Quang Nam (VNA) – A seminar took place in thecentral province of Quang Nam on December 12 to discuss ways to protect the grey-shankeddouc langur found in the local Nui Thanh district.
About 50 individuals of the rare species reside across 25hectare of natural forests in Nui Thanh’s Hon Do mountain.
Currently, Quang Nam in collaboration with the biodiversitypreservation centre Green Viet are running a project on conserving the langursin Nui Thanh for 2019 – 2028. The project costs over 100 billion VND (4.3million USD), of which 63 billion VND (2.7 million USD) are sourced from theState budget and the rest funded by some international organisations.
According to the Green Viet, the langurs are the only groupin the world that can be easily observe in the wild. The findings mean a greatopportunity for research and conservation work, but present a risk of being hunted by locals and poachers forthe animals.
At the seminar, Nguyen Van Thinh, Vice Chairman of the NuiThanh district People’s Committee, recommended the conservation project payattention to the development of sustainable tourism to create betterlivelihoods for local residents and reduce human impacts on the habitat.
Bui Phuoc Chuong, a biodiversity expert, said Quang Nam’songoing work to expand the 25 hectares to 100 hectares is key to increasing thehabitat area and to tackling the separation and isolation of the herd due tolocals’ production activities.
The protection of the group must be intertwined withassociated scientific research, education, and conservation genetics, headvised.
Vietnam houses between 1,500 to 2,000 grey-shanked douclangurs in forests across the five provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, BinhDinh, Kon Tum, and Gia Lai. Thelangur is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red listas one of the world’s 25 critically endangered primates.-VNA