Ta Sua Proposed Nature Reserve
| Alternative site name(s) None Province(s) Son La Area 17,650 ha Coordinates 21°41' - 21°25'N, 104°26' - 104°36'E Agro-ecological zone North-western Decreed by government No Management board established Yes |
Investment plan prepared Yes VCF eligibility criteria met A, B, C Social screening criteria met None Conservation needs assessment prepared No Operational management plan prepared No Tracking tool completed No Yes |
Management history
There is very little information available about Ta Sua. The site is not included on any government decision regarding the Special-use Forests system (MARD 1997), nor is it included on a list of Special-use Forests to be established by the year 2010, prepared by the FPD of MARD (FPD 2003). According to MARD (1997), however, a proposal to establish a nature reserve at the site was made in 1995, presumably by Son La Provincial People's Committee.
In 2002, a nature reserve management board was established, following Decision No. 3440/UB-QD of Son La Provincial People's Committee. The management board currently has 20 members of staff, based at four guard stations, and is under the management of Son La Provincial FPD (in litt. 2003). According to Son La Provincial FPD (in litt. 2003), the total area of the nature reserve is 17,650 ha, and the area of the buffer zone is 24,762 ha.
Topography and hydrology
The topography of Ta Sua proposed nature reserve is dominated by a ridge of high mountains, which runs along the north of the site. This ridge is a southerly extension of the Hoang Lien mountains, and forms the border between Son La and Yen Bai provinces. There are many peaks above 2,000 m along this ridge, and the highest point in the proposed nature reserve is a c.2,770 m summit in the north-west. Ta Sua proposed nature reserve is situated in the catchment of the Black River.
Biodiversity values
Remote sensing data indicate that, at elevations below 1,500 m, forest has been almost totally cleared. However, the proposed nature reserve still appears to support significant areas of upper montane evergreen forest at higher elevations. This forest type appears to contain patches of mixed coniferous and broadleaf evergreen forest.
During October and November 1999, Ta Sua proposed nature reserve was visited by a team from the Fauna & Flora International Indochina Programme. During this visit, the team received interview data that indicate that the site may support a remnant population of Black-cheeked Crested Gibbon Hylobates concolor (Ngo Van Tri and Long 1999). If this information was confirmed, Ta Sua would become one of only a handful of sites in Vietnam known to support a population of the western subspecies, H. c. concolor, of this globally endangered species.
Conservation issues
No information.
Other documented values
The forest at high elevations at Ta Sua proposed nature reserve has an important role in protecting the water resources of local communities.
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 eligible for VCF support because it meets criteria A, B and C.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| AI |
NH1 - Hoang Lien Mountains |
| AII |
|
| BI |
Proposed Special-use Forest |
| 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
Ngo Van Tri and Long, B. (1999) A report of a survey on Black Gibbon Hylobates concolor concolor in Son La province (north Vietnam) October-November, 1999. Unpublished report to Fauna and Flora International-Indochina Programme.
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