QuangBinh (VNA) – Authorities of the central province of Quang Binh areembarking on activities to save Saola, one of the rarest and most threatened mammalson the planet, from the brink of extinction.
The activities are part of a project on sustainable forest managementand biodiversity conservation in Quang Binh.
The Saola, scientifically known as Pseudoryx nghetinhensis,inhabits the Truong Son mountain range in Vietnam and Laos.
Found by scientists in 1992, Saola is critically endangeredand is listed in the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Unionfor Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Red Data Book of Vietnam.
The project will provide urgent and direct support toidentify and mitigate threats to the species within priority areas in theCentral Truong Son region while raising public awareness to increase the abilityto detect the presence of Saola within its habitat range.
The Saolapopulation has been very small since its discovery. The species is distributedthinly, scatteredly, and Saola mainly inhabits the upstream rocky areas at analtitude of over 200 to 600 meters. It is also impossible to determine how manyindividuals are left. Conservation of the typically shy, deer-like species is extremely difficult./.