Yen Tu Nature Reserve
| Alternative site name(s) Nui Yen Tu Province(s) Quang Ninh Area 3,040 ha Coordinates 21°06' - 21°11'N, 106°37' - 106°43'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
Yen Tu 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 2,000 ha nature reserve in Quang Ninh province and a contiguous 3,000 ha nature reserve in former Ha Bac (currently Bac Giang) province (MARD 1997). An investment plan for a 3,040 ha nature reserve in Quang Ninh province was approved by the provincial people's committee in 1995, and a management board was then established (FPD 1998). This nature reserve is called Yen Tu, and is under the management of Uong Bi District People's Committee. Subsequently, an investment plan was prepared and a management board was established for a separate but contiguous nature reserve in Bac Giang province, called Tay Yen Tu (see Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve site card).
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 3,040 ha nature reserve (FPD 2003); this list has not yet been approved by the government.
Topography and hydrology
Yen Tu Nature Reserve is located on the ridge of mountains that forms the border between Dong Trieu district, Quang Ninh province, and Son Dong district, Bac Giang province. The nature reserve is centred on the 1,068 m Mount Yen Tu, the highest point along this ridge. Streams originating on the northern face of the ridge flow north, into the Luc Ngan river, while streams originating on the southern face flow south, and feed the Kinh Thay river.
Biodiversity values
Remote sensing data indicate that Yen Tu Nature Reserve supports a significant area of evergreen forest, and that the nature reserve may be linked to Ky Thuong proposed nature reserve to the east by a corridor of natural forest. It would appear, therefore, that Yen Tu Nature Reserve supports part of one of the largest remaining areas of evergreen forest in north-eastern Vietnam. This forest type has been extensively cleared from areas of Vietnam east of the Red River, and, as a result, Yen Tu may support viable populations of plant and animal species that are no longer found elsewhere in the country. Detailed surveys, particularly of plants and invertebrates, are required, however, before further conclusions can be drawn.
Initial surveys have already been conducted on the vertebrate fauna of Yen Tu Nature Reserve. A 2000 survey by the Zoology Department of the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources recorded 45 mammal species, 143 bird species, 26 reptile species and 22 amphibian species, excluding species listed on the basis of past reports (IEBR Zoology Department 2000). Notable mammal records included Raccoon Dog Nyctereutes procyonoides, a species with a limited distribution within Vietnam, and the globally threatened Owston's Civet Hemigalus owstoni. Few of the bird species recorded at the site are of global conservation concern.
Conservation issues
Illegal logging appears to be a serious threat to biodiversity at Yen Tu Nature Reserve. In July 2000, Vietnam News (2000) reported that illegal loggers, taking advantage of rough terrain and limited forest protection, had logged 1,000 ha of forest in the Yen Tu area since late 1999. Loggers reportedly used explosives to clear access roads, and employed local people from surrounding areas to assist with the logging.
Other documented values
Yen Tu is a popular site for tourism, and receives a significant number of domestic tourists from Hanoi, Hai Phong and elsewhere in northern Vietnam. There are several temples on the Quang Ninh side of Mount Yen Tu, and a trail leading to the top.
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
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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