Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Fauna
Biodiversity assessments carried out from 2008 to 2010 show that although far from completely documented, the Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve (NSNL NR) contains a high level of faunal biodiversity. More than 455 vertebrate species have been listed, including around 93 mammal, 253 bird, 48 reptile, 34 amphibian, and 27 fish species. Many of these species are listed as threatened and endangered either nationally or internationally, including many which are endemic to Vietnam. Specifically, 26 animal species are listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2006 Red List and more than 57 are listed in the Red Data Book of Vietnam. The value of the nature reserve for invertebrates is still largely unknown, though the species richness is very rich for groups such as butterflies and molluscs.
As in other protected areas in Vietnam, overexploitation is the largest threat to faunal biodiversity. Vietnam’s rapidly growing and increasingly wealthy urban population means increased demand for the profit-driven wildlife trade which has taken a heavy toll on many species. NSNL NR is no exception to this trend, and while wildlife has long been a natural and normal resource for local livelihoods, there is also increasing and illegal exploitation of wildlife by a few people who traffic in protected species with external actors. 5 vertebrate species are known to have gone extinct in this area during the 20th century: Delacour's Langur (Trachypithecus delacouri), White-cheeked Gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys), Dhole fox (Cuon alpines), Asian Small-clawed Otter (Aonyx cinera), and Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti). However, there is evidence that the nature reserve is still home to populations of other emblematic Vietnamese threatened species like the Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus), Clouded Leopard (Pardofelis nebulosa), Serow mountain goat (Carpicornis sumatraensis), King Cobra (Ophyophagus Hannah), Keeled Box Turtle (Pyxidea (Cuora) mouhotti), and Tonkin Asian Frog (Annandia delacouri).
Since the protected area was established, several programs have been implemented in order to improve scientific knowledge and local management of the fauna in the Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve, and have involved the participation of the NSNL NR management board and local people. Field surveys, scientific inventories, photo trapping, and interviews continue to gather new data to improve knowledge about the fauna in NSNL NR.
Trekking Ngoc Son Ngo Luong.
As in other protected areas in Vietnam, overexploitation is the largest threat to faunal biodiversity. Vietnam’s rapidly growing and increasingly wealthy urban population means increased demand for the profit-driven wildlife trade which has taken a heavy toll on many species. NSNL NR is no exception to this trend, and while wildlife has long been a natural and normal resource for local livelihoods, there is also increasing and illegal exploitation of wildlife by a few people who traffic in protected species with external actors. 5 vertebrate species are known to have gone extinct in this area during the 20th century: Delacour's Langur (Trachypithecus delacouri), White-cheeked Gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys), Dhole fox (Cuon alpines), Asian Small-clawed Otter (Aonyx cinera), and Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti). However, there is evidence that the nature reserve is still home to populations of other emblematic Vietnamese threatened species like the Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus), Clouded Leopard (Pardofelis nebulosa), Serow mountain goat (Carpicornis sumatraensis), King Cobra (Ophyophagus Hannah), Keeled Box Turtle (Pyxidea (Cuora) mouhotti), and Tonkin Asian Frog (Annandia delacouri).
Since the protected area was established, several programs have been implemented in order to improve scientific knowledge and local management of the fauna in the Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve, and have involved the participation of the NSNL NR management board and local people. Field surveys, scientific inventories, photo trapping, and interviews continue to gather new data to improve knowledge about the fauna in NSNL NR.
Trekking Ngoc Son Ngo Luong.
Comments
Post a Comment