Bac Plei Ku Proposed Nature Reserve
| Alternative site name(s) Bien Ho Province(s) Gia Lai Area 12,941 ha Coordinates 14°05' - 14°23'N, 107°58' - 108°05'E Agro-ecological zone Central Highlands Decreed by government No Management board established No |
Investment plan prepared No VCF eligibility criteria met B Social screening criteria met None Conservation needs assessment prepared No Operational management plan prepared No Tracking tool completed No Yes |
Management history
Bac Plei Ku is situated in Chu Pah district in northern Gia Lai province, between Plei Ku and Kon Tum towns. Very little information is available about this site, which currently has no investment plan and is not listed on any government decision regarding the national protected areas network (MARD 1997). The total area of the site is given as 12,941 ha (Gia Lai Provincial FPD 2000), although it is unclear whether the exact boundaries have been delineated yet. The site has been proposed as a nature reserve by Gia Lai Provincial FPD, who are currently responsible for its management.
Bac Plei Ku is not included on a list of Special-use Forests to be established by the year 2010, prepared by the FPD of MARD (FPD 2003).
Topography and hydrology
Based on the coordinates provided by Gia Lai Provincial FPD (in litt. 2000), it appears that the site comprises two areas of low mountains, separated by the valley of the Ia Tower river. The maximum altitude of the northernmost area is 1,152 m, while the southernmost area reaches 1,478 m at the peak of Dang Roia mountain. The lowest point at the site is around 700 m, in the valley of the Ia Tower river. Bac Plei Ku is situated in the catchment of the Mekong River. Bac Plei Ku proposed nature reserve includes Bien Ho lake, a natural freshwater lake formed by three or four extinct volcanic craters. The total area of this lake is 600 ha.
Biodiversity values
Bien Ho lake is reported to support a rich freshwater fish fauna, including three endemic species of fish (Government of SRV/GEF 1994). Scott (1989) reports that the lake supports a variety of waterfowl, although this has not been confirmed during several visits during the winter (A. Tordoff pers. obs.). According to 1995 satellite data, Bac Plei Ku proposed nature reserve supports two non-contiguous blocks of evergreen forest, separated by an area of cultivation and scrub along the Ia Tower river. Bien Ho lake is surrounded by secondary vegetation and plantation forest (A. Tordoff pers. obs.).
Conservation issues
A total of 2,294 people live inside the proposed nature reserve, all of whom belong to the Ba Na ethnic group. A further 12,266 people live in the buffer zone, most of whom belong to the Kinh and Gia Rai ethnic groups (Gia Lai Provincial FPD in litt. 2000).
Gia Lai Provincial FPD consider the biggest threats to biodiversity at the site to be hunting and other forms of exploitation of forest resources, and clearance of land for agriculture. In the buffer zone, cash-crop cultivation is also considered a problem (Gia Lai Provincial FPD in litt. 2000). To the west, Bac Plei Ku proposed nature reserve is bordered by National Highway 14. This road is, and may continue to be, a focus for human settlement, which could lead to an increase in human pressure on the site.
Other documented values
Bien Ho lake provides drinking water for local communities and irrigation water for wet rice and cash crop production (Scott 1989).
Related projects
No information.
Conservation needs assessment
A conservation needs assessment has not been conducted for the site.
Operational management plan
An operational management plan has not been prepared for the site.
Eligibility against VCF criteria
The site is ineligible for VCF funding because it does not meet the criteria for supporting forest biodiversity of international importance. In addition, the site is not under appropriate conservation management.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| AI |
|
| AII |
|
| BI |
Proposed Special-use Forest |
| BII |
Nature Reserve |
| BIII |
Under provincial management |
| CI |
|
| CII |
Social screening requirements
A social screening report has not been prepared for the site.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| A |
|
| B |
|
| C |
|
| D |
Literature sources
Government of SRV and GEF (1994) Biodiversity action plan for Vietnam. Hanoi: Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and Global Environment Facility Project VIE/91/G31.
Scott, D. A. (1989) A directory of Asian wetlands. Gland: IUCN.
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