Earal Proposed Nature Reserve
| Alternative site name(s) Thong Nuoc Province(s) Dak Lak Area 50 ha Coordinates 13°09'N, 108°18'E Agro-ecological zone Central Highlands Decreed by government No Management board established Yes |
Investment plan prepared No VCF eligibility criteria met B, C Social screening criteria met None Conservation needs assessment prepared No Operational management plan prepared No Tracking tool completed No Yes |
Management history
Earal is not included on any government decision relating to the national Special-use Forests system MARD (1997). However, Decision No. 157/QD-UB of Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee, dated 5 March 1994, approved the establishment of a 50 ha nature reserve to protect one of the last remaining populations of the nationally threatened conifer Glyptostrobus pensilis in Vietnam (Dak Lak Provincial FPD 1998). According to Dak Lak Provincial DARD (in litt. 2000), a management board with two members has been established under the management of Dak Lak Provincial FPD.
Earal is included on a list of Special-use Forests to be established by the year 2010, prepared by the FPD of MARD, as a 50 ha nature reserve (FPD 2003); this list has not yet been approved by the government.
Topography and hydrology
Earal proposed nature reserve is located in Earal commune, Ea H'leo district, in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, at an elevation of around 530 m. The proposed nature reserve comprises a swampy area surrounded by coffee plantations (Vu Van Dung verbally 2000).
Biodiversity values
Previously, G. pensilis was distributed in many provinces in Vietnam (Vu Van Dung verbally 2000) but the species is now one of the most endangered tree species in the country, with only two known populations remaining. Earal proposed nature reserve supports 220 individuals, while Trap Kso proposed nature reserve, the other site, supports only 34 individuals (Dak Lak Provincial FPD 1998) (see Trap Kso site card).
Conservation issues
The main threats to the population of G. pensilis at Earal are forest fire in the dry season and floods in the rainy season (Vu Van Dung verbally 2000). In addition, Dak Lak Provincial DARD (in litt. 2000) identify the lack of a buffer zone and the proximity of the site to centres of population as obstacles to management. One guard station has been constructed at the site, and a water control programme has been implemented with the aim of reducing the water level at the site, thereby protecting the G. pensilis population (Dak Lak Provincial FPD 1998, Dak Lak Provincial DARD in litt. 2000).
Other documented values
No information.
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
Earal is ineligible for VCF support because it does not meet the criteria for supporting forest biodiversity of international importance. The site lies within Priority Landscape DF4 - Eastern Plains Dry Forests but was assessed by a subsequent analysis as having low importance for international biodiversity conservation (Tordoff et al. in prep.).
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| AI |
|
| AII |
|
| BI |
Proposed Special-use Forest |
| BII |
Nature Reserve |
| BIII |
Under provincial management |
| CI |
Management board established |
| CII |
Social screening requirements
A social screening report has not been prepared for the site.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| A |
|
| B |
|
| C |
|
| D |
Literature sources
Dak Lak Provincial FPD (1998) [Report on implementation of management and conservation plan for Glyptostrobus pensilis populations in Dak Lak province]. Unpublished report to Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee. In Vietnamese.
Tordoff, A. W., Timmins, R, J., Maxwell, A., Huy Keavuth, Lic Vuthy and Khou Eang Hout eds. (in prep.) Biological assessment of the Lower Mekong Dry Forests Ecoregion: final report.
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