An Toan Proposed Nature Reserve
| Alternative site name(s) None Province(s) Binh Dinh Area 26,044 ha Coordinates 14°22' - 14°37'N, 108°38' - 108°47'E Agro-ecological zone South Central Coast Decreed by government No Management board established No |
Investment plan prepared No VCF eligibility criteria met A, B Social screening criteria met None Conservation needs assessment prepared No Operational management plan prepared No Tracking tool completed No Yes |
Management history
The An Toan area is currently under the management of An Lao Forest Enterprise. The site is not listed on any government decision relating to protected areas. However, Binh Dinh Provincial FPD (in litt. 2003) have proposed closing the forest to logging activities and preparing an investment plan to establish a nature reserve at the site.
According to Binh Dinh Provincial FPD (in litt. 2003), the proposed nature reserve is located in An Toan commune, An Lao district, and has a total area of 26,044 ha. The site is not included on a list of Special-use Forests to be established by the year 2010, prepared by the FPD of MARD (FPD 2003).
Topography and hydrology
An Toan proposed nature reserve lies about 25 km west of Hoai Nhon town, which lies in the coastal flood plain of the Giang river. The proposed nature reserve is located in the eastern part of the Central Highlands, in a belt of low mountains that connects the much higher Kon Tum and Da Lat plateaus. The proposed nature reserve is situated on an undulating plateau at an average elevation of 900 m. The highest point in the proposed nature reserve is 1,202 m, and the lowest point is 220 m. The proposed nature reserve is drained by the Ha Giao, Ve, Kon and An Lao river systems.
Biodiversity values
An Toan proposed nature reserve is situated in the Central Annamites. Although, to date, there have been no detailed biodiversity surveys of the site, its topography and habitats are very similar to those of the contiguous Kon Cha Rang Nature Reserve in Gia Lai province (see site card), suggesting that it supports similar plant and animal communities. Together with adjacent forest areas in Gia Lai and Kon Tum provinces, An Toan has been identified as a Priority 1 Area for biodiversity conservation in the Central Annamites Priority Landscape (Tordoff et al. 2003).
An Toan proposed nature reserve supports 19,414 ha of natural forest and 127 ha of plantation forest (Binh Dinh Provincial FPD in litt. 2003). Binh Dinh Provincial FPD (2000) report that the botanical composition at the site is quite diverse, and contains several species of economically valuable species, such as the timber trees Afzelia xylocarpa, Pterocarpus macrocarpus and Podocarpus neriifolius.
Similarly, Binh Dinh Provincial FPD (in litt. 2003) report the occurrence of several mammal species of conservation concern, the most significant of which is Grey-shanked Douc Pygathrix cinerea. Since 1996, 10 Grey-shanked Doucs have been confiscated from local people, who claimed to have captured them in An Lao district. One of the holotypes of this newly described subspecies was collected in An Lao district, Binh Dinh province (Nadler 1997), and may be one of the animals referred to by Binh Dinh Provincial FPD (in litt. 2003).
Conservation issues
Over 600 people live within the proposed nature reserve. These people belong to the Ba Na and Hre ethnic groups. Hunting of some mammal species is evidently occurring at unsustainable levels as local people report a decline in the population of Grey-shanked Douc Langur. In addition, the proposed nature reserve is currently under the management of An Lao Forest Enterprise, which continues to exploit timber in the area (Binh Dinh Provincial FPD in litt. 2003).
Other documented values
An Toan proposed nature reserve supports a significant area of relatively undisturbed evergreen forest, and has significant ecotourism potential.
Related projects
Forest protection activities at the site are currently being supported through the national 661 Programme (Binh Dinh Provincial FPD in litt. 2003).
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
An Toan is currently not eligible for VCF funding because it is not under appropriate conservation management.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| AI |
CA1 - Central Annamites |
| AII |
|
| BI |
Proposed Special-use Forest |
| BII |
Nature Reserve |
| BIII |
Under provincial management |
| CI |
|
| CII |
Social screening requirements
A social screening report has not been prepared for the site.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| A |
|
| B |
|
| C |
|
| D |
Literature sources
Nadler, T. (1997) A new subspecies of Douc Langur, Pygathrix nemaeus cinereus ssp. nov. Zool. Garten N. F. 67(4): 165-167.
Tordoff, A. W., Timmins, R. J., Smith R. J. and Mai Ky Vinh (2003) Central Annamites Biological Assessment. Hanoi: WWF Indochina Programme.
Vietnam News (2002) Grey-shanked Langur found in central area. Vietnam News 31 August 2002.
Vietnam News (2002) Rare pheasants found in An Lao forest. Vietnam News 23 November 2002.
Click here to download pdf file
