Sop Cop Nature Reserve
| Alternative site name(s) Sop Cop-Song Ma Province(s) Son La Area 27,886 ha Coordinates 20°56' - 21°07'N, 103°29' - 103°42'E Agro-ecological zone North-western 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
Sop Cop was included on Decision No. 194/CT of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, dated 9 August 1986, which proposed establishing a 5,000 ha nature reserve (MARD 1997). In 1993, an investment plan was prepared by Son La Provincial FPD. Subsequently, this investment plan was approved by the provincial people's committee (Son La Provincial FPD in litt. 2000). A nature reserve management board was established in 2002, following Decision No. 3440 of Son La Provincial People's Committee (Son La Provincial FPD in litt. 2003). The management board currently has 22 members of staff, based at five guard stations, and is under the management of Son La Provincial FPD (in litt. 2003).
According to Son La Provincial FPD (in litt. 2000), the total area of Sop Cop Nature Reserve is 27,886 ha, comprising a strict protection area of 12,784 ha and a forest rehabilitation area of 15,102 ha. In addition, there is a buffer zone of 26,578 ha (Son La Provincial FPD in litt. 2003)
Sop Cop is included on a list of Special-use Forests to be established by the year 2010, prepared by the FPD of MARD, as a 27,886 ha (FPD 2003); this list has not yet been approved by the government.
Topography and hydrology
Sop Cop Nature Reserve is located in Song Ma district in the mountainous north-west of Vietnam. The topography of the nature reserve is steep and mountainous, and elevations range from c.450 to 1,940 m. The nature reserve is drained by tributaries of the Ma river.
Biodiversity values
Remote sensing data indicate that the natural vegetation at Sop Cop Nature Reserve has been extensively cleared and replaced by scrub. However, it appears that areas of evergreen forest still remain at high elevations.
The fauna of Sop Cop Nature Reserve was previously very rich, and the site supported a high diversity and abundance of large mammal species, including, in the 1950s, a species of rhinoceros. However, faunal diversity at the site has decreased in recent years as a result of poor management (Cao Van Sung and Nguyen Xuan Dang 1995). For instance, while, in 1975, the site was reported to support about 77 Asian Elephants Elephas maximus, this figure had declined to 17 by 1986 and only three by 1997. A similar decline has been reported for Gaur Bos gaurus at the site (Duckworth and Hedges 1998).
Conservation issues
The main threats to biodiversity at Sop Cop Nature Reserve are habitat loss, hunting and timber extraction. Hunting is a particular threat to animal populations. For example, during the first six months of 1992, it was estimated that about one tonne of wild animals (mainly turtles and porcupines) were hunted by residents of Dom Cang village, which lies just outside of the nature reserve (Cao Van Sung and Nguyen Xuan Dang 1995).
Other documented values
Forest at Sop Cop Nature Reserve protects the catchments of streams that provide local communities with water for irrigation and domestic use.
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. (undated) [List of animal species recorded at Sop Cop Nature Reserve]. Unpublished list of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. In Vietnamese.
Cao Van Sung and Nguyen Xuan Dang (1995) The wildlife fauna in Sop Cop Nature Reserve (Son La province) and measures for conservation and restoration. Pp 479-485 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.
Duckworth, J. W. and Hedges, S. (1998) Tracking tigers: a review of the status of Tiger, Asian Elephant, Gaur and Banteng in Vietnam, Lao, Cambodia and Yunnan province (China) with recommendations for future conservation action. Hanoi: WWF Indochina Programme.
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