Ta Dung Proposed Nature Reserve
| Alternative site name(s) Dak Plao Province(s) Dak Lak Area 18,893 ha Coordinates 11°48' - 12°01'N, 107°53' - 108°07'E Agro-ecological zone Central Highlands Decreed by government No Management board established Yes |
Investment plan prepared Yes 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
Prior to 1995, the Ta Dung area was under the management of Dak Plao Forest Enterprise. In 1995, Dak Nong District People's Committee proposed establishing a 8,521 ha protected area in Dak Plao commune, Dak Nong district; this recommendation was supported by Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee (Dang Huy Huynh et al. 1998). Consequently, in 1997 and 1998, a series of biodiversity surveys of the Ta Dung area were conducted by the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR) (Dang Huy Huynh et al. 1998).
In 2001, MARD assigned the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute (FIPI) to prepare a nature reserve investment plan for Ta Dung. FIPI cooperated with Dak Lak Provincial Forest Development Department to conduct biodiversity and socio-economic surveys, define a boundary for the nature reserve, and prepare an investment plan (Le Trong Trai verbally 2002). This investment plan proposed the establishment of a 18,893 ha nature reserve, including a 9,942 ha strict protection area. The investment plan was approved and a management board was established by Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee in August 2002. Ta Dung is not, however, 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
The southern boundary of Ta Dung proposed nature reserve is formed by the Dong Nai river, which is fed by a number of small, seasonal streams in the south of the area. The north of the proposed nature reserve is situated in the watershed of the Srepok river. Elevations at the site range from c.800 to 1,982 m at the summit of Mount Ta Dung.
Biodiversity values
The forest at Ta Dung is predominantly evergreen in nature, although some areas of semi-evergreen forest, characterised by Lagerstroemia spp., are present. Lowland forest occurs up to an altitude of c.1,000 m. Lower montane forest continues from c.1,000 to c.1,600 m and is dominated by members of the Fagaceae family: Lithocarpus spp., Castanopsis spp. and Quercus spp. Upper montane forest covers the highest mountain peaks at the site, at elevations greater than c.1,600 m. Extensive tracts of undisturbed forest remain at elevations above c.1,000 m. Below c.1,000 m, however, the forest exhibits varying degrees of disturbance. The lower elevations at the site support an anthropogenic landscape, dominated by agricultural land and grassland (Dang Huy Huynh et al. 1998).
The first field survey of the flora and fauna of the (Dang Huy Huynh et al. 1998). A total of 931 vascular plant species were documented by the survey, many of which are listed in the Red Data Book of Vietnam, including Cinnamomum balansae, Pterocarpus macrocarpus, Pinus dalatensis, Rhodoleia championii and Aquilaria crassna.
Forty seven species of mammal were recorded at Ta Dung during the IEBR survey. Records of particular note included the recently described large mammal species Large-antlered Muntjac Muntiacus vuquangensis, identified on the basis of specimens, and the globally threatened Gaur Bos gaurus, identified on the basis of specimens and footprints. The survey team also provisionally recorded Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbon Hylobates gabriellae and Black-shanked Douc Pygathrix nigripes on the basis of interviews with local hunters (Dang Huy Huynh et al. 1998). Further surveys are, however, required to evaluate the importance of Ta Dung for mammal conservation.
As well as its potential importance for globally threatened mammals, Ta Dung also supports the globally threatened amphibian, Limnonectes toumanoffi, which is known only from southern Vietnam and eastern Cambodia (IUCN-SSC and CI-CABS 2003).
Conservation issues
Commercial logging halted at Ta Dung in 1998. However, shifting cultivation, illegal logging and hunting reportedly remain major threats to biodiversity at the proposed nature reserve (Dang Huy Huynh et al. 1998).
Other documented values
Ta Dung proposed nature reserve is situated in the catchments of the Dong Nai and Srepok rivers, and plays an important role in protecting the catchment of the Dong Nai hydro-electric power station.
Related projects
The biodiversity surveys of the Ta Dung conducted by IEBR in 1997 and 1998 were part of the project Conservation of the Country's Biodiversity Value, funded by the John T. and Catherine MacArthur Foundation (Dang Huy Huynh et al. 1998).
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 support because it does not meet the criteria for supporting forest biodiversity of international importance.
| 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
Dang Huy Huynh, Le Xuan Canh, Nguyen Xuan Dang, Hoang Minh Khien, Pham Trong Anh, Tran Van Thang and Dang Huy Phuong (2000) The fauna of Ta Dung forest, Dak Nong district, Dak Lak province. Tap Chi Sinh Hoc [Journal of Biology] 22(15)CD: 99-108. In Vietnamese.
Dang Huy Huynh, Pham Trong Anh, Le Xuan Canh, Nguyen Cu, Dang Thi Dap, Nguyen Xuan Dang, Hoang Minh Khien, Nguyen Van Sang, Tran Van Thang, Dang Huy Phuong, Tran Ngoc Ninh and Ha Van Tue (1998) Report on the result of field survey on biodiversity of Ta Dung forest, Dak Nong district, Dak Lak province. Hanoi: Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources.
Le Trong Trai (2001) [Inventory of faunal resources: Ta Dung Nature Reserve, Dak Lak province.] Unpublished report to the Forest Resources and Environment Centre of the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute. In Vietnamese.
IUCN-SSC and CI-CABS (2003) Global amphibian assessment. Gland: IUCN; and Washington DC: Conservation International.
Vietnam News Agency (2002) Another nature reserve established in Dac Lac province. Vietnam News Agency news released dated 18 August 2002.
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