Xuan Nha Nature Reserve
| Alternative site name(s) None Province(s) None Area 38,069 ha Coordinates 20°36' - 20°48'N, 104°29' - 104°50'E Agro-ecological zone North-western 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 No Operational management plan prepared No Tracking tool completed No Yes |
Management history
Xuan Nha was included on Decision No. 194/CT of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, dated 9 August 1986, as a 60,000 ha nature reserve (MARD 1997). In 1991, an investment plan was prepared, which proposed establishing a 38,069 ha nature reserve, comprising a strict protection area of 15,489 ha and a forest rehabilitation area of 22,580 ha (Anon. 1991). This investment plan was approved by the former Ministry of Forestry (FPD 1998). In 2002, a nature reserve management board was established for Xuan Nha, following Decision No. 3440 of Son La Provincial People's Committee. The management board currently has 26 members of staff, based at six guard stations, and is under the management of Son La Provincial FPD (in litt. 2003).
Xuan Nha is included on a list of Special-use Forests to be established by the year 2010, prepared by the FPD of MARD, as a 38,069 ha nature reserve (FPD 2003); this list has not yet been approved by the government.
Topography and hydrology
Xuan Nha Nature Reserve lies in Moc Chau district in the south-west of Son La province. To the south and east the nature reserve is bordered by Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces, while, to the west, it is bordered by Laos. The highest point in the nature reserve, Mount Pha Luong at 1,970 m, lies on the mountain ridge that forms the international border with Laos. The topography of the nature reserve is composed of two wide, shallow-sided valleys, which run eastward across the nature reserve from the Laotian border. The northern valley is formed by the Nha stream, while the southern valley is formed by the Nam Can stream. These two streams meet in the extreme south-east of the nature reserve, from where they flow south to join the Ma river.
Biodiversity values
According to the investment plan (Anon. 1991), Xuan Nha Nature Reserve supports 22,172 ha of natural forest. This is mostly evergreen forest but it includes 2,626 ha of limestone forest.
The investment plan (Anon. 1991, Vu Quang Manh 1991) states that 456 species of plant occur at Xuan Nha Nature Reserve, including the globally threatened Madhuca pasquieri. In addition, the investment plan states that 160 mammal, 48 bird, 44 reptile and 19 amphibian species occur at the nature reserve, including several globally threatened species. However, the source of the faunal and floral data presented in the investment plan is not clear, and further studies are required to assess the biodiversity values of the site.
Conservation issues
The investment plan (Anon. 1991) notes in-migration to be a major threat to biodiversity at the nature reserve. The majority of in-migrants are believed to be members of the Hmong ethnic group, who have cleared forest for agriculture. The investment plan includes an estimate that from 100 to 200 ha of forest are lost in this manner each year. Hunting is also considered to be a big problem at the nature reserve.
The investment plan (Anon. 1991) mentions two forest enterprises operating in and around Xuan Nha Nature Reserve. Chieng Ve Forest Enterprise was established in October 1969. At the time the investment plan was written, this forest enterprise was allocating land inside the nature reserve to local people for tea production. Moc Chau 4 Forest Enterprise was established in 1987, with the principal objective of supplying timber from the construction of the Hoa Binh dam. At the time the investment plan was written, this forest enterprise was continuing to extract Fokienia hodginsii timber from within the nature reserve. The current activities of these forest enterprises are not known.
Other documented values
Forest inside the nature reserve has economic importance for local people as a source of timber and other forest products. The nature reserve protects part of the watershed of the Ma river, one of the main sources of water for domestic use and irrigation for households in Thanh Hoa province.
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 |
NA1 - Northern Indochina Limestone |
| 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. (1991) [Investment plan for Xuan Nha Nature Reserve, Son La province]. Son La: Son La Provincial Forest Protection Department. In Vietnamese.
Vu Quang Manh (1991) [Investment plan for Xuan Nha Nature Reserve, Moc Chau district, Son La province: technical annex - fauna]. Hanoi: Forest Inventory and Planning Institute. In Vietnamese.
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