Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve
| Alternative site name(s) Binh Chau-Dam Nuoc Soi Province(s) Ba Ria-Vung Tau Area 11,293 ha Coordinates 10°28' - 10°38'N, 107°25' - 107°36'E Agro-ecological zone South-eastern 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
When Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu was established, it was situated within the former Dong Nai province. This province has since been split into Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces. The site is now located in Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Protected Forest was established by Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee on 6 May 1978, following Decision No. 634/UB. In 1984, a management board for the site was established under the management of Dong Nai Provincial FPD (Anon. 1993a). The site was incorporated into the national protected areas network on 9 August 1986, following Decision No. 194/CT of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers (MARD 1997), which decreed the establishment of a 5,474 ha nature reserve for the conservation of "dipterocarp forest along the coastline" (Cao Van Sung 1995).
On 10 November 1992, following Decision No. 1124/QD-UBT of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provincial People's Committee, the nature reserve was expanded to include a hot spring, and its name was changed to Binh Chau-Dam Nuoc Soi. An investment plan for the expanded nature reserve was prepared by Ho Chi Minh City Sub-FIPI. This investment plan gave the total area of the nature reserve as 11,293 ha, comprising a strict protection area of 3,995 ha, a forest rehabilitation area of 5,802 ha, a coastal protection area of 730 ha and an administration and services area of 760 ha. The investment plan proposed that the name of the site revert to Binh Chau–Phuoc Buu. On 3 April 1993, the investment plan was approved by Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provincial People’s Committee (Anon. 1993a).
On 16 August 1996, following Decision No. 464/QD-UBT of the provincial people's committee, the protected forest management board established in 1984 was changed to a nature reserve management board; this management board currently has 55 members of staff, based at eight guard stations (Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve Management Board in litt. 2003). The nature reserve is under the management of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provincial DARD (Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve Management Board in litt. 2003).
Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu is included on a list of Special-use Forests to be established by the year 2010, prepared by the FPD of MARD, as a 11,293 ha nature reserve (FPD 2003); this list has not yet been approved by the government.
Topography and hydrology
Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve is located in Xuyen Moc district, and is bordered by Xuyen Moc Forest Enterprise to the north, Ham Tan district to the east and provincial road 328 to the west. The southern boundary of the nature reserve is a 12-kilometre stretch of coastline. The nature reserve contains three areas of low hills: the Hong Nhung group (which reaches 118 m) in the north, the Ho Linh group (which reaches 162 m) in the south, and the Mo Ong group (which reaches 120 m) in the west. There are very few streams and rivers within the nature reserve but there are some small bodies of standing water, including Nhom and Tron swamps, Coc and Linh lakes, and Binh Chau hot springs.
Biodiversity values
Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu is one of the few areas along the coastline of Vietnam to retain a significant cover of natural forest. The principal reason for this may be that the prevailing climate, which is characterised by low rainfall and an extended dry season, makes the area unsuitable for permanent agriculture. Forest covers 7,224 ha or 64% of the nature reserve, of which 7,117 ha are natural forest. The natural forest is predominantly deciduous, and dominated by members of the Dipterocarpaceae.
In March 2000, the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources conducted a field survey of the fauna of Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve. According to Le Xuan Canh et al. (2000), the nature reserve supports 49 species of mammal, 106 species of bird, 38 species of reptile and 12 species of amphibian. These include several globally threatened and near-threatened species, such as Bear Macaque Macaca arctoides, Siamese Fireback Lophura diardi and Pale-capped Pigeon Columba punicea.
Conservation issues
The major threats to biodiversity at Binh Chau–Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve are illegal logging, the impacts of tourism and shellfish exploitation.
Other documented values
The main economic values of the site are tourism and fisheries. A small tourist resort has already been developed at the site, the main visitor attraction of which is the Binh Chau hot springs (Storey and Robinson 1995).
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 funding because it meets criteria A, B and C.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| AI |
SA7 - Southern Coastal Dipterocarp Lowlands |
| 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
ADB (1999) Draft coastal and marine protected areas plan. Hanoi: Asian Development Bank.
Anon. (1993a) [Investment plan for Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province]. Ho Chi Minh City: Ho Chi Minh City Sub-FIPI. In Vietnamese.
Anon. (1993b) [Report on silviculture at Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province]. Ho Chi Minh City: Ho Chi Minh City Sub-FIPI. In Vietnamese.
Le Dinh Thuy (1999) [Birdlife resources of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province]. Lam Nghiep [Vietnam Forest Review] July 1999: 32-33. In Vietnamese.
Le Xuan Canh, Hoang Minh Khien, Le Dinh Thuy and Nguyen Van Sang (2000) [Report on the zoological resources (mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles) of Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province]. Hanoi: Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources. In Vietnamese.
Nguyen Bich Thao (1995) [An analysis of the biodiversity of Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province]. Dissertation submitted to Hanoi National University. In Vietnamese.
Storey, R. and Robinson, D. (1995) Lonely planet travel survival kit: Vietnam. Third edition. Hawthorn: Lonely Planet Publications.
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