sourcebook

Management history

In 1992, a population of the globally critically endangered Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Rhinopithecus avunculus was found in Na Hang district; this endemic species was previously thought to be globally extinct (Boonratana 1998). As a result of this discovery, a feasibility study for the establishment of a nature reserve at Na Hang was carried out in April 1994, by the National Wildlife Federation/IUCN/WWF Programme for Endangered Species in Asia, in collaboration with the former Ministry of Forestry and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (Cox 1994). This feasibility study proposed establishing a 21,725 ha nature reserve, comprising two sectors: Tat Ke in the north, with an area of 9,975 ha, and Ban Bung in the south, with an area of 11,750 ha.

It would appear that, prior to the publication of the feasibility study, an investment plan had already been prepared. This investment plan, which was published in October 1993, proposed establishing a 41,930 ha nature reserve, comprising a strict protection area of 27,520 ha, a forest rehabilitation area of 12,910 ha, and an administration and services area of 1,500 ha. The strict protection area comprises two sub-areas: Tat Ke, with an area of 12,500 ha, and Ban Bung, with an area of 15,000 ha (Anon. 1993). Until recently, however, it was not clear whether the forest rehabilitation and administration and services areas formed part of the core zone or part of the buffer zone. Division of the proposed nature reserve into core and buffer zones was not, in fact, finalised until extensive resource-use planning and internal boundary demarcation was undertaken by the Creating Protected Areas for Resource Conservation Using Landscape Ecology (PARC) Project in 2003 and 2004 (F. Potess in litt. 2004).

The investment plan was approved by the former Ministry of Forestry on 16 April 1994, following Decision No. 849/KH, and by Tuyen Quang Provincial People's Committee on 9 May 1994, by Decision 274/UB-QD (Anon. 1993). Subsequently a management board was established for the nature reserve.

The site is not included on any government decision regarding the national protected areas system. However, the site is included on a list of Special-use Forests to be established by the year 2010, prepared by the FPD of MARD, as a 41,930 ha nature reserve (FPD 2003); this list has not yet been approved by the government. In addition, through the efforts of the PARC Project, proposals are in place for the extension of protected area coverage to the north-west of the Tat Ke sector and to the south-east of the Ban Bung sector. The north-western extensions would protect threatened populations of Francois's Leaf Monkey, while the south-eastern extension would protect habitats suitable for Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey (F. Potess in litt. 2004).

Topography and hydrology

The topography of both the Tat Ke and Ban Bung sectors is characterised by steep, rugged limestone hills, with recent alluvial deposits occupying river valleys. There are significant karst formations in both sectors, many of which contain extensive cave systems. Most areas of the proposed nature reserve are between 300 and 800 m in elevation. The highest peak in the Tat Ke sector is Loung Nioung, at 1,067 m, while that in the Ban Bung sector is Nui Pia Cao at 980 m.

There are two main river systems in the area. The Nang river flows south through the Tat Ke sector and then joins the Gam river. The Gam river forms the western boundaries of both sectors before flowing south to meet the Lo river, which, in turn, meets the Red River at Viet Tri town.

Biodiversity values

According to Cox (1994), approximately 68% of Na Hang proposed nature reserve supports tropical moist forest formations, which are either in a pristine condition or have been slightly modified by the activities of the local human population. About 70% of the natural vegetation cover of the proposed nature reserve is limestone forest, although smaller areas of various lowland evergreen and lower montane evergreen forest sub-types also occur. Over 2,000 plant species have been identified at the proposed nature reserve (McNab et al. 2000), including several species listed in the Red Data Book of Vietnam (Anon. 1996), such as Garcinia fragraeoides, Diospyrus mollis, Manglieta fordiana and Markhamia stipulata (Hill and Hallam 1997).

Na Hang is of particular importance for the conservation of globally threatened primate species. The proposed nature reserve is one of only a handful of sites in the world known to support Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey, and may support the largest population. Recent estimates of the size of the population at Na Hang vary from at least 111 (Dang Ngoc Can and Nguyen Truong Son 1999) to up to 191 individuals (Le Hong Binh, quoted in Dang Ngoc Can and Nguyen Truong Son 1999). However, the population at Na Hang is split into two sub-populations, one in each sector. In addition to Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey, the globally vulnerable Francois's Leaf Monkey Trachypithecus francoisi also occurs at Na Hang proposed nature reserve (Boonratana 1998).

A number of ornithological surveys have been conducted at Na Hang proposed nature reserve (e.g. Hill 2000). A number of bird species recorded at the proposed nature reserve are known from few other sites in Vietnam, including many biome-restricted species and the globally vulnerable Wood Snipe Gallinago nemoricola (J. Eames verbally 2003). Because of its importance for biome-restricted species, the Ban Bung sector qualifies as an Important Bird Area (Tordoff 2002).

Conservation issues

One source of threat to biodiversity at Na Hang is people living within and immediately adjacent to the proposed nature reserve. Shifting cultivation practices and over-exploitation of forest products both pose long-term threats to the forest habitats. However, a more acute threat to the populations of Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey and other globally threatened mammal species at the site is hunting. In northern Vietnam, the bones, hands and feet of Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey are often made into traditional medicine (Dang Ngoc Can and Nguyen Truong Son 1999).

Another major threat to biodiversity at Na Hang is infrastructure development, particularly the on-going construction of a hydro-electric dam on the Gam river and associated access roads. This project will inundate about 220 ha of the proposed nature reserve, with severe negative implications for the conservation of Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey and other globally threatened species. In addition, the arrival of construction workers has dramatically swelled the population of Na Hang town, which lies between the two sectors of the proposed nature reserve, leading to increased pressure on natural resources. PARC-Project-led "preliminary" and "supplementary" environmental impact assessments, carried out in 2000 and 2002 respectively, concluded that habitat loss, and, more significantly, increased disturbance, could endanger the small populations of Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey and Francois's Leaf Monkey that remain at Na Hang (McNab 2000, F. Potess in litt. 2004).

Other documented values

Most of the forest at Na Hang is distributed on hill slopes, and the montane soils in these areas are highly susceptible to erosion. In some places within the proposed nature reserve, forest loss has led to landslides and gullying (Cox 1994). Forest at Na Hang proposed nature reserve, therefore, plays a valuable role in preventing soil erosion and protecting the water supplies of downstream communities.

Related projects

The largest conservation project being implemented at the site is the PARC Project. The project document (VIE/95/G31) was signed on 20 November 1998, and project implementation began in mid 1999. The main source of funding for the project is the Global Environment Facility, with counterpart funding from UNDP and the government of Vietnam. Na Hang is one of the three main sites that the project is working at; the others are Yok Don and Ba Be National Parks. The project is employing a landscape ecology approach to conservation.

In addition to the PARC project, the Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Conservation Project is currently being implemented at Na Hang proposed nature reserve by Allwetter Zoo and the Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations (both of Germany). This project, which began in December 1997, aims to protect and restore the forest at Na Hang and its animal populations, particularly Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey (Allwetter Zoo and ZSCSP 2000).

Conservation needs assessment

A conservation needs assessment has not been conducted for the site.

Operational management plan

An operational management plan was prepared for Na Hang proposed nature reserve in 2003, with the support of the PARC Project.

Eligibility against VCF criteria

Na Hang is eligible for VCF support because it meets criteria A, B and C.

Criterion	Eligibility
A_I	NH2 - Northern Highlands Limestone
A_II	VN027 - Ban Bung
B_I	Proposed Special-use Forest
B_II	Nature Reserve
B_III	Under provincial management
C_I	Management board established
C_II

Social screening requirements

A social screening report has not been prepared for the site.

Criterion	Eligibility
A
B
C
D

Literature sources

Allwetter Zoo and ZSCSP (2000) Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey conservation project, Na Hang Nature Reserve, northern Vietnam. Hanoi: Allwetter Zoo and Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations.

Anon. (1993) [Investment plan for Tat Ke-Ban Bung Nature Reserve, Tuyen Quang province]. Tuyen Quang: Tuyen Quang Provincial People's Committee. In Vietnamese.

Anon. (1994) [Report on forest resources and planning at Na Hang (Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey) Nature Reserve: summary report]. Hanoi: IUCN, WWF, the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources. In Vietnamese.

Anon. (undated) Some informations on the Tat Ke-Ban Bung (Na Hang) Nature Reserve. Unpublished report.

Boonratana, R. (1998) Na Hang Rainforest Conservation Project. Hanoi: Fauna and Flora International-Indochina Programme.

Boonratana, R. (1998) [Na Hang Rainforest Conservation Project]. Hanoi: Fauna and Flora International-Indochina Programme. In Vietnamese.

Boonratana, R. and Le Xuan Canh (1998) Conservation of Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkeys Rhinopithecus [Presbytiscus] avunculus in Vietnam. Pp 315-321 in: N. G. Jablonski ed. (1998) The natural history of the doucs and snub-nosed monkeys. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing.

Boonratana, R. and Le Xuan Canh (1998) Preliminary observations of the ecology and behavior of the Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Rhinopithecus [Presbytiscus] avunculus in northern Vietnam. Pp 207-215 in: N. G. Jablonski ed. (1998) The natural history of the doucs and snub-nosed monkeys. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing.

Cox, C. R. (1994) A management feasibility study of the proposed Na Hang (Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey) Nature Reserve, Tuyen Quang province, Vietnam. Gland and Cambridge, U.K.: IUCN Species Survival Commission.

Cox, C. R., Vu Van Dung, Pham Mong Giao and Le Xuan Canh (1994) Management feasibility study of the Na Hang Nature Reserve. Hanoi: IUCN, WWF, the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources.

CRES (1997) Study on socio-economic root causes of biodiversity loss in two distinct eco-regions of Vietnam: case studies of Ba Be National Park and Na Hang Nature Reserve in the mountainous north and Yok Don National Park in the Central Highlands. Hanoi: Centre for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies.

CRES (1997) [Study on socio-economic root causes of biodiversity loss in two distinct eco-regions of Vietnam: case studies of Ba Be National Park and Na Hang Nature Reserve in the mountainous north and Yok Don National Park in the Central Highlands]. Hanoi: Centre for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies. In Vietnamese.

Dang Huy Huynh, Hoang Minh Khien and Le Xuan Canh (1995) A study of the structure of animal diversity in Tuyen Quang province and measures for its conservation and sustainable development. Pp 356-362 in: Dang Huy Huynh, Nguyen Tien Ban, Vu Quang Con, Nguyen Thi Le, Pham Van Luc, Tran Dinh Ly, La Dinh Moi and Cao Van Sung eds. [Results of research by IEBR] Hanoi: Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources. In Vietnamese.

Dang Ngoc Can and Nguyen Truong Son (1999) [Report of a field survey for Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus Dollman, 1912) in Bac Kan, Thai Nguyen and Tuyen Quang provinces]. Hanoi: Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources. In Vietnamese.

Do Quang Tung (1999) [Features of Vietnam's PARC project: VIE/95/G31]. Lam Nghiep [Vietnam Forest Review] May 1999: 17-18. In Vietnamese.

Hill, M. (2000) Bird fauna of to protected forests in northern Vietnam. Forktail 16: 5-14.

Hill, M. and Hallam,D. (1997) Na Hang Nature Reserve. Part 2: Tat Ke Sector: biodiversity survey 1996. London: Society for Environmental Exploration.

Hill, M. and Kemp, N. (1996) [Biological survey of Na Hang Nature Reserve, Tuyen Quang province, Vietnam: Part 1, Bang Bung sector]. London: Society for Environmental Exploration. In Vietnamese.

Hill, M. and Kemp, N. (1996) Biological survey of Na Hang Nature Reserve, Tuyen Quang province, Vietnam: Part 1, Ban Bung sector. London: Society for Environmental Exploration.

Hill, M. J. and Monastyrskii, A. L. (1998) Butterfly fauna of protected areas in north and central Vietnam collections 1994-1997. Atalanta 29: 185-208.

Le Xuan Canh (1994) New information about the Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Rhinopithecus avunculus in Na Hang forest. Paper presented at a seminar on the Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey held at the Ministry of Forestry, Hanoi, 29 April 1994.

Le Xuan Canh, Dang Huy Huynh, Hoang Minh Khien and Boonratana, R. (1995) Conservation research for the rehabilitation and sustainable development of precious animal gene pool in the Na Hang forest, Tuyen Quang. Pp 184-190 in: Dang Huy Huynh, Nguyen Tien Ban, Vu Quang Con, Nguyen Thi Le, Pham Van Luc, Tran Dinh Ly, La Dinh Moi and Cao Van Sung eds. [Results of research by IEBR] Hanoi: Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources. In Vietnamese.

McNab, A., Vo Tri Chung and Nguyen Huu Hong (2000) River Gam dam preliminary environmental impact assessment. Hanoi: Scott Wilson, Asia-Pacific Ltd.

Ren, R. M., Kirkpatrick, R. C., Jablonski, N. G., Bleisch, W. V. and Le Xuan Canh (1997) Conservation status and prospects for the snub-nosed langurs (Colobinae: Rhinopithecus). Primate Conservation 17: 152-159.

Tordoff, A. W. ed. (2002) Directory of important bird areas in Vietnam: key sites for conservation. Hanoi: BirdLife International in Indochina and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources.

Tran Sa (1998) The human-hearted monkey. Vietnam Cultural Window 9: 14-15.

Tuyen Quang Provincial FPD (2000) [FPD questionnaire]. Tuyen Quang: Tuyen Quang Provincial Forest Protection Department. In Vietnamese.

UNDP (1995) Creating protected areas for resource conservation using landscape ecology (PARC): VIE/95/G31. Project document prepared by United Nations Development Programme, Vietnam.

Wirth, R. (1992) Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Rhinopithecus avunculus rediscovered. Asian Primates 2: 1-2.

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