats of the species is vital for long-term conservation and management recommendations Training courses and participating on project activities will provide local people, conservationists, http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/redshanked_douc_langur.htm WWF young researchers, students, and others with the necessary skills for conserving this species AIMS OF PROJECT The overall aim of our project is to obtain information useful for the better monitoring and conservation of the Red-Shanked Douc Langur (Pygathrix nemaeus nemaeus) in particular and primate species in general in the central region of Vietnam Hiring local people and Bach Ma National Park staffs as field assistants within this project and training courses will allow for the capacity development and conservation awareness of stakeholder members Through the study, we intend: (1) To identify the distribution and abundance of P nemaeus; (2) To study the ecology and behavior of P nemaeus; (3) To assess current and potential threats to P nemaeus and its natural habitats and propose possible solutions to the species conservation; (4) To promote conservation awareness through employment and capacity development of Bach Ma National Park staffs, students of Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, and local people in endangered primate species survey and monitoring; (5) To make appropriate conservation and management recommendations for the species and its habitats METHODS Research site Bach Ma National Park is located in the Central Truong Son, is a strip of forest connecting the border between Lao and Vietnam with the East Sea This National Park with high biodiversity is the habitat of many rare plants and animals Among those is P nemaues According to rangers’ experience, We have determined distribution sites of P.nemaeus in sub-areas 207, 209, 210, 211, 214, 227, 229, 230, 231, 375, 384, 385, and 386 of the National Park, the total scale of these areas is estimated to be 130km2 Thus, the research areas are determined in the scale of 130km2 in these sub-areas Study site was selected based on local informants and previous reports Five transects were established within the langurs’ known habitats: (i) Transect 1: Bach Ma summit - Coldebay: two expeditions; (ii) Transect 2: Km 14 Bach Ma - Tri Sao waterfall: one expedition; (iii) Transect 3: Km 14 Bach Ma - Truoi lake: one expedition; (iv) Transect 4: Bach Ma summit - Lien Chi slope: one expedition Research Time The study was carried out from November, 2008 to May, 2009 in Bach Ma National Park In the first month we interwiewed rangers of Bach Ma National Park to collect data of the times they encountered P nemaues, the plants used as food by P nemaues and threats to the species, and identified line-transects In the rest months, we implemented field investigations in line-transects to collect data of distribution, population size, food plants of the species and threats to it Each expedition was investigated in one day per month The total number of days spent on field investigation is 30 Methodology 3.1 Interview We carried out interviews with villagers, hunters, and experienced staffs of Bach Ma National Park to determine the most likely places for encountering the species These interviews also provided information on the current and past distribution and population size of the species, the list of food eaten by this species, as well as the threats to this species in the study area Figure 01 The Map of observed transects 3.2 Forest survey (+) Investigation into the species distribution status and population size Investigation in each line-transect was carried out to observe the occurrence of P nemaeus The time for observation was from 6: am to 6: pm In addition, all signs such as tracks, faeces, feeding signs, vocalizations, etc was noticed to determine distribution of this species (+) Food All samples of food plants and potential food were collected from areas known to be in the range of the monkeys Representative samples of food eaten were selected from trees in which monkeys would be observed feeding Additional samples were chosen from trees judged to be common in the habitat (+) Threats Threats to the species are identified through interviewing rangers, field observation, and the levels of threats are arranged according to the criteria: (+) range of impacts (total impacts in the park or partly impact), (+) intensity of impacts (strongly impact or slightly impact) Surveying in the field 3.3 Training and workshop: - Three field training courses will be organized to improve conservation awareness of the BNP staffs, students of Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, and local people in endangered primate species survey and monitoring - A workshop among the related stakeholders (Conservationists of Bach Ma National Park, local authorities, local people, research team members, staffs of the Green Corridor Project, Staffs of NGOs related to conservation in Thua Thien Hue Province, students of Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry) by the end of the project will be organized to present the research findings; have discussions; receive comments from participants to finalize the research report; and create a network for research and primate conservation among stakeholders RESULTS Population status Three groups and one solitary juvenile female of P nemaeus were recorded based on direct observations and informants during the study The number of animals and age/sex composition of groups observed are presented in table 01 The highest count for a single group was 10 animals (estimated 12 animals) and the lowest count for a single group was animals (estimated animals) Average group size is animals The estimates were based on evidences such as branch movements and vocalizations Juveniles were seen in all three groups An Infant clinging an adult female was observed in group in July 2008 The infants/adults ratio is 1: 2.75 It was difficult to identify sexes of adults in the field since the groups observed traveled fast and observations were made at distance Further, animals appeared to be wary of observers and they often fled away when detected observers Table 01 Population sizes of Red-shanked douc langur in BMNP Adult Adult Male female No Count Estimate Juveniles Infants Solitary 1 Group ? ? Group 6 ?2 ?2 Group 10 12 ? ? TOTAL 22 26 1 (female) The solitary juvenile was rescued and released to the forest by forest rangers in July, 2007 when it was confined in a cage Local people said that they had caught this Langur in April, 2006 Meanwhile, the Langur was about 4-5 months old, it was in burned status because it had been carried by his mother to near the field which was being burned for afforestation At the time being rescued, this Langur was about 20 months old and in good health condition When it is released, at first it only fed around the burnt-over land Later, it moved gradually to the top, it is currently seen at an altitude of 600-700m Although living close to the group of 5-7 langurs (2 km far from this group), the animal appeared not to integrate with neighboring groups since she always traveled, fed and rested alone and kept distance with neighboring groups The total number of animals observed during the study is 22 animals (estimate 26 animals) The survey area is 130 km2 Therefore, current population density estimated was 0.17 individuals per km2 Distribution The locations and elevations of groups and a solitary female juvenile of Pygathrix nemaeus are shown in table 2.1 P nemaeus were mainly found at elevation between 500 and 1.300m above sea level in Bach Ma National Park According to local reports, Pygathryx nemaeus were often seen in CHO DEN (Prashorea stellata) forest and surrouding areas These groups sometimes shift from Truoi Pond to Morin for feeding Table 02 Distribution of groups and a solitary juvenile female of P nemaeus at BMNP No Elevation (m) Locations Solitary 18-678 N:16017,185’ Burnt-over E:107010,126 broadleaf evergreen rain forest N: 16013,125’ Habitats land, tropical (poor forests) E:107096,337’ Group 491-953 N:16016,231’ E:107013,577’ to N: 16012,156’ Group Group 1,375 1,150-1,336 Tropical broadleaf evergreen rain forest (secondary forest after logging-young forests) and sub-tropical broadleaf evergreen E:107 92,720’ rain forest (rich forests) N:16011,763’ Sub-tropical broadleaf evergreen E:107051,755’ rain forest (poor and rich forests) From N: 16011,833’ Sub-tropical broadleaf evergreen E:107050,729’ rain forest (medium and rich to N: 16011,856’ forests) E:107050,739’ The distribution of the P nemaeus are shown by Figure 02 In Bach Ma National park, groups of P nemaues often distribute in restoration forest habitat or tropical broadleaf evergreen rain forest habitat However, the species has a wide range for feeding, from field habitat in the Park foot (in altitude of 18m) to subtropical broadleaf evergreen rain forest (in altitude over 900m) The Investigation and interviews show that the P nemaues lives and feeds on many different types of forests However, it only occasionally feeds on poor forest habitat with forest structure is broken down completely, the cover is