The Babbler 40

The Babbler Number 40 - February 2012

a c i r f A h t m u a o n S t e n i i V e n d i a M sumed n o C

Photo: Jonathan C. Eames

Number 40 - February 2012

CONTENTS

Working together for birds and people

• Comment BirdLife International in Indochina is a subregional programme of the BirdLife Secretariat operating in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. It currently has two offices in the region:

448 South African rhinos killed in 2011: A rhino lost every 20 hours

• Features

The Future of the Mekong River Still Hangs in the Balance Logging in the wild west

Vietnam Programme Office Room 211-212, D1 building, Van Phuc Diplomatic Compound; 298 Kim Ma street, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi, Vietnam

• Regional News

Cambodia opens controversial mega-dam Illegal South African rhino killings hit record high Brown and Northern Boobooks both occur in Thailand Two new paper clip-sized frogs discovered in Vietnam

P.O. Box 89 6 Dinh Le, Hanoi, Vietnam Tel: +84-4-3 514 8904

• Rarest of the rare

Hoan Kiem softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei)

• Project Updates

CEPF- Regional Implementation Team updates Securing the future for Gurney’s Pitta and its forest habitat

• Reviews

Wild Mekong

• Publications

Impacts of warming on lowland forests Historical and current status of vultures in Myanmar

Cambodia Programme Office #9, Street 29 Tonle Basac, Chamkarmon, Phnom Penh, Cambodia P.O.Box: 2686 Tel/Fax: +855 23 993 631 www.birdlifeindochina.org

Greater Adjutant Leptoptilos dubius • Photo spot • From the archives World Press Photo of the Year 2011 winner

The Babbler 40 - February 2012

Comment 448 South African rhinos killed in 2011: A rhino lost every 20 hours

I

am recently returned from a study tour to South Africa: the objective of which was to help Cambodian government and private sector representatives appreciate the opportunity presented by high-end safari tourism and assess whether Cambodia could use a similar approach to ensure the long term conservation of its biodiversity-rich areas (as its protected areas system is failing). Four days into our trip and we were all confronted by the horror of a freshly dead white rhino: The result of the epidemic of rhino poaching sweeping South Africa because of demand from China and Vietnam. The bull white rhino that graces the cover of this issue and the photograph on this page was shot dead with two .375 caliber rounds, the first piercing the heart and the second, a coup de gras through the left eye, before its two horns were hacked off using an axe moments later. By the time of our arrival at the crime scene, the police and North-west Parks and Tourism Board personnel were present in force. Their mood was grim and for some the appearance of Asian faces at the scene was not a welcome sight. A shame there was no Vietnamese with us to feel this “heat”.

If knowing your enemy is an essential part of winning any war, it was clear on that November afternoon there is a long way to go before there is better understanding on the part of some South African authorities, as to who the enemy is they are facing. Based on that incident alone it was clear that some in South Africa cannot even discriminate between a Cambodian, a Chinese or a Vietnamese person: They’re all just Asians it seems. But it isn’t “just Asians” it’s Chinese and Vietnamese who are consuming rhino horn. Moving amongst the sombre crowd of uniformed and heavily armed men, they were shocked to discover that rhino horn was on open sale in Vietnam, that even well educated Vietnamese cared not whether South African rhinos were hunted to extinction. Tales of the documented complicity of Vietnamese authorities drew surprised looks and gasps of disbelief all round.

The Babbler is the quarterly newsletter of BirdLife International in Indochina. This quarter The Babbler was compiled by Tran Thi Thanh Huong Huong@birdlife.org.vn and edited by Jonathan C. Eames, Eames@birdlife. org.vn. The views expressed are those of contributors and are not necessarily those of BirdLife International.

For the sake of South Africa’s rhinos those involved in the war need a strategic victory. Poachers are being caught and mules apprehended at Johannesburg’s’ international airport, and are receiving justice in the South African courts. How many Vietnamese have been tried, convicted and sentenced in courts in Vietnam for rhino crimes? The answer is none since 2008. And I don’t mean the hapless fools who will run the risk for a few million Dong, I mean the well-educated middle class businessmen and women who are aware of the law and who openly boast of using rhino horn at parties for the well heeled in Hanoi and Saigon

Jonathan C. Eames OBE Programme Manager BirdLife International in Indochina 3

The Babbler 40 - February 2012

PHOTO SPOT

Rhino wars

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n the war against rhino poaching officials from North-west Parks and Tourism Board in South Africa are micro-chipping and ear-notching all rhino populations under their jurisdiction. All Black rhinos and a large proportion of White rhinos now carry micro-chips enabling the horns to be more easily detected and the source of the rhino traced. In 2010 In December 2010 two Vietnamese nationals were arrested in Beaufort-West, South Africa, in possession of 15 rhino horns.

Subsequent scans using a trovan scanner revealed that one of the horns came from a rhino that was poached on the 5th of August 2010 in Mafikeng Game Reserve.

During the recent BirdLife study tour to South Africa, we were lucky enough to be invited to see the operation in practice in Pilansburg Game Reserve. A helicopter with a veterinarian marksman quickly located and darted a young White rhino that was photographed, notched and chipped in around 10 minutes. The antidote was then administered and the rhino up on his feet again in minutes ------------Photos and text: Jonathan C. Eames

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The Babbler 40 - February 2012

Feature

The Future of the Mekong River Still Hangs in the Balance

By Ame Trandem1

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he past fifteen months have witnessed an intensifying regional debate over whether to approve the first proposed dam for the lower Mekong River’s mainstream, the Xayaburi Dam located in Northern Laos. The decision that is ultimately made will in large part also determine the fate of the Mekong River, its ecosystems and its peoples. While the dam’s developers have pushed hard for approval, a temporary reprieve was granted on December 8th, when regional ministers of the inter-governmental Mekong River Commission (MRC) delayed deciding on the Xayaburi Dam and instead announced plans to approach Japan and other international donors for assistance in carrying out a new study on the impacts of the Mekong mainstream dams.

The recent MRC meeting marks the second delay the project has faced since Laos first initiated the Xayaburi Dam’s prior consultation process in September 2010. At an earlier MRC meeting on April 19th, the governments of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam called for an extension to the decision-making process, citing their concerns about transboundary impacts and knowledge gaps that require further study and public consultation.

Vietnam went so far as to request a ten-year deferment in decisions over all mainstream dams.

Fishing near the Xayaburi Dam site. Photo: International Rivers

Although the fate of the Xayaburi Dam remains uncertain, a body of evidence for why the project should not be built has continued to mount. As the Mekong River is home to the world’s largest freshwater fishery, and is also the second most

biodiverse river in the world, constructing even one mainstream dam is likely to cause significant harm to the river’s ecosystem and the people it supports. In October 2010, a Strategic Environmental Assessment commissioned by the MRC revealed the irreversible damage that mainstream dams would pose to the region’s wild-capture fisheries, livelihoods, agriculture, and food security, and recommended that any decision over mainstream dam projects, including the Xayaburi Dam, should be deferred for a period of ten years.

Then, in March 2011, a technical review of the Xayaburi’s key project documents by the MRC was conducted as part of the regional decision-making process. Amongst its key findings, this study identified that the dam would threaten the fish migration of between 23 to 100 fish species, including five IUCN red-list species. The review also reconfirmed earlier conclusions made by top international fishery scientists that the project’s proposed fish ladders would be ineffective and that there are currently no proven measures that could mitigate the impacts of mainstream dams on the Mekong’s rich fisheries.

When the Xayaburi Dam’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was finally made public in midMarch 2011, numerous scientists from around the globe voiced their concern to the MRC over the flawed and sub-standard quality of the document.

Major flaws identified with the dam’s EIA included the lack of appropriate technical information and the report’s limited scope of study, which considered impacts only within a ten-kilometer radius of the 5

The Babbler 40 - February 2012

Feature

The Future of the Mekong River...(Continued) dam site despite the project’s anticipated transboundary impacts.

While the scope and timeline of the new study agreed to by the ministers this December has yet to be decided, Laos’ Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines told the New York Times that a comprehensive environmental study with Japan and other international donors could take ten years.

As the regional governments have a duty to take a precautionary approach and prevent

transboundary harm under the 1995 Mekong Agreement and international law, this new study, if carried out in accordance with international best practice, could be a good opportunity for regional governments to be better informed of the short and long-term effects of any mainstream development.

welcomed the study under the framework of the MRC and committed to helping ensure the study incorporates the “best international scientific, social and economic advice and holistic consultative processes that can be deployed.” Most importantly, the statement called for the evidence-based study to help inform future decisions over With so much at stake, one hopes that the the proposed Mekong mainstream projects. current debate over the Xayaburi Dam is not In order to help ensure this happens, a positive step forward in this process would merely rhetoric. In a joint statement given by donors to the MRC on December 9th, they be for the regional governments to commit to a participatory approach from the onset of study. Furthermore, due diligence would require adequate consideration of the fiftyplus studies recommended by the 2010 Strategic Environmental Assessment report in order to ensure countries are in a better position to make an informed decision over the dams.

People protest at the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge on December 6th inside Thailand against the Xayaburi Dam. Photo: International Rivers

However, despite reservations about the Xayaburi Dam expressed by the governments of Cambodia and Vietnam, and significant opposition amongst civil society and the public, Laos has yet to demonstrate that it will agree to its neighbor’s requests for caution and cooperate in good faith over the process of designing and implementing the new impact study. This is most blatantly apparent given the fact that preliminary construction of the project’s roads and transmission lines is underway and Laos has given no firm commitment to suspend construction. Additionally, Thailand has quietly been advancing arrangements with Laos to purchase the bulk of the project’s

electricity. The dam’s power purchase agreement was reportedly signed in October 2011 despite the fact that the project is far from winning approval of at least two of the region’s governments, let alone the public.

In the upcoming months, International Rivers will continue to call on Laos to halt construction of the Xayaburi Dam, while offering recommendations on how to ensure that the new impact study meets best practice standards. We will also work with concerned groups around the region and internationally calling for the cancellation of plans to dam the Mekong River’s mainstream and for better energy solutions to be pursued, so that present and future generations can continue to benefit from a healthy and free-flowing Mekong River -----------(1) Ame Trandem is the Southeast Asia Program Director with the NGO International Rivers, an environmental and human rights organization based in Berkeley, California, USA. Contact ame@ internationalrivers.org or visit www. internationalrivers.org.

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The Babbler 40 - February 2012

Feature

Logging in the wild west

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ambodia, December 21, 2011 - Illegal logging of staggering proportions abetted by military personnel is decimating stocks of luxury rosewood in the Central Cardamom Protected Forest, while the conversation group tasked with protecting the area and its government counterparts deny the trade is even happening.

In a period of several hours beginning late on Sunday night, the Post witnessed at least nine industrial transport trucks, seven pick-up trucks and one Land Rover packed with timber drive out of Koh Kong province’s Thma Bang district in the CCPF on one road alone. Large numbers of trucks could also be heard using a nearby connecting road.

Several of the trucks that the Post was able to inspect closely were carrying heavy loads of illegal rosewood.

Villagers, loggers and conservationists have verified that Forestry Administration officials, military officers and rangers working in partnership with the NGO Conservation International are making no effort to stop the massive trade in protected rosewood.

In many cases, it is alleged, they are actively profiting.

Thuy Pet, 50, a former soldier from military division 5 now living in Thma Bang district’s Russey Chrum village, estimated that during peak logging periods, anywhere from 80 to 90 trucks carried timber out of the protected area every night.

“I think nobody can stop this until they finish. When they

finish, they will go to another area,” he said.

Another villager, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that about 2,000 people were now logging in the area.

“Residents used to be farmers, but now they’ve become loggers because of money,” he said.

Chut Wutty, director of the Natural Resources Protection Group, estimates that tens of thousands of dollars worth of rosewood, which fetches between US$5,000 and $8,000 per cubic metre, is being transported out of Thma Bang district every day.

“This area is the last area in Cambodia [with any rosewood].

They’ve destroyed Ratanakkiri, Mondulkiri, Bokor National Park, Pursat – after that, they went to O’Som [commune].

After that, they went to Thma Bang,” he said.

In four or five months, stocks of rosewood would be exhausted in Thma Bang district, at which point, previous experience suggests, the loggers will turn their attention to lower grades of timber, Chut Wutty said.

The 402,000 hectare CCPF is one of the largest conservation areas in Cambodia, covering six districts across Koh Kong, Pursat and Kampong Speu provinces. It is considered to be one of Indochina’s richest conservation areas in terms of biodiversity, with vast numbers of endemic Cambodian flora that supports populations of pangolins, Asian elephants,

Photo: Will Baxter 7

The Babbler 40 - February 2012

Feature

Logging in ....(continued) Siamese crocodiles and other endangered or threatened species.

A conservation researcher who has worked extensively in Thma Bang but declined to be named, said the district was just one of four sites within the CCPF where tens of millions of dollars of rosewood had been cleared by companies abusing licences which only grant them permission to clear areas intended for dam reservoirs. “It’s like a gold rush – the value of rosewood is so high, it’s irresistible for cutters and middlemen,” the researcher said. “It’s all relatively organised, how much the loggers and middlemen have to pay, and to whom. They know which checkpoints they have to go through. It has apparently reached the stage where most young men in Tatai Leu commune [in Thma Bang district] have been absorbed into the rosewood extraction.” Military personnel swarm Russey Chrum village in Thma Bang district, an almost endless procession of 4WD vehicles rolling in and out of town. They are matched

only in number by the torrent of heavy transport trucks that clumsily rumble through the village during the day on their way to and from the forest. While investigating the trade, Post staff were stopped on two occasions by military police or soldiers claiming to work as security guards for a company the men refused to identify.

Both times, the journalists were threatened with arrest and ordered to delete photos of trucks carrying illegal rosewood. The soldiers refused to explain why. On the second occasion, military police set up a road block to apprehend the journalists in order to delete their photos.

Migrant loggers About two kilometres from Russey Chrum village, situated on a small side road, a group of about 60 migrant loggers from provinces such as Pursat and Kampong Speu have cobbled together a makeshift camp of tarpaulins and cooking stoves. From there, they make daily forays into the nearby mountains in search of rosewood stumps, which they sell for a small profit.

Three months ago, Chhay Sengheng left his family in Kampong Speu province and headed to the Cardamom Mountains in search of a better salary. Previously, he had earned 20,000 to 30,000 riel per day as a builder.

Now he ventures every day far into the surrounding mountains searching for rosewood stumps left by previous logging operations. “Of course, it is quite difficult to go away from the family, but we have no choice, we have to support our livelihood,” he said. Chhay Senghy estimates that in the previous three days alone, one to two tonnes of rosewood had been trucked out of Thma Bang from his site. No one has told him it is forbidden to take rosewood out of the CCPF.

A truck loaded with illegally cut rosewood passes through Russey Chrum village in Kok Kong province’s Thma Bang district on the Sunday night in the central Cardamom protected forest. Photo: Will Baxter

No more than 10 minutes down the road, a thick pile of young rosewood timber lies poorly hidden next to a weigh

station overseen by a man dressed in a Royal Cambodian Armed Forces uniform, and surrounded by RCAF paraphernalia. Standing beside a set of scales, a buyer, who declined to give his name, said he paid 1,500 riel per kilogram of rosewood stump. He would not say to whom or for how much he sold the timber or where the young rosewood planks had come from. “I’m just a worker,” he said.

Mysterious Company Villagers, forestry officials, buyers and commune officials in Thma Bang district all say rosewood in the area is bought by “a company” that no one is able, or willing, to identify.

Chut Wutty alleges that company is Timber Green, a firm he says is paying villagers and workers employed for a separate project to cut rosewood in the CCPF. “They always say they are clearing for hydropower, but they are not,” he said. “You can see it is a big amount. I think [what is happening] in the Cardamom Mountains, I’ve never seen as big as this.”

Several sources have identified Timber Green as the logging company licensed to clear a reservoir area that will be created by the completion of the Stung Tatai dam on the Tatai river – about 30 km away from Russey Chrum village.

Construction of the 246-megawatt Stung Tatai Hydropower Dam by the firm China National Heavy Machinery started in January this year.

CI country director Seng Bunra said Timber Green had been employing villagers to cut logs within the dam area, but denied they had expanded logging into the forest area his organisation is tasked with protecting. “This [company] in Thma bang district in Koh Kong…[they] only clear on the reservoir,” he said. He claims that a small number of individual workers had then gone on to illegally clear logs in the CCPF by themselves. However, the reaction of military officials to the photographing of illegal logs suggests a 8

The Babbler 40 - February 2012

Feature

Logging in ....(continued) coordinated operation is being tightly controlled by a single company. At 11.25pm on Sunday, five military personnel, two carrying assault rifles, stepped out of a Toyota Camry with no licence plates and surrounded two Post journalists who had just photographed a pick-up truck inside the CCPF that was packed with young rosewood. They claimed it was illegal to take shots of the vehicles because they belonged to a private company. After demanding the photographer clear one of his memory cards, the men returned and passed a mobile phone to Chut Wutty, who entered into a protracted and heated conservation with a man he says identified himself as the security chief of the company Timber Green. When a Post reporter called the man’s phone and asked if he was the security chief of Timber Green, the man asked “what’s wrong?” and hung up when questioned further. Timber Green is not publicly listed and could not be reached for comment.

Enforcement or endorsement?

Just outside of Russey Chrum village, five military police and forestry administration officials sat around a fire cooking tarot roots while waiting in ambush. Forestry Administration ranger Sou Sophal says they were there to catch loggers, but not the trucks carrying tonnes of rosewood. Instead, they’re going after individuals on motorbikes. “All the trucks that transport timber are licensed,” he said. When asked which company was licensed to log in the area, Sou Sophal said: “I don’t know the name of the company because I am under my superior, but I think it is licensed.” He added that ambushes were not even conducted at night – when the overwhelming majority of trucks carrying illegal timber in Thma Bang operate.

Sou Sophal’s patrol group are part of a CI-coordinated protection program that incorporates the Forestry Administration and military police and was set up inside the CCPF in 2000 and officially recognised through a sub

A man dressed in RCAF military fatigues watches over a cache of rosewood at a weight station at Kok Kong province’s Thma Bang district on Sunday. Photo: Will Baxter

Military police official Chhorn Samol detains two journalists from the post and conservationist Chut Wutty on Sunday. Photo: Will Baxter

decree in 2002. The anonymous researcher alleges that officials working with CI stationed at a checkpoint on road 48 – the only avenue out of Thma Bang – are allowing trucks carrying rosewood to drive straight through in exchange for “taxes”. “In practice they have turned a blind eye to illegal activity in the CCPF, allowing the FA and loggers to cover up and continue what is going on, for the sake of political convenience and expediency,” the researcher said. Two weeks ago, when the Post interviewed CI country director Sen Bunnra, he denied that any large-scale, coordinated logging was taking place in the CCPF. “I think to me, it’s not true, unless the government has allowed this company to clear,” he said.

“Normally, anywhere Conservation International works in the world, we always be very careful about the corruption, we also follow up if we suspect someone involved in the corruption.” Seng Bunra could not be reached for comment yesterday and a man answering the phone of CI regional director David Emmett hung up on a reporter before switching his phone off.

The anonymous researcher concedes CI is in a difficult position, acting against powerful individuals that have strong connections to a government intolerant of NGOs that are publicly critical, but questions at what point they become a self-defeating entity. “It’s a massive challenge and it’s a fine balance, but international conservation NGOs should not be ‘green washing’ for the Cambodian government or the FA,” the researcher said. “One of the key issues here, which makes the case stand out from other forest areas in Cambodia, is that you have a big international NGO that is receiving funds from international donors to protect the forest.”

Meas Chan, 42, the chief of nearby Pruch village, downplayed the scale of illegal logging in his area. “When they [the company] come and want to buy [timber], if the organisation says the forest will be affected, we cannot do.

But if they say it’s not affected, we can do,” he said.

Tip of the iceberg Stung Tatai is not the only dam clearance project in 9

The Babbler 40 - February 2012

Logging in ....(continued) the Cardamom mountains in which CI has been implicated in mass illegal logging operations. In 2009, Ouk Kim San, a Forestry Administration official working for CI, was arrested after he was caught unloading tens of thousands of dollars worth of luxury timber at the Vietnamese border in Takeo province. The timber haul was connected to a CI forest protection program near the Stung Atai dam, where the company MDS Import Export was licensed to clear timber from the reservoir area.

Contact details for MDS, which is owned by tycoon Try Pheap, could not be found. Jeremy Ironside, a consultant with conservation group Flora and Fauna International who has worked in Koh Kong’s O’Som commune since 2002, said instead of doing their job, MDS had simply cut rosewood from surrounding protected forests. “They came in on the pretense that they were going to clear the reservoir, but basically all they did was clear all the rosewood out of the forest. I didn’t see any of the clearing of the reservoir,” he said, adding it was not profitable for a company to clear dam sites. Since then, he alleged, nothing had changed within the organisational culture of CI or the Forestry Administration. “The close involvement of conservation organisations with resources extraction in that area is pretty astounding,” he said. The anonymous researcher said between $40,000 and $80,000 worth of illegally cut timber was being trucked along four roads leading out of the CCPF from O’Som commune and Russey Chrum, Roleak Kang Cheung and Mongri villages, straight past CI checkpoints every day. “If you come to Cambodia to do conservation, you might as well do conversation,” the researcher said -----------Source: David Boyle with additional reporting by Yi Somphose and Cheang Sokha (Phnom Penh Post)

regional news

Cambodia opens controversial mega-dam environment,” he said in a speech broadcast on national radio, urging “extreme environmentalists” to “look at the whole forest rather than each single tree”.

US-based campaigners International Rivers said the Kamchay dam had destroyed hundreds of hectares of forest and farmland and warned it would have a negative impact on fisheries and on local people’s livelihoods.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said the start of operations of Cambodia’s 194-megawatt hydroelectric Kamchay dam, which cost more than $280 million, in southern Kampot province was a “historic event” in the development of the nation. Photo: www.sophirom.wordpress. com

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ecember 7, 2011 - Energy-starved Cambodia on Wednesday opened the country’s largest hydropower dam to date, a multi-million dollar Chinese-funded project that has attracted criticism from environmental groups.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said the start of operations of the 194-megawatt hydroelectric dam, which cost more than $280 million, in southern Kampot province was a “historic event” in the development of the nation.

He brushed aside the concerns of local and foreign activists, saying the environmental impact of the dam had been “well studied” and it would help bring down electricity prices in areas including the capital Phnom Penh.

“There is no development that will not impact on the

“Consideration of the dam’s environmental impacts had no place in the project’s decision-making,” said Ame Trandem, the non-profit group’s Southeast Asia programme director. As the first large dam in Cambodia, we hope this project does not set precedent for future energy planning and development in the country.”

Around a quarter of households in the impoverished nation currently have access to electricity. Spiralling utility prices, driven by the lack of supply, are a major obstacle for Cambodia to attract foreign investment, and the government has struggled to find a way to bring down the cost of power.

Nine more dams, including at least four funded by China, are set to open by 2019, and once they are all operational the government says they will generate 2,045 megawatts of power, serving all Cambodia’s provinces. The inauguration of the Kamchay dam came a day before Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam are set to announce whether Laos will push ahead with the development of the controversial Xayaburi megadam on the lower Mekong River.

Cambodia has called for more examination of the crossborder impacts of that project before a final decision is made

by Laos on whether to go ahead ------------Source: www.france24.com 10

The Babbler 40 - February 2012

regional news

Illegal South African rhino killings hit record high Final 2011 death toll of 448 represents one rhino lost every 20 hours, a slaughter driven by increased Asian demand for horn

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anuary 12, 2012 - The illegal slaughter of rhinos in South Africa surged to a record high last year with a final death toll of 448, official figures show. The total, representing one rhino lost nearly every 20 hours, marked a significant increase on 2010 and suggested the country was still losing its war against poachers. There has been a steady increase in rhino deaths through poaching in recent years. In 2010, the number killed was 333; in 2007, it was just 13. Campaigners warn that, if the trend continues, the animal’s future could be in jeopardy. The 2011 toll includes 19 critically endangered black rhinos, of which fewer than 5,000 remain in the wild.

Andrew McVey, species programme manager at WWF-UK, said: “If left unchecked, poaching gangs could put the survival of these iconic species in jeopardy.” The carnage is driven by increased demand for rhino horn in Asia, particularly Vietnam, where it carries prestige as a luxury item, a post-partying cleanser and – based on false science – a cure for cancer.

Poaching gangs have become increasingly sophisticated, using helicopters, silent tranquilizers, body armour, nightvision equipment and mercenaries experienced in rhino tracking. There are rumours of collusion by some park

“It’s not enough to bust the little guy. Investigators need to shut down the kingpins organizing these criminal operations. Governments in Africa and Asia must work together across borders to stop the illegal trade.” The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has ruled that Vietnam needs to show progress in curtailing illegal trade in rhino parts and derivatives.

“So far we have yet to see Vietnam respond to this ruling from CITES,” said Colman O Criodain, wildlife trade policy expert at WWF International. “For that matter, CITES must put pressure on Vietnam to respond meaningfully, as it has done with other countries whose compliance with the convention has been called into question.”

19 of the critically endangered black rhino were killed illegally last year.

Photograph: Gallo Images/Getty Images

Tom Milliken, rhino trade expert at Traffic, the wildlife trade monitoring network, said: “Rhino horn has gained popularity among wealthy Vietnamese elites and business people to give as a gift, when currying political favour, or taken as an antidote to over-indulgence. “But killing endangered rhinos to mitigate a hangover is a criminal way to see in the New Year.”

being conducted by sophisticated international criminal syndicates that smuggle horns to Asia.

rangers and owners seeking to cash in.

The rise continues unabated, despite increased law enforcement efforts. South African officials made 232 poaching-related arrests in 2011, compared to 165 the previous year. Sentences imposed for rhino crimes have also increased, with poachers and horn smugglers receiving as long as 16 years in prison. Dr Morné du Plessis, chief executive of WWF-South Africa, said: “Rhino poaching is

Rhinos in other African and Asian range countries are also being targeted. In October, WWF announced the extinction of rhinos in Vietnam. The last Javan rhino in the country was killed by poachers and its horn removed.

More than half of South Africa’s rhino deaths – 252 – last year occurred in Kruger park, which attracts millions of tourists every year. There is no sign of respite so far in 2012.

Rangers found eight rhino carcasses with their horns missing in two sections of Kruger park on Tuesday [10 January], South African National Parks (SANParks) said.

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The Babbler 40 - February 2012

regional news

Charlie – life and death of a White Rhino

L

ying with his head facing toward the rising sun, the first rays of morning light warming his neck and back after a cool summer night, Charlie, an adult male white rhino, flicks his left ear. The scabs from where he was ear notched a month back are almost healed but the life of a rhino, especially a proud territorial bull like Charlie, is a rough one and the scabs have been catching on thorns opening them up and allowing the annoying flies to sit on the small wound. He lets out a breath of air and a small cloud of dust lifts around his face. If one saw Charlie at that time one might even suggest it was a sigh of contentment.

while he was sleeping? Where is his neighbour who has launched this vicious sneaky attack?

Lurching forward Charlie smashes into some small thorn trees, the scab on his ear is ripped cleanly off but he doesn’t notice as the bees in his head get even angrier and his leg is limp at his side.

The pain in his chest is excruciating but he must escape, he must get away to lie up and recover from this underhanded attack by the other bull (who must be nearby but he still can’t seem to see).

Putting his head down, his magnificent horn protruding in front of him like a battering ram he pushes through the thorn trees. He In the trees around Charlie starlings and weavers are shrilly swings his head from side to side as he tries to run destroying and rattling away at each other. The winter is over, the first rains have uprooting the trees. And then he falls. come and gone, the veld is green and vibrant and full of life. Charlie His legs can no longer carry his weight. He feels so weak. The closes his eyes. He’ll rest for a little longer before beginning his angry swarm behind his eyes seems to have subsided but the daily ritual, patrolling his territory while grazing on the lush green pain in his chest is worse than ever. Lying under the sun he can no grass that has come up after the fires in winter. Ultimately he’ll end longer hear the birds. His mouth is filled with a metallic flavour up at Kolobeng dam where he’ll sate his thirst before settling down now, he can no longer taste the green grass on his lips or feel its to rest again. He’s always wary when he’s at the dam because it’s softness on his tongue. Everything his quiet, save for the laboured on the edge of his territory and there is always the risk that he may breathing of a dying bull rhino. encounter his neighbour, a big and confident bull who carries a scar over his eye under which sits a bullet from a poaching attempt Charlie, in agony and struggling to breath, closes his eyes. The three years ago but for now he’ll rest a little longer... other bull must be gone because he’s not being attacked anymore, BANG! he can rest now and maybe the pain will stop. No... he’s still here... or maybe not.... something else...

Charlie is on his feet in less than a second, his head is pounding The sound Charlie hears approaching him is unfamiliar. The scuff, and he’s struggling to breath. Something has slammed into his scuff of footsteps is not one he recognises. In fear and unable to shoulder. And his chest. His chest is on fire. He lurches forward move he opens his eyes and looks straight up the barrel of the rifle. and stumbles, falling and smashing his face into the ground as his powerful front left leg gives way under his weight. Why can’t he “That’s not my neighbour...” he thinks to himself. BANG stand on it? Why is hurting so much? He pushes himself painfully -----------up, trying to shift his weight onto the other legs. The pain in his Source: This personal account of the poaching of Charlie (so called because he was tagged and had his biometrics taken in October chest is worse now, a thousand times worse and there’s a rushing 2011) was written by Declan Hofmeyr, Operations Manager, noise in his head, like a swarm of very angry bees the noise is Madikwe Game Reserve, North-west Parks and Tourism Board. getting worse, his vision blurs. Trying to maintain himself he spins around loses his balance, forces himself to his feet once more.

Where is he? Where is the other bull that has snuck up on him

Illegal South African... (continued) In a follow-up anti-poaching operation on Wednesday night [11 January], field rangers came into contact with a group of suspected poachers.

There was a shootout between the rangers and poachers, leaving two suspected poachers fatally wounded. Both were from neighbouring Mozambique, in common with many poachers motivated by an apparent chance to escape poverty.

A .375 rifle and other hunting equipment were discovered at the scene, SANParks said.

Meanwhile, debate rages in South Africa over how to curb the trend, with some calling for the trade in rhino horn to be legalised. A wildlife agency’s decision to sanction the hunting of a R1m (£81,000) white rhino bull has also divided experts this week. Reynold Thakhuli, a spokesman for SANParks, said: “The 2011 total is an all-time high. We are very concerned and quite disappointed. We are drawing up plans for the year to deal with this problem once and for all.”

-----------Source: David Smith, The Guardian

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S

outh Africa, January 2011 - South African authorities continuing to escalate, demand for ivory continues to fuel the have arrested two Vietnamese nationals at poaching of elephants, especially in East and Central Africa.

Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport as the pair attempted to smuggle rhino horns and elephant ivory out Although used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries of South Africa. in the treatment of fever, the current high demand for rhino horn appears to be driven primarily from Vietnam, where Alerted by security x-ray scanners as the suspects’ it is being prescribed by some medical practitioners as a luggage passed through security, members of the Gauteng “detoxicant” and is popular among “high-flyers” trying to Department of Agriculture and Rural Development along with impress their peers. the Police Service discovered two rhino horns, five elephant tusks, 20 ivory chopsticks, 31 ivory bangles, 18 ivory blocks A rumour that a Vietnamese government minister was and three ivory earrings. cured of cancer after taking rhino horn appears to be entirely unfounded.

The two arrested-a 40 year-old man and a 30 year-old woman-have been charged with illegal possession of elephant “There is no doubt the demand for rhino horn in Asia is ivory and rhino horn under the National Environmental directly responsible for the continuing rhino poaching surge

Two more Vietnamese caught with rhino horns in South Africa Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA).

“TRAFFIC commends the South African authorities on the arrest of these two individuals, who appear to be among those riding on the criminal tidal wave currently sweeping away South Africa’s wildlife resources,” said Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC’s rhino and ivory expert.

“If convicted, they should face severe punishment, to act as a deterrent to others that such actions will not be tolerated.”

More arrests The arrest comes only months after another pair of Vietnamese nationals were convicted of smuggling 20 rhino horns at O.R. Tambo International Airport. They were sentenced to 12 and 8 years in jail respectively.

Worst year for rhino poaching A record number of rhinos-more than 430 to datehave been poached in South Africa in 2011, with the crisis

in Africa,” said Chris Shepherd, Deputy Director of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.

“Action, not talk, is needed. Enforcement agencies must increase their efforts now and put rhino and elephant poachers and traders behind bars. Currently, illegal traders are running circles around the enforcement agencies, a situation that cannot be allowed to persist.”

No arrests in Vietnam since 2008 According to TRAFFIC data, the last arrest of a rhino horn smuggler in Vietnam occurred in 2008, but since then there have been no arrests.

In September, South African and Vietnamese authorities formally agreed on a process to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on natural resource management wildlife protection and law enforcement --------Source: www.wildlifeextra.com

Giant catfish caught, released in Chapassak

By Khamphone Syvongxay

V

ientiane, January 13, 2012 - A 1.67 metre-long giant catfish Pangasianodon gigas weighing in at an estimated 200kg was released back into the Mekong River by agriculture and forestry authorities yesterday after it was caught by fishermen in Champassak province on Wednesday.

Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department Deputy Director Mr Prachit Norasaeng told Vientiane Times yesterday the fish was lucky to still be alive. The catfish was caught in a fish trap in Hadsalau village, Phonthong district. Village authorities reported the catch to the district level, which then notified provincial authorities.

This was the third giant catfish caught in the province since 2008, after one in Khong district and another in Hadsalau village, but the other two died immediately, Mr Prachit said. It was feared that the latest catch would suffer a similar fate if fisheries authorities were slow to act, as it was in a severely weakened state after being removed from the river.

However, after officials quickly consulted with the provincial governor, it was decided the fish would be released back into its natural habitat and the fishermen compensated and given certificates of honour, Mr Prachit said. He said that provincial authorities, most notably those in the livestock and fisheries sector, had previously allocated 25 wildlife protection areas after conducting extensive feasibility studies.

“In order to protect certain fish in the province, the Agriculture and Forestry Department is working hard to educate target groups about the Law on Wildlife 13

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Brown and Northern Boobooks both occur in Thailand

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hirty years ago, in my first months working at Dr. Boonsong’s Association for the Conservation of Wildlife, a visiting Japanese lady ornithologist told me that the Brown Hawk Owls (Brown Boobooks) resident in Japan had different calls to those found in SE Asia. Even so, the two were usually treated as conspecific until 2002, when Ben King published a paper splitting the northern taxa as a full species, Northern Boobook N. japonica (King 2002).

King made a convincing case. Both N. s. japonica (Japan and mainland Asia south, apparently to Fujian) and N. s. totogo (from Ryukyu islands and Taiwan) have a call of two whoop notes, uttered 0.25-0.5 sec apart, which differs in only minor details

between the two. This is very distinct from the widely spaced, upward-inflected who-up given by the eight subspecies of Brown Hawk Owls (King’s “southern group”) that are distributed from the Indian Subcontinent eastwards through SE Asia to the Greater Sundas and Palawan, and that include the widespread race breeding in Thailand, N. s. burmanica. King additionally looked at measurements (especially wing and tail ratios) and found there was almost no overlap between the two groups. Not surprisingly, Northern Boobooks were markedly longer-winged.However King was apparently not aware of any plumage differences and considered the two to be “probably indistinguishable” in the field.

Figure 1. Brown Boobook N. scutulata burmanica mist-netted at Taksin Maharat, Tak, 30 August 2008. Note the heart-shaped spots on the underparts (P. D. Round)

Figure 2. Northern Boobook Ninox japonica mistnetted at Laem Phak Bia, 30 March 2011 . Note the drop-shaped spots on the underparts (P. D. Round)

The only published record of Northern Boobook for Thailand is a specimen listed

by Deignan (1963) in his Checklist, N. s. florensis (a synonym of japonica) that was collected in Trang. Though Robson (2008) listed Northern Boobook for West, Central and South Thailand, he provided no substantiating details.

For some years I have been on the look-out for Northern Boobook and was therefore ready when we pulled a boobook out of a mist- net at Laem Phak Bia in late March. On that uncharacteristically cool day a strong, unseasonal, NE monsoon wind had robbed us of most expected northbound migrants such as warblers and

Figure 3. Same individual as in Fig 2. Note the long, pointed wing, in which the second outermost primary (P2) is longer than the fifth outermost primary (P5). (P2 is usually shorter than, or equal to, P5 in N. scutulata). Note the slaty crown. This feature may not be shown by all Northern Boobooks, however.

Giant catfish caught... (continued) and Aquatic Species, also joining with the Livestock and Fisheries Department to hopefully allocate new protection areas,” he explained.

The law explicitly bans the catching or trade of giant catfish in an attempt to protect the species. Those who violate the law will be fined three times the determined cost of the fish, according to the Livestock and Fisheries Department. “Offenders will also serve a jail sentence of at least three months and up to one year,” Mr Prachit said. Since the law was passed, the number of catches recorded each year has continually declined.

The total population of giant catfish is estimated to be no greater than a few hundred worldwide but the species is endemic to the Mekong basin. Mekong basin countries can only continue to benefit from the giant catfish by understanding, monitoring and managing the population.

Legal protection, whilst encouraging, will alone not be sufficient to ensure population stabilisation. There is a need to develop greater technical capacity and awareness in Laos to support the legal agreements protecting the giant catfish --------Source: Vientiane Times

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Brown and Northern Boobooks....(continued) flycatchers, and the boobook was the only exciting new migrant landbird for the site. I realized the importance of obtaining accurate measurements, but even before we had got that far, my friend Jonathan Murray (not exactly a birder, but someone who enjoys handling birds and who, moreover, possesses a quirky, highly useful propensity to notice those things that the rest of us overlook) immediately drew my attention to the fact that the only previous Brown Boobook that he and I had handled had possessed profuse heart-shaped spots on the lower breast and belly (Fig. 1). That particular individual was an undoubted resident, from the hills near Tak. Before we caught and ringed it also gave the whoup call. Moreover the month of capture (late August) was probably still outside the period when migrants are present.

These heart-shaped spots shown by our resident Brown Boobook were completely lacking in the Laem Phak Bia bird, which instead had widely-spaced dropshaped spots (Fig. 2). The wing was measured as 220

Figure 4. Brown Boobook again showing profuse heart-shaped spots on the underparts, Chiang Mai. (Pornthep Katsura).

Figure 5. Apparent Northern Boobook, Bang Krachao, Samut Prakan, 2 October 2008 (Apirat Kulsantipong)

mm and the tail as 107 mm, a wing:tail ratio of 2.06, much greater than the 1.63-1.72 that King gives for N. scutulata burmanica and firmly placing our Laem Phak Bia bird as Northern Boobook (Fig 3).

So how reliable are plumage differences between migrant Northern Boobooks and resident Brown Boobooks? There are relatively few specimens of Ninox in collections in Thailand, but among those we looked at, there is a fair consistency in ventral spotting. All residents, both N. s. burmanica and one apparent N. s. scutulata (the subspecies in peninsular Thailand and Malaysia), possessed similar heart-shaped spots that were broader than long.

Immediately following our Laem Phak Bia capture Pornthep Katsura and Smith Sutibut put out an appeal for photos of boobooks. While most of those received conformed to the usual pattern for residents (e.g, Pornthep’s own picture, from Chiang Mai, Fig. 4), there were two from the Bangkok area, one from Bang Krachao on 2 October 2008 (Fig 5), and another from Phutthamonthol on 7 February 2011 (Fig 6), both photographed by Apirat Kulsantipong, that showed the drop-shaped spotting of Northern.

Clearly any birds that are not identifiable as residents on call, or are in situations where residents are unlikely, as both Apirat’s bird were, should be looked at carefully.

Not all migrants will necessarily be japonica, since N. s. burmanica extends north into China, south of the Yangtse River, and migrant individuals of this subspecies may possibly also occur. Intriguingly, a specimen in the CTNRC collection from Chiang Mai, collected in November 1970, had heart-shaped spots, but these were longitudinally stretched, unlike our residents, so that they were longer than broad. (This feature seemed to be shared by one of Apirat’s two birds, Fig. 6). It also has slightly longer, more pointed wings than typically marked

Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai residents. But is it a Northern or a Brown? With a wing of 222 mm and tail of 123, the ratio of 1.8 puts it at the upper end of the range for Figure 6. Apparent Northern Boobook, burmanica, and Phutthamonthol, Nakhon Pathom, 7 February 2011 (Apirat Kulsantipong). the lower end Note that although there are a few heartfor japonica. I shaped spots on the lower flanks, these am betting it is a are fewer than in Brown Boobook, and Northern as its additionally are longer than broad. second primary was longer than the fifth. Northern Boobook has a large range in N and Central China, Russia, Japan and Korea within which there may be a considerable amount of variation.

We need to know more about how plumages of Brown Boobooks and Northern Boobooks vary geographically , and whether seeming intermediates occur. Do they come into close contact in breeding areas in China and, if so, how do they behave? Do they remain distinct, occupying different habitats or elevational zones, as I would expect, or might they hybridize and intergrade? In the meantime, please keep sending us your photos of boobooks ---------Source: Philip D. Round on behalf on BCST Records

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Giant ibis discovered in new region of Cambodia

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he world’s largest ibis, and one of the world’s most endangered birds, has received some good news. A giant ibis (Thaumatibis gigantea) has been photographed Detail of camera trap photo showing giin the Kampong Som ant ibis in Cambodia’s Koh Kong Province. Valley in Koh Kong Photo by: Wildlife Alliance.

Province in Cambodia, the first record from this province in nearly a hundred years. Adults can grow to reach nearly 3.5 feet (106 centimeters) long. The bird was captured by camera trap by the NGO Wildlife Alliance. Listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List, the species is believed to be down to only around 100 breeding pairs. Most of these live in Cambodia, although a few may survive in Laos and Vietnam.

regional news

Rare Giant Ibis loses habitat

By May Titthara And David Boyle

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ambodia, October 12, 2011 -The latest in a series of land concessions granted in protected forests has cut nearly 10,000 ha from Cambodia’s largest wildlife sanctuary – home to the Kingdom’s critically endangered national bird, the Giant Ibis.

A September 7 sub-decree reclassified 9,237 ha of land for private agro-industrial development by Cambodian Dawn Plantation Ltd in a section of the Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary in Preah Vihear province. It follows the reclassification of 28,270 ha of the 402,500-hectare sanctuary that spans Preah Vihear, Siem Reap and Oddar Meanchey provinces in July. Another 9,160 ha area in Mondulkiri’s Phnom Pich Wildlife Sanctuary was also reclassified in a September 7 sub-decree for development by the Kasekam Khmer Angkor Co.

Wildlife Alliance writes that Kampong Som Valley “is an amazing ecosystem of flooded grasslands, wetlands, small lakes and a wide river mixed with regenerating deciduous and semi evergreen forest.

This area of low population density and low human interference has been protected by the Cambodian Forestry Administration and Wildlife Alliance for the last 10 years with the strategic objective of maintaining and restoring the corridor link between the western and eastern forest bodies of the Southern Cardamom Mountains.”

Pol Kham Narei, director of the Preah Vihear provincial Forestry Administration, conceded yesterday that development in the sanctuary would displace animals within it. “The birds and animals need to live in the forest and in a quiet place, so when they come to develop and make a lot of noise, [the animals] will run away or fly to another place,” he said, while defending the government’s need to promote development projects.

The organization now plans to survey the area for giant ibises to determine if the valley is home to a breeding population. The giant ibis is threatened by hunting, deforestation, and the draining of wetlands. It may also depend on small pools created by megafauna, such as elephants, which have vanished from much of Southeast Asia. The giant ibis appears to be particularly sensitive to human presence.

-------------Source: Jeremy Hance. Mongabay.com

Conservationists estimate that about 90% of the world’s remaining population of Giant Ibis’s live in Cambodia, with about 41 per cent of those found in the Northern Plains, where Kulen Promtep is located. It is also home to a vast array of other water birds including the world’s tallest flying bird, the Sarus Crane, as well as endangered Asian Elephants, Eld’s deer and a species of wild cattle called Banteng.

Echoing government responses to almost every land concession granted in protected forests this year, Preah Vihear provincial environment department director, Khoy Khoun Chan Roth, claimed the environment would not be affected as the concession area had already been degraded.

“This is to provide land to the private company to develop and grow the country’s economy and can also protect the forest from the anarchy of people who come to destroy the trees,” he said.

Yem Louch, deputy governor for Mondulkiri, said that the government had a right to grant concessions where they saw fit provided the economic benefits outweighed minor environmental damage. But Ou Virak, director of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, said somebody in the government had to take responsibility for protected forest areas that became degraded. “Who should be held to account, what happens to the provincial governors, why don’t they know about this? You have people [officials] saying this concession’s okay now because the forest has been destroyed under my watch,” he said.

The government appeared to have “lost control” of the amount of land it was cutting from protected forest areas, primarily for companies intending to log, and was inviting an environmental “disaster” given the escalating effects of climate change, he added. Preah Vihear provincial governor Om Mara could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Neither development company could be reached for comment -----------Source: Phnom Penh Post 16

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Inadequate protection caused Javan rhino extinction in Vietnam

H

anoi, 25 October 2011 - WWF and the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) have confirmed the extinction of the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) in Vietnam.

Genetic analysis of 22 dung samples collected by a Cat Tien National Park - WWF survey team from 2009 – 2010 affirm that the samples all belonged to a rhinoceros that was found dead in the park in April 2010, shortly after the survey was completed. The findings, presented in a new WWF report, also point to poaching as the likely cause of the death, as the rhino was found with a bullet in its leg and had its horn removed.

The tragic discovery comes after a 2004 survey conducted by Queen’s University, Canada, that found at least two rhinos living in the park at the time.

Javan rhino in Cat Tien National Park (by camera trap)

“The last Javan rhino in Vietnam has gone,” said Tran Thi Minh Hien, WWFVietnam Country Director. “It is painful that despite significant investment in the Vietnamese rhino population conservation efforts failed to save this unique animal.

Vietnam has lost part of its natural heritage.”

The rhinoceros was believed to be extinct from mainland Asia until 1988 when an individual was hunted from the Cat Tien area, leading to the discovery of a small population. From the mid-1990s, a number of organizations were involved in efforts to conserve the remaining Javan rhino population in Cat Tien National Park, but the report highlights that ineffective protection by the park was ultimately the cause of the extinction. This is a common problem in most protected areas in Vietnam that

Skeleton of a Javan rhino found dead in Cat Tien National Park in April 2010

threatens the survival of many other species, says WWF. Illegal hunting to supply the wildlife trade has reduced many species in Vietnam to small and isolated populations. The tiger, Asian elephant and endemic species like the saola, Tonkin snub-nosed monkey and Siamese crocodile are on the verge of extinction in the country.

“The tragedy of the Vietnamese Javan rhinoceros is a sad symbol of this extinction crisis,” said Nick Cox, Manager of WWF’s Species Programme in the Greater Mekong.

“The single most important action to conserve Vietnam’s endangered species is protecting their natural habitat and deterring poaching and illegal wildlife trade – the report shows that these actions were inadequate to save the Javan rhino in Vietnam and this continued situation will no doubt lead to the extinction of many more species from Vietnam. Vietnam’s protected areas need more rangers, better training and monitoring, and more accountability.”

WWF recognises that habitat loss played a key role in sealing the fate of the rhino in Vietnam and warns that inadequate law enforcement and ineffective management of protected areas, encroachment and infrastructure development occurring within and close to Vietnam’s protected areas will only exert additional pressures on already fragile populations of species.

“Reintroduction of the rhinoceros to Vietnam is not economically or practically feasible. It is gone from Vietnam forever,” said Christy Williams, WWF’s Asian Elephant and Rhino Programme Coordinator.

The Javan rhinoceros is now believed to be confined to one population, less than 50 individuals, in a small national park in Indonesia. The species is critically endangered and with demand for rhino horn for the Asian traditional medicine trade increasing every year, protection and expansion of the Indonesian population is the highest priority.

“This makes our work in Indonesia even more critical. We must ensure that what happened to the Javan rhinoceros in Vietnam is not repeated in Indonesia a few years down the line,” said Susie Ellis of the International Rhino Foundation.

The report Extinction of the Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) from Vietnam can be downloaded here A short film about the extinction of the Javan rhino in Vietnam can also be downloaded here and photos can be downloaded here ---------News and photo source: WWF

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Vietnam’s last rhino loses bones

N

ovember 28, 2011 - A group of scientists at the Central Highlands Biological Institute has claimed that some bone parts of the last Javan rhino in Vietnam, which was shot by poachers in Cat Tien National Park last year, have disappeared during the process of restoring the animal’s whole skeleton.

“Five hipbones, two cervical vertebrae, three ribs, teeth, nails, and a kneecap of the animal have vanished,” said Ha Thanh Tung, vice head of the institute’s museum.

The skeleton will be put on display at Cat Tien National Park, in an effort aimed at raising public awareness of protecting the critically endangered animal.

Last month, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced that the Javan Rhino was extinct in Vietnam.

The one-horned Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) was believed to be extinct in mainland Asia, until a small population was discovered in Cat Tien National Park in 1988.

“However, this does not have much effect on the process of restoring the skeleton,” Tung claimed.

The species is now believed to have a single population with less than 50 left on the island of Java, Indonesia, which gives the animal its name.

The process is expected to be completed by ----------late December. The museum’s staff is washing the skeleton with chemical substances before arranging Source: Tuoitre News Photo: The skull of the last known Javan rhino in the deceased animal’s unconnected bones into a Vietnam (WWF) full skeleton.

ADB provides $7.9 million loan for biodiversity conservation in central Vietnam

V

ietnam, 19 December 2011 - Thev Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided a US$7.9 million loan for a biodiversity project in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Total costs are estimated at $8.8 million, of which $487,000 will be sourced from the province’s budget and $410,000 will be funded by the project’s beneficiaries.

The project will be carried out in 10 communes in the mountainous districts of Nam Dong and A Luoi.

The project is designed to enhance institutional and community capacity in managing the biodiversity corridor; restore the biodiversity corridor, protect the ecosystem and sustainably manage natural resources; and improve the livelihood and infrastructure for local residents -----------Source: www.thanhniennews.com

A New Species of Rhinolophus from China

A

new species of bat of the genus Rhinolophus has been recently described from Yunnan Province, southwestern China. The new taxon belongs to the Rhinolophus “philippinensis-group” and is distinguished by differ- ences in the nose-leaf structures, craniodental characteristics, and bacular features. To date, Rhinolophus schnitzleri is only known from the type locality. Further studies are required to deter-mine if it is more widely distributed in southwestern China or present in adjacent areas of Myanmar, Vietnam, or Lao PDR. Read full paper ----------Source: Yi Wu and Vu Dinh Thong. A New Species of Rhinolophus (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) from China. ZOOLOGICAL SCIENCE 28: 235–241 (2011)

Further records of Murina tiensa from Vietnam

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he fairy tube-nosed bat, Murina tiensa, is considered to be endemic to Vietnam. It is known only from the original description, when it was found at two localities in limestone karst areas. In 2008, the authors conducted a series of intensive field surveys throughout the country and obtained additional records of this species from various habitats, including degraded to nearly pristine forests and an offshore island. The results indicate that M. tiensa is a sexually dimorphic species, females being considerably larger than males in all external and craniodental measurements. The species emits broadband, downward frequencymoduled echolocation calls with a dominant first harmonic. When handheld of when flying in a flight tent, signals had similar structure and were emitted in groups of 2-4 signals. On average, signals swept from 150 to 49 kHz in 2.2 ms for handheld bats, and from 145 to 50 kHz in 1.9 ms for flying bats. M.tiensa often occurred in sympatry with M.cyclotis and several rhinolophids. Read full paper -------------Source: Vu Dinh Thong, Christian Dietz, Annette Denzinger, Paul J.J. Bates, Neil M. Furey, Gabor Csorba, Glenn Hoye, Le Dinh Thuy and Hans Ulrich Schnitzler. Further records of Murina tiensa from Vietnam with first information on its echolocation calls. Hystrix It. J. Mamm. (n.s.) 22(1) 2011: 129-138 18

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Two new paper clip-sized frogs discovered in Vietnam

D

ecember 7, 2011 - Researchers have discovered two new frog species living in the montane tropical forests of Vietnam. Known as moss frogs, these small amphibians employ camouflage as one way to keep predators at bay, in some cases resembling the moss that gives them their name.

The new species have been evocatively dubbed the misty moss frog (Theloderma nebulosum) and the cloaked moss frog (Theloderma palliatum). The first was named after its misty habitat on Kon Tum Plateau, while the second was named after its ability to change the colors and patterns along its back. The frogs are less than 3 centimeters (1.18 inches) long, around the size of a small paper clip.

Both frogs were discovered above 1,500 meters (4,900 feet), but the misty moss frog survives at 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) in a climate that hits 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) in cold months.

The cloaked moss frog (Theloderma palliatum). Photo by: Jodi J. L. Rowley/Australian Museum.

The frogs’ discoverers fear the species may already be endangered, although both are found in protected areas: the cloaked moss frog in Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park and the misty moss frog Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve.

“They are likely to be restricted to relatively small patches of high-elevation forest on the Kon Tum and Langbian plateaus, and hence particularly vulnerable to threatening processes such as habitat loss and over-collection. [...]

Collection for the international pet trade is perhaps more of an immediate threat [than habitat loss], even in protected areas, as members of the genus are popular in captivity,” the authors write in a paper published in Zootaxa.

The cloaked moss frog may be particularly rare. According to the paper, researchers only discovered three frogs of this species in 20 surveys carried out over three years. However they add, “due to the small size and arboreal nature of these

frogs, the apparent rarity of the species may be due simply to poor detectability.”

Lead author of the paper describing the species, Jodi Rowley with the Australian Museum in Sydney, recently wrote that “Southeast Asian amphibians are both poorly known and highly threatened. Facing the highest deforestation rate on the planet, and huge over-harvesting pressure, Southeast Asian amphibians are being driven towards an extinction crisis. At present, almost one-fifth of Southeast Asian amphibians are listed as threatened. We still don’t even have a reliable estimate of the true amphibian diversity in Southeast Asia, with the current figures being serious underestimates, and new species being continuously discovered. For example, 31 percent of amphibian species known from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in 2005 had been described since 1997.”

The world’s amphibians are in the midst of what may well be a mass extinction. If it weren’t enough to be pummeled by deforestation, wetland loss, pollution, overexploitation, the pet trade, invasive species, and climate change, amphibians are also combating a deadly fungal disease called chytridiomycosis. Currently the IUCN Red List has found that 41 percent of the world’s 7,000 known amphibians are threatened with extinction. It’s believed that at least 120 amphibians have gone extinct in the last 30 years -------------Source: Jeremy Hance, www.Mongabay.com.

Citation: Rowley, J. J. L., Le T. T., D.Hoang D. H., Dau Q. V., & Cao T. T. (2011). Two new species of Theloderma (Anura: Rhacophoridae) from Vietnam. Zootaxa 3098: 1-20.

Second new species: the misty moss frog (Theloderma nebulosum). Photo by: Jodi J. L. Rowley/Australian Museum.

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A Rapid Vulnerability Assessment of Coastal Habitats and Selected Species to Climate Risks in Chanthaburi and Trat (Thailand), Koh Kong and Kampot (Cambodia), and Kien Giang, Ben Tre, Soc Trang and Can Gio (Vietnam)

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his report presents a rapid assessment of the vulnerability to climate change of coastal habitats and selected species in the eight focal areas of the IUCN project ‘Building coastal resilience in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand’: Koh Kong and Kampot (Cambodia), Chanthaburi and Trat (Thailand), and Ben Tre, Can Gio, Kien Giang and Soc Trang (Vietnam).

The aims of this assessment were to identify coastal habitats of highest priority for adaptation planning in the project area, and management issues for some selected species of birds, mammals and reptiles, as well as to assess the sensitivity and adaptive capacity of key fisheries and aquaculture species in light of their expected exposure to climate change risks Comparison of protected areas with undesignated Important Bird Areas (IBAs) indicates gaps in the current protected area network, which reduces the resilience of habitats and species to climate change. Marine protected areas are under-represented in the project area.

In some provinces, there is little overlap between the locations of IBAs and designated protected areas.

Fisherman in Cambodia

© IUCN

included in planning for adaptation efforts. Koh Kong probably has the strongest natural resilience to climate change in the project area, because it encompasses a large area of relatively intact and protected coastal habitats with a range of elevations and latitudes. This will enable some terrestrial and aquatic species to shift northward or to higher elevations, to more suitable climate spaces, as temperatures and sea level rise.

Protected areas in Ben Tre, Can Gio, Kien Giang and Soc Trang probably have the least resilience to climate change, because they are small, at low elevations and isolated within developed landscapes. Chanthaburi may also have low levels of resilience due to extensive loss of coastal habitats; Trat may lie between these extremes.

Read full report -------------Source: Bezuijen, M. R., Morgan, C., Mather, R.J. (2011). A Rapid Vulnerability Assessment of Coastal Habitats and Selected Species to Climate Risks in Chanthaburi and Trat (Thailand), Koh Kong and Kampot (Cambodia), and Kien Giang, Ben Tre, Soc Trang and Can Gio (Vietnam). Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. Photo: Fisherman in Cambodia © IUCN

Undesignated sites may be more vulnerable to climate change because they may not be

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regional news

CALL ISSUED TO SAVE WILD TIGERS FROM EXTINCTION

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ietnam, 2 November 2011 - Project Predator, an initiative to protect and save the world’s last surviving wild tigers was unveiled today at the 80th INTERPOL General Assembly, a gathering of global law enforcement officials from the organization’s 190 member countries.

Created by INTERPOL, Project Predator unites the efforts of police, customs and wildlife officials in the 13 countries in Asia where wild tigers can still be found. This new partnership under the Global Tiger Initiative brings together officials from the 13 tiger range countries, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the World Bank, the Smithsonian Institution and INTERPOL. “Unscrupulous poachers are threatening the few remaining wild tigers with extinction, and we must all work together to protect this iconic species. Through Project Predator, INTERPOL is again showing this commitment and determination to protect not only tigers, but the wider wildlife and ecosystems at risk from criminals,” said David Higgins, Manager of INTERPOL’s Environmental Crime Programme.

The Project Predator initiative will provide capacity building to law enforcement agencies to combat tiger crimes, strengthening their ability of work with wildlife officials using advanced, intelligence-led methods of investigation. In addition, the initiative will encourage countries to establish and resource National Tiger Crime Task Forces.

In a video address to the INTERPOL General Assembly in Hanoi, Robert B. Zoellick, President of the World Bank Group and founder of the Global Tiger Initiative, said,

“I’m particularly proud of the catalytic role being played by the Global Tiger Initiative, and the Bank Group’s early contribution toward Project Predator. This innovative effort among tiger range countries – including right here in Vietnam – will reduce trafficking in tiger parts, with the add-on effect of reducing other wildlife crime in Asia.” He further urged leaders “to give their criminal justice systems the power and resources to protect wildlife, forests, and fisheries from those who are plundering the planet’s natural capital and countries’ living heritage.”

Due to poaching and habitat degradation and fragmentation, the estimated 100,000 tigers that roamed Asia in 1900 have now dwindled to fewer than 3,500 across the tiger range countries.

“If poaching and trafficking continue at present rates, we may have a generation that will never know what a live, wild tiger is. Project Predator will enable police, customs and wildlife officials to share information they’ve gathered to keep tigers from disappearing forever,” said Frank Donovan, Mission Director for USAID/Vietnam.

At present, wildlife officials in most tiger range countries are poorly staffed and under equipped to fight wildlife crime on the ground, and are often outnumbered by wellarmed poachers.

“The Smithsonian Institution is proud to be part of this international effort to improve the law enforcement capacity of tiger range countries,” said Steve Monfort, Director of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI). “INTERPOL’s Project Predator will provide an excellent collaborative platform for protected area managers and other law enforcement professionals to share the kind of intelligence essential to track down and destroy illegal wildlife trade networks.

This will be a perfect complement to SCBI’s efforts to help improve the effectiveness of patrolling on the front lines, within protected areas, and stop the flow of poached animals into the marketplace.”

Poachers have decimated the world’s tiger population to feed a large, illicit market in tiger fur, bone and other parts.

Illegal trade and trafficking in tiger parts and products is rampant across international borders, making enforcement of laws against it a challenge.

The UK’s Natural Environment Minister, Richard Benyon said, “The UK Government has consistently supported efforts to protect tigers in the wild, so I’m delighted that we have been able to lend our support to Project Predator.

Illegal poaching and trafficking continue to threaten this much loved species and this global problem needs a global response if we are ever to see their numbers recover in the wild.”

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Call issued... (Continued) The programme will move quickly into an operational phase with a meeting of senior police and customs officials from tiger range countries scheduled to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, on 13 and 14 February, 2012, to identify and implement a plan of action. INTERPOL is organizing this workshop under the auspices of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), with a strategic goal and long term planning to strongly engage these officials in efforts to curb the illegal trade in tigers and other threatened species.

In November 2010, top political leaders from the tiger range countries convened in St. Petersburg, Russia, to adopt the St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation and a comprehensive Global Tiger Recovery Program, an unprecedented commitment to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022. The multi-country, multi-partner Global Tiger Initiative helped to spearhead this new united global action starting in 2008. The launch of Project Predator marks an important milestone in scaling up the efforts of tiger range countries to increase the level of cooperation and information-sharing between wildlife officials, customs agencies and police forces in many Asian countries.

For more information, please go to: http://www.interpol.int/Crime-areas/Environmental-crime/ Projects/Project-PREDATOR http://globaltigerinitiative.org ---------Source: World Bank Photo: Kabir Bakie

Avian conservation value of pine plantation forests in northern Vietnam

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ietnam - Decline of native forest cover is a worldwide concern. Recently, overall forest cover in Vietnam has increased, but most of the increase has been attributed to plantations of non-native trees.

The conservation value of these plantations for birds is unknown. The authors compared avian species richness in pine plantations to that in second-growth and mature native forests in Tam Dao National Park, Vietnam.

Bird species were classified into two categories: forest specialists or forest generalists.

To account for strong heterogeneity in detection probabilities, the number of species in each category was estimated using the Pledger-Huggins estimator.

The researchers estimated total species richness and number of forest specialist species to be highest in

mature forest, lower in second-growth forest, and lowest in pine plantation. The estimated number of forest generalist species was similar between mature forest and second-growth forest and least in pine plantation. The maintenance of native forest types should receive priority for conservation in Vietnam and pine plantations should be managed to provide additional structure in the hope of increasing species richness. Read full paper --------------Source: Vu Tien Thinh, Paul F. Doherty, Jr., and Kathryn P. Huyvaert. Avian conservation value of pine plantation forests in northern Vietnam. Bird Conservation International, page 1 of 12. © BirdLife International, 2011 doi:10.1017/S0959270911000293

Denmark to give $135 million ODA for green growth

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climate change was an area of particular concern. ietnam, 20 October 2011 - The Government of Denmark will provide US$135 million in official “Two years ago, Denmark was one of the first sponsors development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam during the 2011-12 period, with the funds earmarked for projects of Vietnam in the field of climate change, as we know that the country is forecast to suffer great losses caused by that foster green growth. climate change,” said Nielsen.

Work funded by the ODA will include projects on clean The ODA funding will be combined with transferring water, energy efficiency, and research on climate change adaptation. Funding will be provided for improving quality high quality, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly and access to drinking water for poor households while technologies from Danish companies to their Vietnamese also reducing water loss in the country’s water supply partners in the waste management, solar energy and wind network. power sectors.

“We hope to establish partnerships between John Nielsen, Danish Ambassador to Vietnam, said enterprises from both countries especially in the area 22

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regional news

Denmark to give..(continued) of wind power, as it is considered a strength of Danish industry,” said Nielsen.

He added that with 125 Danish companies working in Viet nam, he believed that it is possible for Danish companies to find suitable Vietnamese partners for the projects.

When implementing the projects benefiting from the ODA, the embassy would make annual check to ensure

that the projects reach expected results, he said.

Since 1993 Denmark has been a key ODA partner for Vietnam, providing more than $1.2 billion in ODA, which was provided to sectors including agriculture, water and sanitation, fisheries, justice and private business development ---------Source: Vietnam News

A new species of ferret-badger, Genus Melogale, from Vietnam

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erret-badgers, genus Melogale, are distributed in the Indochinese region, Java, Bali and NE Borneo. There are currently four species described each having very similar phenoteypes.

In March 2005, a living ferret-badger of a different phenotype was confiscated by rangers from Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam. This individual died and the carcass was not preserved. In January 2006, a newly deceased individual of the same phenotype was found at the Endangered Primate Rescue Center, Cuc Phuong National Park. Due to several different characteristics these individuals vary greatly from the current species. Thus, the authors describe an additional species, M.cucphuongensis sp. nov. from northern Vietnam, which occurs sympatrically with M.moschata and M.personata, but differs from both species clearly in skull morphology and other features.

Based on a 423 bp-long fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, M.cucphuongensis sp. nov. is a member of the genus Melogale and represents a sister lineage to a clade consisting of M. personata and M. moschata. Read full paper -----------Source: Tilo Nadler, Ulrike Streicher, Clara stefen, Elke Schwierz and Christian Roos. A new species of ferretbadger, Genus Melogale, from Vietnam. Zool. Garten N.F.80 (2011) 271- 286.

Photo: The upper part of the head of M.cucphuongesis sp.nov. is brown and shows only small white spots on the forehead between the eyes and the ears. The rhinarium extents to the upper side of the nose and forms a small naked wedge. The photo doesn’t show the holotype but the first found individual (© Elke Schwierz).

Using fecal-DNA and capturemark-recapture to establish a baseline Asian elephant population for the Eastern Plains Landscape, Cambodia

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sian elephant, Elephas maximus, are globally endangered and restricted to isolated populations across their ancestral range, where they are threatened by poaching, illegal capture for trade, habitat loss and fragmentation, and human-elephant conflict (Leimgruber et al. 2003, Choudhury et al. 2008, Loucks et al. 2009, Webber et al. 2011). Despite the Asian elephants’ perceived status as a conservation flagship, there are few robust population estimates from the species’ global range.

Protected areas of the Eastern Plains Landscape, eastern Cambodia have been identified as critical for the conservation of wild Asian elephant in Indochina. A 2006 study in Seima Protected Forest, using fecal-DNA samples and capture-mark-recapture analysis, estimated an Asian elephant population of between 101 and 139 individuals.

The authors conducted a similar fecal-DNA based capture-markrecapture study in order to establish a monitoring baseline for Asian elephant in two additional protected areas, Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary (PPWS) and Mondulkiri Protected Forest (MPF), in the Eastern Plains Landscape. A total of 98 wild Asian elephant individuals were identified; 78 in PPWS and 21 in MPF. GPS or satellite collaring is recommended to further understand Asian elephant movements across the Eastern Plains Landscape. As part of the WWF Greater Mekong 2011-2015 strategic plan Asian elephant population monitoring, using the same methodologies as in this study, will be repeated every 3-4 years. Read full report -----------Source: Thomas N.E. Gray, T.N.C. Vidya, Andrew L. Maxwell, D.K. Bharti, Sheetal Potdar, Phan Channa and Prum Sovanna. Using fecalDNA and capture-mark-recapture to establish a baseline Asian elephant population for the Eastern Plains Landscape, Cambodia.

(2011) WWF Greater Mekong Cambodia Country Program 23

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Rarest of the rare

Large softshell turtle caught in the Red River, Hanoi causes a stir

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ietnam, October 19, 2011 - A giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) residing in Hanoi, Vietnam gained international attention early this year following successful treatment after displaying potentially life threatening injuries. The individual in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem lake is extremely old, most likely a centenarian to which legends give mystical status. A sighting of the animal in Hanoi bringing good fortune to those who see it and too Vietnam.

Mr Nguyen Ba Toan with the recently caught turtle – photo Vietnam Net

But the animal is also a symbol of the plight of Vietnam’s wildlife, one of only four known examples of the species known in existence. Once common in the Red River delta of northern Vietnam and its range across into southern China, intensive hunting in the 1980’s and 1990’s combined with increasing agricultural conversion of lowland wetlands and intensive fishing throughout the species range has pushed these giant turtles to the brink of extinction.

The threat to the species was emphasised on the 12th of October 2011 when a fisherman, Mr Nguyen Ba Toan, in the Red River near the Chuong Duong bridge, Hanoi caught a large 22kg softshell turtle. The capture caused much excitement with many people initially believing he had caught another Rafetus swinhoei. On identification the species turned out to be a large Asiatic Softshell (Amyda cartilaginea) which occurs in southern Vietnam and elsewhere in southeast Asia but is not native to northern Vietnam or the Red River where this individual was caught. The animal is most likely an escapee from a farm or has been released.

180,000,000vnd ($8,000), apparently bought by a Chinese wildlife trader. Even though such an action is illegal under national law Decree 99/2009/ND-CP section 3 article 9 which protected CITES listed species meaning the fisherman could be potential be fine 200,000,000VND to 300,000,000VND ($10,000 – 15,000) (Decree 99/2009/ND-CP section 19 article 7a).

Sadly despite the species being considered endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on the red list of endangered species and protected from international trade under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) the local authorities did nothing to rescue the animal.

It was sold two days later for a staggering

Such neglect of wildlife and protection laws is an almost daily occurrence and it is widely acknowledge that Vietnam’s wildlife is facing an extinction crisis, as is seen in much of southeast Asia. 2010 saw the last of the last Vietnamese Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) hunted in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam, representing the loss of an entire sub-species and unless laws are

Markings at the front of the shell clearly identify this as an Amyda cartilaginea and not a Rafetus swinhoei Photo - VNexpress

enforced and protected areas protected many more extinctions are expected in the coming decades.

Fewer individuals of the Hoan Kiem Turtle species (Rafetus swinhoei) are believed to survive in the wild than other more charismatic and well known species such as the South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) which has only 59 captive animals or the Mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) of which 600 are estimated to survive. Yet rarely do these giant turtles which can reach over 150 kg in size gain international recognition. However during 2010 rescue and treatment of the large and locally famous individual in Hanoi, and during an operation estimated at costing over $400,000, the species did gain some 24

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Project updates PROJECT UPDATeS

Large softshell turtle....

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(Continued) attention although most of was captured and treated with unprecedented media attention.

lefantAsia (www.elefantasia.org): “Securing and Increasing Asian Elephant Populations in Laos through the Microchipping of Core Populations.”

ElefantAsia’s Elephant Mobile Libraries

It seems tragic that despite all the attention for the single individual in Hanoi little attention has been made by the national authorities to protect the species elsewhere in Vietnam. The only known wild population identified in 2007 at Dong Mo Lake just outside Hanoi still remain unprotected, no funding has been provided to the Forest Protection Department (FPD) or Fisheries Department (FD) to secure the site with activities fully dependant on NGO’s the local communities and lake owners who support conservation of the species. A newly constructed dam at Dong Mo Lake is not turtle proof and at present safety of the species is very much dependant on nets put in place by contentious lake owners to prevent any animals in the lake escaping through the dam once doors are opened to release water.

Reading is not common practise amongst the local people of the Lao PDR, illiteracy is high among rural communities, whilst resources remain scarce and when available are often uninspiring.

To promote literacy within the rural schools of Sayaboury province, ElefantAsia, working in partnership with nongovernmental organisations Room to Read and Action with Lao Children, and Lao business Xang Noi Publishing, has once again hit the open road with their Elephant Mobile Libraries.

The Elephant Mobile Libraries take an innovative approach to encourage literacy within schoolchildren by distributing Lao language resources using retired logging elephants. Capable of carrying up to 150kg, this making for a lot of books, delivery with elephants has dual purpose. Agile, elephants are able to access remote areas where roads and access routes are nonexistent allowing the Elephant Mobile Libraries to reach those schools most in need, whilst interaction with the elephants increases knowledge of the endangered species and understanding of elephant behaviour amongst both young people and local communities, this being particularly beneficial in areas experiencing human-elephant conflict.

With the only breeding pair of Rafetus swinhoei anywhere in the world maintained in China having laid infertile eggs for the fourth year in a row time is running out for this species. How long must we wait before positive action is taken to save this and other species, time is ticking away, and with rapid development and continued loss and degradation of habitat the clock is ticking faster than ever

ElefantAsia and partners conducted their first Elephant Mobile Library mission in 2010 in Sayaboury province and have since visited many rural schools across several districts within the province.

---------Source: Tim McCormack – Asian Turtle Program (ATP).

Tracy Brookshaw and mahout Mr Man deliver Lao language books with elephant Mae Boun Nam. Photo credit Sebastien Duffillot, ElefantAsia

Covering four schools over five days in October in 2011, elephants Mae Kham Ohn and Mae Boun Nam became ambassadors of knowledge while distributing resources 25

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ElefantAsia Elephant Mobile Libraries (continued) generously donated by project partners, together with ElefantAsia’s own book ‘Xang Phuan Keo’ an elephant book designed for children.

Amidst a sea of small awe-filled faces, an extended trunk presents each child with a storybook whilst the gift of knowledge is reciprocated by tiny hands offering the elephants pieces of sugarcane, bananas, bamboo and banana leaves, followed swiftly by a gracious Buddhist ‘nop’, this is the traditional greeting and way of giving thanks in Laos as hands are clasped together in front of body accompanied with a slight bowing of the head. On receipt of their books many of the children attentively read each page where they stand, whilst others simply clutch the book to their chest like a prized possession which in most cases it is, with the book most probably being the first item the child has ever owned.

An additional selection of books, learning cards and posters including ElefantAsia’s series of three elephant posters is presented to each participating school. Environmental awareness is actively promoted through the implementation of activities based on a ‘fun and learn’ philosophy with Room to Read Laotian staff facilitating drama, games and sing-along songs enjoyed by all.

The mission conducted in October reached close to 900 rural children meaning the Asian elephant was perceived in a positive light by many impressionable young minds.

ElefantAsia is currently working to implement further missions in early 2012.

In Sayaboury, the heartland of the Lao elephant, Lao girl reads her new book supplied by the elephants are a way Elephant Mobile Libraries. Photo credit Tracy of life, yet still are a Brookshaw, ElefantAsia source of curiosity and adoration. On hearing the tinkle of the bell hanging from the elephants neck, many families stop their activities and amble to the entrance of their homes to watch the elephants lumber by. Small children excitedly run to the fence line shouting ‘Xang, Xang, Xang!’ the word meaning elephant. The reaction from communities and the involvement of villagers during the Elephant Mobile Libraries instills a sense of the nations pride for their Asian elephant and the importance of this endangered species within their culture.

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he Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (www.cepf.net) is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the World Bank. A fundamental goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation.

CEPF began a $9.5 million five year investment plan in Indochina in July 2008, in partnership with BirdLife International, who provide the Regional Implementation Team (www.birdlifeindochina.org/ cepf). As the RIT in Indochina, BirdLife International will: raise awareness of CEPF; solicit grant applications and assist organisations to make applications; review applications; give small grants and jointly make decisions with CEPF on large grants; and monitor and evaluate progress with the investment strategy.

Link to ElefantAsia’s latest December newsletter --------------By Tracy Brookshaw, Communications Consultant, ElefantAsia Rural children read ElefantAsia book ‘Xang Phuan Keo’.

Photo credit Tracy Brookshaw, ElefantAsia

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of Kouprey persistence, based both on habitat type and survey effort to date. The overall goal of this project is to produce recommendations (including maps) of areas where follow-up surveys aimed specifically at detecting Kouprey persistence can be carried out.

The project has three main objectives, which were carried out by the Asian Wild Cattle Specialist Group (AWCSG) led by R. J. Timmins: (1) To review all recent survey efforts, primarily camera trap photos but also survey and patrol records from the Kouprey’s historical range to determine whether any Kouprey records had been overlooked.

This review work concentrated in Cambodia, where any lobal Wildlife Conservation (www. remaining Kouprey populations are most likely to be globalwildlife.org) Searching for the Last Kouprey found; (April - Oct 2010) (2) To assess areas of potentially suitable Kouprey habitat using remote sensing data, survey reports, and Kouprey (Bos sauveli) are currently listed as Critically other available data; and Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (3) To conduct a gap analysis, based on the results (Timmins et al. 2008) and will certainly go extinct in the from objectives (1) and (2), and identify regions with the near future unless effective action is taken immediately. highest likelihood of Kouprey persistence which would The primary threat to Kouprey is hunting for both form a set of high-priority sites for follow-up surveys. local consumption and the wildlife trade. Any extant populations are most likely to be greatly reduced and Additionally, the AWCSG gathered data on other fragmented and therefore at risk from the demographic wild cattle species, particularly Banteng (Bos javanicus) and genetic problems associated with small populations and Wild Water Buffalo (Bubalus arnee) but also Gaur (e.g., inbreeding, susceptibility to stochastic events).

(Bos gaurus). The review of previous survey efforts Ex situ conservation is not currently a possibility as no incidentally included data on the occurrence of these Kouprey are currently held in captivity. species, which can provide information on hunting pressure as well as a proxy for assessing Kouprey habitat Despite a growing concern that Kouprey may already suitability given the broad general overlap in regional be extinct, the 2008 Southeast Asian Wild Cattle wild cattle habitat requirements. Read full report Conservation Strategy Workshop determined this --------conclusion to be premature because species-specific Source: Global Wildlife Conservation survey efforts across the Kouprey’s range had not yet Photo source: www.cambodia.panda.org occurred (IUCN/SSC in review). They recommended that, prior to undertaking any additional surveys, all recent survey results be analyzed to identify regions within the Kouprey’s historical range with the highest probability

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PROJECT UPDATeS

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orld Pheasant Association (www.pheasant.org.uk) “Strategic planning to safeguard the Green Peafowl” (Feb - Jun 2011)

By the end of project, the World Pheasant Association has completed a report entitled “Status review and conservation strategy for the green peafowl”. The aim of this Status Review is to provide a summary of all the factors relevant to the conservation status of green peafowl Pavo muticus across its range, presented in the format proposed in Strategic Planning for Species Conservation: A Handbook (IUCN/SSC, 2008). This includes a description of historical and current conservation status and, where possible, information on its socio-economic and cultural importance to humans. There is a significant account of the species’ history in BirdLife International (2001) and so this is only summarised in this review. Current information seeks to build on a status review conducted at the 1st International Galliformes symposium in Malaysia in 1997 (see McGowan et al. 1998). Therefore, the emphasis is to provide new information that updates these two accounts. Read full report --------Source: World Pheasant Association Photo: Jonathan C. Eames

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nternational Centre for Environmental Management (ICEM www.icem.com.au) “Biodiversity and Development of the Hydropower Sector: Lessons from the Vietnam Experience” (Dec 2009 - Nov 2011) By the end of the project in 2011, ICEM has produced a set of materials on the biodiversity and development of hydropower in Vietnam which includes

Volume I: A Review of the Effects of Hydropower Development on Biodiversity Resources in Vietnam.

Targeted at civil society, Government and donors working within the fields of hydropower development and natural resources management, the document will be an accessible, practical overview of current knowledge on the relationship between hydropower development and the potential effects on biodiversity resources. Download here.

Volume II: Hydropower and Biodiversity - The use of SEA as an Assessment Tool. This volume is targeted at an audience of civil society, Government, donors, consultants and others involved in the assessment of biodiversity issues in the hydropower sector. Download here.

Volume III: Biodiversity and Hydropower Policy Brief. An overview of relevant biodiversity issues for those

PROJECT UPDATeS

carrying out assessments or studies relating to hydropower in Vietnam. It targets civil society, Government and donors and aims to be an accessible, practical summary of Volume I – which reviews current knowledge on the relationship between hydropower and its effects on biodiversity as distilled from a number of Strategic Environmental Assessments conducted in Vietnam.

Download here.

Volume IV: The use of SEA as an Assessment Tool Policy Brief. This policy brief summarises a simple and locally relevant SEA methodology that can be employed to evaluate the impacts of a hydropower development plans on biodiversity. The methodology is for use in the assessment of national, provincial or river basin level impacts on biodiversity. Based on Volume II, this paper provides a snapshot of practical guidance for the use of SEA as an assessment tool for assessing the effects of hydropower on biodiversity resources.

Download here.

Hydropower and Biodiversity: Lessons from the Vietnamese Experience CDROM. A CD-ROM containing all the project materials has been produced --------Source: www.icem.com.au Existing and proposed large hydropower reservoir development in Vietnam.

Source: ICEM

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PROJECT UPDATeS

Cooking for conservation...

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he Center for Water Resources Conservation and Development (www.warecod.org.vn) Conservation of Aquatic Resources in Northern Vietnam through Promotion of Community Co-Management As part of a project funded by CEPF to conserve fisheries resources in mountainous areas of northern Vietnam by

promoting models of community co-management, the Center for Water Resources Conservation and The Center for Water Resources Conservation and Development (WARECOD) in collaboration with People Committee of Na Hang town, Na Hang districts, Tuyen Quang province organised the contest: “Na Hang Kitchen King” on November 16th 2011. Aiming at communicating on resource protection, encouraging people to give up destructive fishing gear, honoring local food and women and promoting local cultural, the contest has attracted the attention of the communities, especially the local fishing community.

The contest was organised along with the solidarity festival in the 13 townships, and there were five groups: Village #2, Village# 5, Village# 6, Village# 13 and Village# 15. These groups include fishermen and fish-traders on the reservoir of Tuyen Quang hydroelectric dam. Three people in each team started a 120-minute cooking contest.

The dishes were made from local ingredients taken from the river. In addition to the delicious food, the team ensured hygiene and safety standards, a beautiful display and meaningful comments. All the groups did their best,

cheered on by many people, and came up with dishes that featured characteristics of Na Hang fisheries and food culture.

Besides the cooking contest, the volunteers of WARECOD also contributed a play to the local community: “Kitchen God” with the message: “No destructive fishing gear for the future of ourselves and the next generation”. These activities not only helped people have the opportunity to exchange and learn about the culinary culture of the lands they live, but also contributed to propagandize and raise their awareness on the protection of fisheries resources and water resources, the legal documents involved and the objectives of the project.

After the contest, government representatives and local communities sent thanks to WARECOD as well as the donor and desired to have more similar activities to raise awareness for people, helping them maintain cultural identity and protect the local natural resources ---------News and photo source: Hieu Nguyen, Linh Vu - WARECOD

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issouri Botanical Garden (www. missouribotanicalgarden.org) Assessment of the Status and Distribution of Globally Threatened Plant Species in Indochina

Over the past two years, under a grant from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) has been leading efforts for the nations of Indochina to analyze the conservation status of the region’s native plant species so that resources for species conservation can be prioritized. These threat assessments will help the countries accomplish Target 2 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, which aims to have an assessment of the conservation status of all known plant species, at the national, regional, and global levels, to guide conservation action. The collaborative project led by MBG brings together the conservation expertise and botanical resources of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), and collaborating botanical institutions and academic universities in the Indochina region, Australia, Europe, North America.

During the project’s first workshop, held in Hanoi on 1-4 December 2010, forty-five botanical experts used available species data to carry out assessments

PROJECT UPDATeS

based on the current IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Of the 200 species evaluated, two-thirds were classified as globally threatened with extinction. The principal threats to these species were identified to be over-exploitation and habitat loss and degradation. A second workshop organized by the project took place in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on 1-5 November 2011 to assess non-timber species such as aroids, gesneriads, gingers, impatiens, and orchids — components of the flora that are as important as the tree species. Thirtytwo botanical experts from ten countries (Vietnam, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Thailand, China, Singapore, Russia, United States, United Kingdom, and Denmark) attended the workshop. During the workshop, 317 species in 30 plant families were evaluated. The assessments indicated that 162 species (51%) are threatened, specifically, 49 critically endangered species, 60 endangered species and 53 vulnerable species.

The project will make the assessments available on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (www.iucnredlist. org) in order to empower local people and national governments to achieve three important goals: to utilize this scientifically sound baseline knowledge effectively to guide conservation decision-making and planning, to raise awareness of threatened plant species, and to promote the integration of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in the region --------Source: Jacintos C. Regalado Jr., Project Manager, Missouri Botanical Garden Left photo: Botanical experts on Indochina flora gathered in Chiang Mai, Thailand in November 2011 for a Red Listing workshop.

Right photos: (top to down, left to right) An Orchid Paphiopedilum micranthum, an aroid (Hapaline locii) and a pitcher plant (Nepenthes thorelii) is an example of the dozens of Critically Endangered species assessed during the workshop.

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Tin Htar Swe <tin.htar.swe@bbc.co.uk>, sandrawin@gmail.comnnv

Project news

Judges and Prosecutors meet to improve enforcement of wildlife crimes in Northeastern Vietnam development, many methods need to be done at the same time; among which, it is very important to detect and handle wildlife crimes timely, completely, strictly in accordance with the law.

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ildlife Conservation Society (www. wcs.org) Building Awareness and Capacity to Reduce the Illegal Cross-Border Trade of Wildlife From Vietnam to China On November 30, 2011, in Do Son, Hai Phong city, with the approval of the Supreme People’s Procuracy; Procuracy Magazine and Vietnam program of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), cooperated to organize a scientific workshop on “Criminal sanctions for crimes and violations of regulations on

protecting rare and precious wildlife”.

Workshop “Handling crimes and violations of regulations on wildlife protection” was held with the purpose of exchanging and providing information, helping raise awareness of prosecutors and judges about the importance of wildlife conservation and threats emerging from wildlife crimes. The workshop was also a chance for offices in different levels to share their difficulties and problems in the perception and appliance of regulations on handling crimes; exchange and share practical experiences among units and experts in this field.

In the workshop, delegates from the Procuracy, the Judge, CITES management authority as well as foreign experts agreed that, Vietnam is one of the countries where biodiversity is very high with 12,000 different species of animal. However, this ecosystem is threatened seriously and many species of wildlife are on the brink of extinction. The main reason is increasing illegal trading and hunting. Therefore, to protect and conserve the ecosystem and contribute to sustainable

The speeches at the workshop analyzed and assessed current situation and results of detecting and handling violations of regulations on protecting wildlife through real experiences in provinces such as Hai Phong, Quang Ninh and Lang Son where there are many illegal wildlife trading and transporting activities recently; some cases related to a large volume of illegal products.

Some speeches clarified theoretical and practical issues of the perception and

appliance of current regulations, provided recommendations to add, change and complete the regulations to make them applicable and realistic; shared experience in fighting, detecting and handling these violations and crimes.

Mr. Nguyen Huy Mien, a Prosecutor from the Supreme People’s procuracy, who is also the Editor in chief of Procuracy Journal said: “Cross border wildlife trading and transporting lines are very tricky with many ways of concealment, especially like taking advantage of the policy of “temporary import, re-export”. To protect wildlife in particular and the environment in general, Vietnam developed some specific policies on the management of trade in wild species of fauna and flora. However, in reality, it is difficult to handle these crimes and violations. The responsibilities of prosecutors in different levels, therefore, need improvement. More attention should be paid to strengthening national management of wildlife, raising responsibilities and cooperation among international and national authority offices in different levels”.

In his speech, Mr. Pham Minh Tuyen, Deputy chief justice of the People’s court of Bac Ninh said: “There are still many 31

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Project news

Judges and Prosecutors....

(Continued)

limitations in handling cases in accordance with the law. The number of illegal wildlife trading cases account for only 10% of the actual number in the reality. The main reason is that investigating agencies can only prosecute the cases not the individuals, the legal framework of wildlife management and protection is not coherent and consistent, the cooperation in law enforcement is not effective”.

According to Dr. Scott Roberton, Country representative of WCS Vietnam, “We should start with looking at the prosecution of wildlife crimes in a different way. Wildlife crimes have a close relation with other crimes mentioned in the Criminal code like bribes for law enforcement officers, transporting, storing and using weapons, smuggling prohibited products, violating border regulations, tax evasion,...

Wildlife trade is an organized crime, so prosecution offices and judges have to spend a lot of effort in detecting effectively and handling the cases seriously”.

Background information: • The workshop is within the framework of the program “Minimize illegal trade in protected wildlife through Vietnam- China border”. The project is sponsored by CEPF (Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund).

• The workshop called the attendance of nearly 50 delegates from key provinces in wildlife smuggling like Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Lang Son. Participants are the Procuracies, the Courts of Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Bac Ninh, delegates from agencies in the Supreme People’s procuracy, CITES management authority, Department of biodiversity conservation and some foreign experts in conservation field ----------News and photo source: Le Minh Thao, Program officer, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) - Vietnam Program

FPT And WCS Join Hand To Protect Wildlife

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ildlife Conservation Society (www.wcs.org) Leveraging support from the Vietnamese corporate sector to reduce illegal consumption of protected threatened species Hanoi 26th October 2011 - Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Vietnam Program and FPT launched an innovative campaign to reduce the consumption of protected wildlife by FPT staff. The “Go For Zero consumption of protected wildlife” campaign is the first of its kind in Vietnam and marks a new direction and unprecedented collaboration with the private sector in wildlife conservation.

Mr. Truong Gia Binh (CEO, FPT), Mrs. Truong Thi Thanh Thanh (Vice CEO FPT), Dr Scott Roberton (WCS Country Representative), Miss Victoria Kwakwa (Director, World Bank Vietnam) joined forces with ‘Miss Vietnam’ Dang Ngoc Han, the campaign ambassador and Vietnam Idol Winner 2010 Uyen Linh to officially launch the campaign.

Miss Vietnam 2010 (second) and Vietnam Idol 2010 (fourth) at the event.

Illegal wildlife trade is the main threat to wildlife in Vietnam and across the region

Mrs. Truong Thi Thanh Thanh and Dr Scott Roberton shake hands to protect wildlife in Vietnam. pushing many species towards extinction. Research has shown that the business sector is a main consumer of protected wildlife in Vietnam. They either don’t care or don’t know that consuming wildlife is illegal, dangerous to their health, supports organized crime, threatens local livelihoods and the very existence of Vietnam’s natural heritage. The “Go For Zero” campaign will raise awareness of FPTers on wildlife conservation issues and provide guidance on how to ensure compliance with national laws on wildlife consumption.

“Joining “Go For Zero”, we, FPT, really desire to do our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through real actions such as raising awareness of wildlife protection for FPT staff, contributing to environment protection. It also matches with company’s Corporate Social Responsibility policy is to become a “Green Company””, said Mrs. Truong Thi Thanh Thanh – Vice CEO of FPT. The co-operation between FPT and WCS will presents an innovative approach that aims to reduce wildlife consumption 32

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Project news

FPT And WCS Join..(continued) through a series of activities of preventing FPT staffs from illegally consuming protected wildlife animals. A commitment to wildlife conservation would form a key part of a company’s Corporate Social Responsibility policy (CSR) that will present an image of a modern, progressive, company favorable to international partners, customers and media coverage”, Wildlife conservation in Vietnam is at a critical crossroads – the status quo must change. The extinction of the Rhino and the continued decline of other species are evidence that conservation approaches to date have not worked. FPT’s participation in this pioneering campaign is a major positive boost for wildlife in Vietnam and a sign that the private sector is starting to realise that taking positive social and environmental actions is good business said Dr. Scott Roberton, Country Representative of WCS Vietnam.

FPT is leading the Vietnamese corporate sector in the area of wildlife conservation and along with WCS, FPT will raise staff’s awareness, using their internal newspapers, posters throughout the offices, competitions, wildlife videos amongst other activities. This event is one of a series of events belonging to WCS’s project “Leveraging support from the Vietnamese corporate sector to reduce consumption of protected threatened species” funded by Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) --------------Source: Le Minh Thao, Program officer, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) - Vietnam Program

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ducation for Nature-Vietnam - ENV (www.envietnam.org) “Strengthening Public Participation in Tackling the Wildlife Trade in Vietnam”

Final Report: Securing the future for

Gurney’s Pitta and its forest habitat

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he Endangered Gurney’s Pitta (Pitta gurneyi) is the only bird endemic to the Thai/Burmese Peninsula.

Its lowland Sundaic forest habitat is threatened, largely by oil palm and rubber plantation. The original project developed methods to restore critical areas of nesting habitat and raised important questions about the species’ altitudinal and latitudinal limits. This project has addressed the problem of loss of lowland tropical forest through reforestation from an established nursery and awareness raising with local communities. It has also significantly filled in gaps in knowledge of the entire distribution of Gurney’s Pitta in Myanmar and central Thailand. Read full report --------------Source: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Photo: Cover of BCST Bird Bulletin June 2011. Distributed to all BCST members and other organisations in Thailand

ENV has released the December issue of Wildlife Crime Bulletin. The main features in this issue: Ha Long bears - A simple question of law made difficult. Download the newsletter here 33

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REVIEWS

WILD MEKONG New species in 2010 from the forest, wetlands and waters of the Greater Mekong, Asia’s land of rivers

within the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia that spans Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the south-western Chinese province of Yunnan. The report reveals an average of one new species recorded by science every two days in the region. Read full report --------Source: www.wwf.panda.org

say the monkey can be spotted with its head between its knees in wet weather to avoid rain running into its upturned nose.

GREATER MEKONG REPORT

A staggering array of 28 reptiles was also newly discovered in 2010, including an all-female lizard (Leiolepis ngovantrii) in Vietnam that reproduces via cloning without the need for male lizards. Five species of carnivorous pitcher plants were also discovered across Thailand and Cambodia, with some species capable of luring in and consuming small rats, mice, lizards and even birds.

“While the 2010 discoveries are new to science, many are already destined for the dinner table, struggling to survive in shrinking habitats and at risk of extinction.” added Chapman.

Wild Mekong

New species in 2010 from the forests, wetlands and waters of the Greater Mekong, Asia’s land of rivers

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ietnam , 12 December 2011 - A new monkey, a selfcloning skink, five carnivorous plants, and a unique leaf warbler are among the 208 species newly described by science in the Greater Mekong region in 2010 and highlighted in a new WWF report, Wild Mekong.

Among the ten species highlighted in the WWF report is the snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri). Found in Myanmar’s remote and mountainous Kachin state, locals

The extinction of the Javan rhino in Vietnam, recently confirmed by WWF, is one tragic indicator of the decline of biodiversity in the region. The Mekong’s wild places and wildlife are under extreme pressure from rapid, unsustainable development and climate change.

“The region’s treasure trove of biodiversity will be lost if governments fail to invest in the conservation and maintenance of biodiversity, which is so fundamental to ensuring long-term sustainability in the face of global environmental change,” concluded Chapman.

Wild Mekong spotlights 10 species newly identified by science, among the 145 plants, 28 reptiles, 25 fish, 7 amphibians, 2 mammals, and 1 bird all discovered in 2010

A new psychedelic gecko species was discovered this past year on Hon Khoai Island,18 km off the southern tip of the Ca Mu Peninsula in southern Vietnam. The new species is unique in that it displays a remarkable psychedelic pattern of bright orange appendages; a dense, yellow neck overlying thick, black, lines; and a blue-gray body bearing yellow bars on its bright-orange sides.

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Impacts of warming on lowland forests

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efore the end of this century, tropical rainforests will be subject to climatic conditions that have not existed anywhere on Earth for millions of years. These forests are the most species-rich ecosystems in the world and play a crucial role in regulating carbon and water feedbacks in the global climate system; therefore, it is important that the probable impacts of anthropogenic climate change are understood. However, the recent literature shows a striking range of views on the vulnerability of tropical rainforests, from least to most concern among major ecosystems. This review, which focuses on the impact of rising temperatures, examines the evidence for and against high vulnerability, identiďŹ es key research needs for resolving current differences and suggests ways of mitigating or adapting to potential impacts.. Read full review --------Source: Richard T. Corlett. Impacts of warming on lowland forests. Trends in Ecology and Evolution November 2011, Vol. 26, No. 11

PUBLICATIONS

Historical and current status of vultures in Myanmar

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oncerns for the longterm survival of vulture populations on the Indian Subcontinent, owing to widespread poisoning by the veterinary drug diclofenac, have led to increased conservation focus on South-East Asian countries where diclofenac is not used and relict populations of vultures occur. The authors document here how Whiterumped, Slender-billed and Redheaded Vultures have declined substantially in abundance and contracted in range in Myanmar over the last 50 years.

Using a vulture restaurant method they determined that the population of vultures in Myanmar is at least 136 individuals, made up of at least: 62 White-rumped Vultures, 21 Slender-billed Vultures, 51 Himalayan Vultures and two Red-headed Vultures. The decline in the resident Gyps species is most likely due to declines in wild ungulate populations.

The population estimates are provisional and the survey covered only a proportion of the possible vulture range within Myanmar. Himalayan Vultures were not recorded in Myanmar in historical times, and possible reasons for the recent upsurge in records are discussed. Myanmar presents an opportunity of global significance for vulture conservation, due to the persistence of three Critically Endangered vulture species in a country where diclofenac is not used. Read full paper -----------Source: Htin Hla, Nay Myo Shwe, Thura Win Htun, Sao Myo Zaw, Simon Mahood, Jonathan C. Eames and John D. Pilgrim. Historical and current status of vultures in Myanmar. Bird Conservation International December 2011 21 : pp 376-387 Photo: Red-headed vultures (Jonathan C. Eames)

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PHOTO SPOT

Greater Adjutant Leptoptilos dubius

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his species was previously widespread and common across much of South and continental Southeast Asia but declined dramatically during the first half of the 20th century. It is known to breed only in India (at least 650-800 birds in Assam), and at Prek Toal on the Tonle Sap Lake shore (c. 50 pairs) and Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary (c. 15-20 pairs), in Cambodia. The species is a known carrion feeder, and since 2006 birds have been visiting the vulture restaurant at Western Siem Pang. A group of five birds were present in that year, and numbers have steadily increased since then with up to 44 birds present in 2011. These photographs of a group of five, all immature birds were taken on 7 October 2011. Birds begin to appear in Western Siem Pang June to August, with numbers gradually increasing to a peak in October. They then rapidly move away. The pattern of occurrence is strongly suggestive of wandering individuals that breed elsewhere in Cambodia. Although Western Siem Pang appears to be only a part of the nonbreeding range of the species, the increasing numbers are very encouraging, and with appropriate protection it is possible that a colony might establish in the future ------------Photos: Jonathan C. Eames

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From the archives

World Press Photo of the Year 2011 winner

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rent Stirton of South Africa, a Getty Images photographer working for National Geographic magazine, has won first prize Nature Stories for the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rhino Warsâ&#x20AC;? series. The picture shows a female rhino in Tugela Private Game Reserve, Colenso, Natal, South Africa, November 9, 2010, that four months earlier survived a brutal dehorning by poachers who used a chainsaw to remove her horns and a large section of bone in that area of her skull. The female rhino survived the dehorning and has joined up with a male bull who now accompanies her. Rhino horn is now worth more than gold on the international market. South Africa alone has lost more than 400 rhino to illegal poaching incidents in 2011. The demand for Rhino horn is fuelled by a wealthy Asian middle and upper class and used overwhelmingly as medication -------Source: The Telegraph Photo: REUTERS/Brent Stirton/Getty Images

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