Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve
| Alternative site name(s) Khe Ro, Yen Tu Province(s) Bac Giang Area 15,411 ha Coordinates 21°09' - 21°23'N, 106°38' - 107°02'E Agro-ecological zone North-eastern Decreed by government Yes 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
The site was included on Decision No. 194/CT of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, dated 9 August 1986, which decreed the establishment of a 3,000 ha nature reserve in former Ha Bac (currently Bac Giang) province and a contiguous 2,000 ha nature reserve in Quang Ninh province (MARD 1997). An investment plan for a nature reserve in Quang Ninh province, called Yen Tu, was approved by the provincial people's committee in 1995, and a management board was established (see separate site card). In 1996, an investment plan was prepared for a separate but contiguous nature reserve in Bac Giang province, called Tay Yen Tu. This investment plan was approved by the provincial people's committee and, subsequently, a management board was established by Decision No. 117/QD-UB of Bac Giang Provincial People's Committee, dated 22 July 2002. The management board currently has 39 members of staff, based at seven guard stations, and is under the management of Bac Giang Provincial FPD (Hoang Hong Hai, Director of Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve in litt. 2003).
According to Hoang Hong Hai, Director of Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve (in litt. 2003), the total area of the nature reserve is 16,466 ha, comprising two non-contiguous sectors: Thanh Luc Son and Khe Ro. Prior to being incorporated within Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve, the Khe Ro sector was managed as a separate nature reserve. Consequently, Khe Ro was treated as a separate site in the first edition of the sourcebook.
Tay Yen Tu is included on a list of Special-use Forests to be established by the year 2010, prepared by the FPD of MARD, as a 15,411 ha nature reserve (FPD 2003). In addition, the Khe Ro sector is included on this list separately, as a 5,675 ha nature reserve (FPD 2003). The list has not yet been approved by the government.
Topography and hydrology
Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve is located in Son Dong and Luc Nam districts, Bac Giang province. The nature reserve is situated on the north face of the mountain ridge that forms the border between Bac Giang province and Quang Ninh province to the south. The Thanh Luc Son sector is centred on the 1,068 m Mount Yen Tu, the highest point along this ridge, while the Khe Ro sector is centred on the 886 m Mount Da Bac. Streams originating within the nature reserve flow north, and feed the Luc Ngan river.
Biodiversity values
Remote sensing data indicate that Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve supports part of one of the largest contiguous areas of lowland evergreen forest in north-eastern Vietnam, including Yen Tu Nature Reserve to the south and Ky Thuong proposed nature reserve to the east. As this forest type has been lost from most other areas of north-eastern Vietnam, Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve may be expected to support populations of plant and animal species that are no longer found elsewhere in the country. While no detailed biodiversity surveys have been conducted at Tay Con Linh Nature Reserve to date, the results of preliminary surveys of the contiguous Yen Tu Nature Reserve indicate that the site may support a number of species of national or global conservation concern, including the globally threatened Owston's Civet Hemigalus owstoni (Department of Zoology, IEBR 2000).
Conservation issues
There is little information available about conservation issues at Tay Con Linh Nature Reserve. A total of 2,013 people live inside the nature reserve (Hoang Hong Hai, Director of Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve in litt. 2003), and one threat to biodiversity may be illegal timber extraction (Vietnam News 2000).
Other documented values
Mount Yen Tu is a popular site for domestic tourism, as there are a number of famous temples at the site. Most visitors access the mountain from the Quang Ninh province side.
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 support because it does not meet the criteria for supporting forest biodiversity of international importance.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| AI |
|
| AII |
|
| BI |
Decision No. 194/CT, dated 09/08/86 |
| 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
Anon. (1999) [A report on the zoological resources of Khe Ro Nature Reserve, Bac Giang province]. Xuan Mai: Xuan Mai Forestry College. In Vietnamese.
Department of Zoology, IEBR (2000) [Survey of the fauna (mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians) of Yen Tu mountain]. Hanoi: Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources. In Vietnamese.
Nguyen Van Sang, Nguyen Quang Truong and Nguyen Truong Son (2000) Preliminary results of the survey on herpetofauna in Yen Tu mountain area. Tap Chi Sinh Hoc [Journal of Biology] 22(15)CD: 11-14. In Vietnamese.
Vietnam News (2000) Yen Tu forest destroyed. Vietnam News 15 July 2000.
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