sourcebook

Phong Quang Nature Reserve

Alternative site name(s)

None

Province(s)

Ha Giang

Area

18,397 ha

Coordinates

104°50' - 105°01'E

Agro-ecological zone

North-eastern

Decreed by government

Yes

Management board established

Yes

Investment plan prepared

Yes

VCF eligibility criteria met

A, B, C

Social screening criteria met

None

Conservation needs assessment prepared

Operational management plan prepared

Tracking tool completed

Map available

Yes

Management history

Phong Quang Nature Reserve lies in Vi Xuyen and Quan Ba districts, Ha Giang province. Phong Quang was included on Decision No. 194/CT of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, dated 9 August 1986, which proposed establishing a 2,000 ha nature reserve in the former Ha Tuyen province (MARD 1997). An investment plan for Phong Quang Nature Reserve was prepared by North-western Sub-FIPI in 1997 (Doi Van Tho 1997). This investment plan was approved by MARD on 11 December 1997, following Decision No. 4564/NN KH/CV, and by Ha Giang Provincial People's Committee on 17 January 1998, following Decision No. 59/UB-QD. Following the approval of the investment plan, the provincial people's committee established a management board for the nature reserve on 26 May 1998 (Ha Giang Provincial FPD in litt. 2000). The management board currently has seven members of staff, based at a single guard station (Linh Hong Tinh, Director of Phong Quang Nature Reserve in litt. 2003).

The investment plan gives the area of the site as 18,840 ha, comprising a strict protection area of 11,152 ha, a forest rehabilitation area of 7,145 ha, and an administration and services area of 543 ha. In addition, there is a buffer zone of 10,500 ha, divided into two sub-zones (Doi Van Tho 1997). Phong Quang Nature Reserve is managed by the provincial FPD (Ha Giang FPD in litt. 2000). Phong Quang Nature Reserve is included on a list of Special-use Forests to be established by the year 2010, prepared by the FPD of MARD, with a total area of 18,397 ha (FPD 2003); this list has not yet been approved by the government.

Topography and hydrology

Phong Quang Nature Reserve lies in north-western Ha Giang province, and is contiguous with the Chinese border. The nature reserve comprises a ridge of non-karst limestone, which runs from north-west to south-east, from the Chinese border to Ha Giang town. The topography of the nature reserve is steep and rugged, with altitudes ranging from below 300 to 1,310 m. The main substrate is limestone, with some shale and sandstone.

The site is bounded along much of its eastern edge by the Pac Xum river. This is a tributary to the Lo river, which forms the south-west boundary of the nature reserve. The two rivers meet at Ha Giang town, from where the Lo river flows south-east to meet the Red River at Viet Tri town.

Biodiversity values

Phong Quang Nature Reserve supports two main forest types: lowland evergreen forest and lower montane evergreen forest. Lowland evergreen forest is distributed below 800 m. This forest type covers 5,656 ha of the nature reserve but is heavily disturbed and fragmented. Lower montane evergreen forest is distributed above 800 m, and covers 2,484 ha of the nature reserve. The tree flora is dominated by Burretiodendron tonkinensis and members of the Fagaceae, Lauraceae and Sapotaceae (Doi Van Tho 1997).

In addition to these main forest types, the nature reserve supports smaller areas of two forest sub-types. Mixed broadleaf and coniferous forest covers 58 ha of the nature reserve, and is characterised by Decussocarpus fleuryi and Fokienia hodginsii. Elfin forest covers 120 ha of the nature reserve, and shows stunted development, with many dwarf trees present, and abundant epiphytes. Grass and scrub are common at lower elevations due to human influence (Doi Van Tho 1997).

A total 377 species of vascular plant in 109 families are known from Phong Quang Nature Reserve. Eleven of these species are listed on Decree 18/HDBT, dated 17 January 1992, including Cupressus torulosa, Chukrasia tabularis and Aquilaria crassna (Doi Van Tho 1997).

The investment plan (Doi Van Tho 1997) lists 213 animal species as occurring at Phong Quang, comprising 55 mammals, 125 birds, 21 reptiles and 12 amphibians. Thirty two of these species are listed in the Red Data Book of Vietnam. Of particular note, the investment plan lists several species of primate, including Francois's Leaf Monkey Trachypithecus francoisi, Phayre's Leaf Monkey T. phayrei and the critically endangered Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Rhinopithecus avunculus (Doi Van Tho 1997). It is not clear whether these species are listed based upon field survey results, previously published reports or presumed ranges. Consequently, further studies are required before the occurrence of any of these species at the site can be confirmed.

Conservation issues

Some 5,375 people live within the nature reserve, belonging to the Tay, Nung, Dao, Hmong, Kinh, Han and Giay ethnic groups. A further 5,830 people live in the buffer zone. Households in the nature reserve and buffer zone experience, on average, two months of food shortages per year (Ha Giang Provincial FPD in litt. 2000, Linh Hong Tinh, Director of Phong Quang Nature Reserve in litt. 2003). Ha Giang Provincial FPD (in litt. 2000) identify illegal timber extraction by local people as the biggest threat to biodiversity at the nature reserve.