The Babbler 47

The Babbler

Number 47 (July - September) 2013

After considering a report by Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Prime Minister of Vietnam, Nguyen Tan Dung, has agreed to cancel the controversial Dong Nai 6 and 6A hydropower projects due to environmental concerns.

Cat Tien National Park. Photo: Jonathan C. Eames

CONTENTS

The Babbler

Number 47 (July - September) 2013

In this issue Feature

First Steps - Five years of CEPF investment

Page 3

Regional News Page 8

IBA News Page 22

Rarest of the Rare

Partnership for nature and people TRAFFIC - Rhino horn consumers, who are they?

Rhino poaching hits new levels in South Africa New shrew species found in Vietnam Reforestation of vital Cambodian habitat Spoon-billed Sandpiper sighting Prime Minister of Vietnam cancels two controversial hydro projects Swift action saves Koh T'beng in the Sekong River The fate of two Giant Ibis nests at Western Siem Pang

Page 26

Project Updates

CEPF - Regional Implementation Team updates

Page 27

Personal Profile

Sun Mao: Effort to save the Mekong Biodiversity

Page 47

Grantee Profile

Green Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID)

Page 47

Just Published Page 48

August edition of the Cambodia Journal of Natural History released

BirdLife Vietnam Programme Office Room 401, B1 Building, Van Phuc Diplomatic Compound; 298 Kim Ma Street, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi, Vietnam Tel: +844 35 14 8903

BirdLife Cambodia Programme Office #9, Street 29 Tonle Bassac, Chamkarmon, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. PO Box: 2686 Tel/Fax: +855 23 993 631

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COMMENT

As we were going to press we learnt of the decision of the Government of Vietnam to cancel the dams threatening Cat Tien National Park. According to Tuoi Tre News, “After considering a report by Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has agreed to cancel the Dong Nai 6 and 6A hydropower projects due to environmental concerns.” This is a victory for all those who campaigned against the dams, which if built would have destroyed the unique floodplain lake of Bao Sao, a Ramsar site located in the heart of Cat Tien National Park.

Despite this victory for conservation a second Important Bird and Biodiversity Area is currently threatened by a hydropower dam project. The proposed Drang Phok hydropower dam project will destroy 59 ha of forest within Yok Don National Park according to Tran Van Thanh, acting director of the national park.

Whilst 59 ha is only a small proportion of the protected area, it is a critically important and irreplaceable 59 ha because it comprises riverine forest, which is rapidly disappearing from the region and the community of animals and plants it supports, including the globally Endangered Masked Finfoot Heliopais personatus. A bird species now so rare it is virtually undetectable except at a handful of known localities and a species for which we were not able to make any investment under CEPF funding because not one site is known to support a viable population. Tran Van Thanh has threatened to resign if this dam goes ahead. Let’s give him our full support to make sure the dam project is cancelled and he does not resign! Good protected area directors like Thanh are even rarer than Masked Finfoots.

According to the Phnom Penh Post, the Government of Cambodia’s latest fiveyear strategy calls for a complete halt to economic land concessions (ELCs) and an inquiry into those still in the pipeline. I absolutely agree and hope that, with the Pchum Ben holiday behind us, the government will begin by reviewing the 150,000 ha Green Sea Industries ELC in Siem Pang District in Stung Treng province, which is over ten times the legal maximum size.

Photographs: above Jeremy Holden, left Ben Swanepoel

The Babbler is the quarterly newsletter of BirdLife International in Indochina. The 47th edition of the Babbler was compiled by Tracy Brookshaw and edited by Jonathan C. Eames. The views expressed are those of contributors and are not necessarily those of BirdLife International.

At the end of September I participated in a workshop in Hanoi to develop an action plan for the Critically Endangered Edwards’s Pheasant Lophura edwardsi as part of a BirdLife/CEPF small grant to Newcastle University, UK. I was so pleased to see the meeting so well attended and was personally very pleased that a decision was taken to establish an Edwards’s Pheasant Working Group.

A coordinated and broadly based response offers the best hope of saving this species form extinction. Now someone has to go find a population.

Jonathan C. Eames OBE BirdLife International

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FEATURE

First steps After five years of CEPF investment managed by BirdLife, an increasingly confident and active conservation community is emerging in the Indo-Burma hotspot At the end of February, well into the dry season, the primary nesting species at the Western Siem Pang Important Bird and Biodiversity Area in Cambodia include the Critically Endangered White-shouldered Ibis Pseudibis davisoni and the Vulnerable Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus. Not long ago, people who stumbled over their nests would have taken the eggs and nestlings as food, but since 2012, local teams trained by a Cambodian NGO, the Sam Veasna Center for Wildlife Conservation, have been helping the BirdLife Cambodia Programme to locate, protect and monitor the nests.

Between December 2012 and February 2013, local teams at Western Siem Pang discovered 15 White-shouldered Ibis nests, which were visited by local monitors several times a week. By March, ten of the 22 chicks had fledged. Over the same period, more than 400 people from six villages attended meetings to encourage them to help conserve these and other species that have their strongholds in Western Siem Pang.

This work (a BirdLife/CEPF small grant project) is just one of the projects funded by a five year US$ 9.8 million Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) investment in the IndoBurma biodiversity hotspot. Small grant projects were contracted directly by BirdLife, using money provided by CEPF to be awarded at BirdLife’s discretion. To date BirdLife has contracted over US$ 1.3 million for 83 small grants.

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In Cambodia, the population of Whiteshouldered Ibis is showing signs of stabilisation as a result of nest protection All images by Jonathan C. Eames

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FEATURE Since July 2008, BirdLife International and CEPF have made 120 grants to 53 organisations to implement conservation projects in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Collectively, these grants have helped support the conservation of populations of 20 threatened species from overexploitation and illegal trade, strengthened the management of conservation areas covering more than 2.1 million hectares, established new Protected Areas to fill key gaps in the region, integrated biodiversity-friendly management practices into the fisheries, forestry and agriculture sectors, and delivered tangible livelihood benefits to more than 100 rural communities.

The concept of the biodiversity hotspot was defined in 1988 by ecologist Norman Myers, as a way of focusing scarce conservation resources where they could do most good. The 34 recognised hotspots cover just 2.3 per cent of the world’s land area, yet hold over 50 per cent of all plant species, and 42 per cent of terrestrial vertebrates.

Each hotspot faces extreme threats and has already lost at least 70 percent of its original natural vegetation.

With only five per cent of its natural habitat remaining, the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot is among the most threatened of all. According to the BirdLife/CEPF Project Manager Jonathan C. Eames OBE the prospects for bird and other species at risk of extinction in the hotspot are dire. “CEPF has been an important donor to the sector in the region over the last five years, because during a global recession there has been little investment in biodiversity by other donors. But an investment of just under US$ 10 million is a drop in the ocean compared to the investments in sectors like hydro-power and plantation agriculture which are driving habitat destruction in the region.”

The Babbler 47 World Bank, provides grants for NGOs, civil society organisations and the private sector to help conserve biodiversity hotspots. CEPF’s investments are based on an 'ecosystem profile', which presents an overview of the region in terms of its biodiversity conservation importance, the major causes of biodiversity loss, the socioeconomic context, and current conservation investments. The profile provides a suite of measurable conservation outcomes, and identifies funding gaps and opportunities for investment, which combine conservation and sustainable development.

CEPF’s investment strategy for Indo-Burma was based on an ecosystem profile developed in 2003 and coordinated by BirdLife International, in collaboration with the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BirdLife Partner), Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden, and the WWF Cambodia Programme, with support from the Center for Applied Biodiversity Science at Conservation International. More than 170 stakeholders from civil society, government, and donor institutions were consulted during the preparation of the profile.

The profile focused on two large landscapes: the Northern Highlands Limestone Corridor bordering China and Vietnam, and the Mekong River and Major Tributaries Corridor, which stretches across Cambodia, Laos and Thailand and includes the best examples of Indochina’s remaining riverine ecosystems. Within these landscapes, 28 Key Biodiversity Areas and 83 globally threatened species were identified as priorities for CEPF funding.

The Indo-Burma hotspot encompasses parts of southern China, most of Myanmar (Burma), and the whole of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. It includes several major mountain ranges, extensive areas of limestone karst, and five of Asia’s largest rivers, their floodplains and deltas, and the Tonle Sap Lake, South-East Asia’s largest and most productive freshwater lake. Indo-Burma already holds more people than any other hotspot, and is undergoing rapid population growth and economic development. The two greatest immediate threats facing the region’s natural ecosystems are habitat loss and overexploitation of plant and animal species. These threats can have impacts far beyond the region. “For example, Vietnamese demand for rhino horn is what is currently causing two rhinos per day to be poached in South Africa”, says Jonathan Eames.

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the Japanese Government, the MacArthur Foundation and the

Saola was only discovered in 1992 and has only been seen a handful of times since

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FEATURE CEPF appointed BirdLife to provide the Regional Implementation Team (RIT), a key role which involves converting the ecosystem profile into a cohesive portfolio of grants, and coordinating and connecting the work of different projects and organisations to achieve maximum impact. “The RIT is selected through a competitive process. We felt BirdLife had the experience and was the best qualified in the region to tackle this role”, explains CEPF Grant Director Jack Tordoff.

The RIT faced the task of engaging civil society in biodiversity conservation in a region where the operating environment, especially for local groups, can be very challenging and where local civil society is very small. In Laos, for example, local NGOs have only been permitted to register and operate as independent entities since 2009.

“It’s important to appreciate the very small size of civil society in the region”, Jonathan Eames says. “In Laos, we awarded grants to the only two local civil society organisations currently operating. The larger has a professional staff of two, no professional finance manager, and no membership. Given the scale of the threats to biodiversity, local civil society can have most impact by acting in partnership with other local and international NGOs. “With CEPF support, we have tested and refined a growing number of conservation approaches, including that of having a large ‘anchor’ project led by an international NGO together with a number of smaller complementary ‘satellite’ projects involving local civil society. This approach has been particularly successful.” BirdLife helped build the confidence and capacity of existing groups by actively seeking out those working in or around CEPF priority sites, providing hands-on support with project design and management, and forging alliances between local groups and international NGOs working in the same geographic areas.

White-eared Night-herons are also benefitting from nest protection

The stakeholder consultations held as part of the process to update the ecosystem profile in 2011, provided a further opportunity to reach out to a greater number of local organisations. The impact of this exercise is reflected in the response to

the fourth call for proposals for grants in July 2012, when 23 of the 48 applicant organisations had never applied for CEPF grants before.

The grants were of two kinds. Large grants of over US$ 20,000 were made to international and national NGOs, academia and the private sector, and were awarded by the CEPF Secretariat in consultation with BirdLife. Small grants of up to US$ 20,000 to international and local NGOs, community groups and individuals were awarded directly by BirdLife.

From a total of 309 applications, almost equally divided between international and local organisations, 43 large grants and 81 small grants were awarded between 2008 and 2012. The proportion of successful applications from local groups rose steadily through the four rounds of applications: in the first call, 12 were from local and 14 from international groups, but by the fourth round, 18 were from local and six from international groups. Over the course of the five years, 30 local civil society organisations received grants directly, and 31 were engaged by sub-granting or mentoring by larger organisations.

Conservation activities targeted for CEPF grants include efforts to safeguard globally threatened species; developing locally-led approaches to site-based conservation; and engaging key stakeholders in reconciling biodiversity conservation and development objectives. CEPF grants have helped to protect 28 core populations of 20 animal species. With BirdLife’s guidance, CEPF has invested over $2 million in work to benefit all the Critically Endangered (and many Endangered) birds in the hotspot, including conservation planning for wintering Spoonbilled Sandpipers Eurynorhynchus pygmeus in the Mekong Delta (through a grant to Birds Russia), assessments of the status of the endemic Edwards’s Pheasant Lophura edwardsi in Vietnam, and monitoring trends in the population of the Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis, its conservation ecology, and how its needs can be accommodated in community forest management.

In Cambodia, populations of Critically Endangered and Endangered birds including Giant Ibis Thaumatibis gigantea, White-shouldered Ibis, Greater Adjutant L. dubius, Sarus Crane Grus antigone and White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis, Slenderbilled Vulture Gyps tenuirostris and Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus are showing signs of stabilisation following initiation of nest protection, and (in the case of the vultures) supplementary feeding. In Cambodia’s Mekong Delta region, Sarus Cranes at Boeung Prek Lapouv and Kampong Trach are benefitting from community outreach and enforcement patrolling. Nest protection activities have been initiated for White-eared Night Herons Gorsachius magnificus in Vietnam’s Ba Be-Na Hang forest complex.

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FEATURE In Cambodia, core populations of several turtle species have benefited from community patrolling and snare removal activities, including the Endangered Yellowheaded Temple Turtle Hieremys annandalii. A population of Endangered Asian Giant Softshell Turtle Pelochelys cantorii is recovering through nest protection and “headstarting” (captive hatching and rearing to get them past the most vulnerable stages in their life cycles, before they are released into the wild).

Parts of the Indo-Burma hotspot, such as the Eastern Plains of Cambodia, are of global importance for the conservation of wild cattle, including more than 50% of the world population of Banteng Bos javanicus, and the rapidly declining Indochinese subspecies of the Vulnerable Gaur Bos gaurus. CEPF-funded teams have been searching for Endangered wild Water Buffalo Bubalus arnee, and any remaining population of the Kouprey Bos sauveli, which is now considered Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct). A core population of the flagship mammal species of the hotspot, the forest-dwelling, antelope-like Saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensi, first described in 1992 and now considered Critically Endangered, has been the focus of a project at Phou Sithone Endangered Species Conservation Area through anti-poaching measures and establishment of a protected area. Similar measures are helping protect three populations of Saola in Vietnam.

Elsewhere in Vietnam, core populations of the Critically Endangered Black Nomascus concolor and Cao Vit N. nasutus Crested Gibbons, Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Rhinopithecus avunculus and Endangered François’s Leaf Monkey Trachypithecus francoisi are being protected by trained patrols and the development of species conservation action plans. At Son Tra Nature Reserve, low-impact tourism is being developed to help conserve the Red-shanked Douc Langur Pygathrix nemaeus. Specially trained wardens provide intensive protection for the Cat Ba Langur Trachypithecus poliocephalus poliocephalus, a candidate for the world’s most threatened primate with a population of around 50, and individuals from a vulnerable outlying islet have been translocated to the more secure sanctuary on Vietnam’s Cat Ba island.

The Babbler 47 (dragonfly) and 252 species of aquatic plants. The results of this assessment, by the IUCN Species Programme, have been widely disseminated in hard-copy and online formats, and will be used to integrate the values of aquatic biodiversity into development planning, particularly in the energy sector.

Four public awareness campaigns have been conducted in Vietnam to reduce consumer demand for wildlife and enlist support for combating the illegal wildlife trade. In Quang Ninh province, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has implemented technical training and workshops to build awareness and capacity of local authorities to reduce cross-border trade in wildlife from Vietnam to China. Similar training has been conducted in Ha Tinh province, aimed at reducing the illegal trade of wildlife from Laos to Vietnam, within the framework of a Fauna & Flora International (FFI) project. This work has been supported by journalist workshops, conducted by local NGO Center for People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature), to increase accurate media coverage and strengthen public support for the implementation of wildlife protection laws. Another local NGO, Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV), has built a network of more than 3,000 in 32 cities who monitor establishments known to have illegally traded wildlife.

Local stakeholder-based conservation management and caretaking initiatives are underway at 12 of the 28 priority sites. In the Mekong River and Major Tributaries

Red List assessments of 511 species of terrestrial plants have been completed, and the results submitted to the IUCN Species Programme. This initiative, coordinated by Missouri Botanical Garden, has been successful in building a network of experts in plant taxonomy and conservation, who will compile the basis of a regional Red List authority for plants.

Red List assessments have also been completed for four freshwater groups, comprising 1,178 species of fish, 430 species of mollusc, 473 species of odonate

Cambodia's vultures are faring slightly better than their Indian counterparts thanks to supplemental feeding and absence of diclofenac

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FEATURE Corridor, community fisheries management has been established in several villages, and community patrolling is in place to protect the biodiversity values of key sites. A project to pilot the FairWild standard for sustainable and equitable harvest of wild medicinal and aromatic plants is underway at Ban Thi-Xuan Lac KBA, where local plant collectors from seven villages have obtained legal licenses for their activities.

CEPF investments in site-based conservation are not limited to the 28 priority sites, because many initiatives to conserve priority species also involve site-based interventions. Overall, 2,105,874 hectares have received strengthened protection and management as a result of CEPF funding. In addition, protected areas totalling 34,044 hectares have been established with support from CEPF grants. These include several conventional, government-managed protected areas, and a larger number of community-managed protected areas, including 1,773 hectares of community forest along the Central Section of the Mekong River, and fish conservation zones in the Sekong Basin of Lao PDR and along the upper Mekong River between Lao PDR and Thailand. Grantees report a total of 36,129 hectares in production landscapes with

improved management for biodiversity conservation.

CEPF grantees have so far analysed three hydropower development plans, evaluated their impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services, and proposed alternative scenarios.

In 2011, recognising emerging new threats to biodiversity, not from least hydropower development, economic land concessions, mining and climate change, the ecosystem profile was updated through a participatory process engaging more than 470 experts from across the region, and funded by the MacArthur, Margaret A. Cargill and McKnight Foundations and CEPF. In 2013, CEPF announced a second phase of funding, which will commit a further US$ 10 million to work in the region, and extend the work beyond the four countries currently targeted to China and Myanmar.

“While threats to biodiversity in the Indo-Burma Hotspot have intensified, the effectiveness of the conservation response has probably improved”, said Eames.

“Thanks to CEPF, the last five years have seen the continued emergence of a broader, more active and more confident conservation community in the IndoBurma Hotspot. We see local civil society most active in areas where international organisations are not, such as supporting livelihood-based conservation interventions, advocacy and education. Importantly too, the project has enabled local civil society organisations to form networks with partners not only in their own countries, but across the region.

"But while the work has been very worthwhile, and has for example given us a much better understanding of the status and threats to Critically Endangered birds, more resources and effort are needed to secure their future. We know that Cambodia’s Bengal Floricans, two thirds of the global population, will be extinct within nine years if their habitat continues to be converted at the current rate. When we did the first ecosystem profile in 2003, hydropower and economic land concessions for rubber and oil palm were not issues; now they are among the major threats, together with increasing levels of wildlife trade.

The challenge going forward will be to take these approaches to scale, mainstream them into policy, and expand the strong foundation of capacity and partnerships among civil society organisations that has emerged over the last five years.”

Source: Nick Langley for WorldBirdwatch

LEFT: Indochinese Silvered Leaf Monkey is one of several primate species benefitting from CEPF funding RIGHT: The regions forests are in dire need of protection

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REGIONAL NEWS

RHINO HORN CONSUMERS, WHO ARE THEY? Demand for rhino horn as a luxury purchase by upper-middle class citizens in Vietnam, including professional businessmen, celebrities and Government officials, has been identified as the strongest driver of the current rhino poaching crisis. More than 500 rhinos have been killed in South Africa alone within the first half of 2013.

A consumer research study, conducted in 2013, surveyed 720 individuals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and discovered that rhino horn users value this item because of its significance from a social point of view. Buyers and users of rhino horn form a powerful social network consisting of important individuals with whom it is crucial to maintain good relationships. Rhino horns are sometimes bought for the sole purpose of being gifted to others; to family members, business colleagues or people in positions of authority. Those purchasing rhino horn believe that owning rhino horn, as well as being able to purchase it for others, reaffirms their social status and strengthens the bonds among peers within their particular network. People involved in these activities are usually familiar with each other and trusted within their social circle, even though, they are engaging in an illegal activity.

PHOTO CREDIT: UN TV/CITES

©MARTIN HARVEY/WWF

Demand for rhino horn as a luxury purchase by upper-middle class citizens in Viet Nam, including professional businessmen, celebrities

DID YOU KNOW? and Government officials, has been identified as the strongest driver Main users of rhino horn tend to be men over the age of 40 Buyers of rhino horn are often women in their 50s who are supplying their families Only 35% of the people surveyed said they would never buy or consume rhino horn The most popular perceived benefit of rhino horn use is emotional; this symbol of wealth and power is also strongly associated with success and therefore asserts one’s social standing

(Results from consumer research commissioned by TRAFFIC,

Rhino horn consumers are currently seen as influential people within Vietnamese society. Educated, successful and powerful individuals are the main market for the horns, which come all the way from Africa to satisfy high local demand.

RHINO HORN CONSUMERS, WHO ARE THEY?

completed in 2013 under the WWF/ TRAFFIC Illegal Wildlife Trade Campaign)

of the current rhino poaching crisis. More than 500 rhinos have been killed in South Africa alone within the first half of 2013.

A consumer research study, conducted in 2013, surveyed 720 individuals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and discovered that rhino horn users value this item because of its significance from a social point of view. Buyers and users of rhino horn form a powerful social network consisting of important individuals with whom it is crucial to maintain good relationships. Rhino horns are sometimes bought for the sole purpose of being gifted to others; to family members, business colleagues or people in positions of authority. Those purchasing rhino horn believe that owning rhino horn, as well as being able to purchase it for others, reaffirms their social status and strengthens the bonds among peers within their particular network. People involved in these activities are usually familiar with each other and trusted within their social circle even though they are engaging in an illegal activity.

Rhino horn consumers are currently seen as influential people within Vietnamese society.

Educated, successful and powerful individuals are the main market for the horns which come all the way from Africa to satisfy high local demand.

Users of rhino horn are generally health conscious and want to maintain or enhance a healthy lifestyle for themselves and their loved ones. While their main reason for purchasing rhino horn is to reaffirm their social status, this is supported by an underlying belief in health benefits. Users believe rhino horn possesses properties that detoxify the body and can therefore cure anything from a hangover to serious illnesses. Consumers feel that having rhino horn at home ensures the well-being of their families.

WHO IS BUYING AND USING RHINO HORN? Results from the consumer survey - 41% of those who admitted to buying or consuming rhino horn were buyers only. The majority of these buyers acquire rhino horn for their family, including parents or spouse.

- 39% of those who admitted to buying or consuming rhino horn were consumers only. This group said they had never bought rhino horn, but had used it after receiving it from friends, family or business partners and colleagues.

- 16% admitted to purchasing it as a gift for their boss, friends, colleagues or government officials.

Users of rhino horn are generally health conscious and want to maintain or enhance a healthy lifestyle for themselves and their loved ones.

While their main reason for purchasing rhino horn is to reaffirm their social status, this is supported by an underlying belief in health benefits. Users believe rhino horn possesses properties that detoxify the body and can therefore cure anything from a hangover to serious illnesses. Consumers feel that having rhino horn at home ensures the well-being of their families.

Among traditional medicines, rhino horn is considered to be ‘the best of the best’ so the purchase also brings peace of mind and confidence that they have made the right choice in case someone becomes unwell. Rhino horn consumers also use other illegal wildlife products, like bear bile and tiger bone, among others.

Many rhino horn consumers are aware that the animals are killed so they can have a rhino horn. But they feel very disconnected from this and so do not see themselves as the catalysts for the current rhino poaching crisis. Others feel that even if the species were to be lost forever, they personally will not be affected and so do not care.

In Vietnam, many wildlife products are perceived as valuable and rare, but rhino horn is probably the most desirable. Rhinos are thought to be unconquerable in nature, "the strongest animal there is"; the current poaching crisis and extinction of the Javan rhino in Vietnam in 2010 illustrates this is no longer true. In some ways, the rarity of the product adds to its appeal since one must be part of an exclusive network of people who can get in touch with suppliers.

Consumers spend a fortune every time they buy rhino horn despite the lack of conclusive evidence of its medical properties. Just one study of the use of rhino horn to treat children’s fever, led by Tsai F.J. in Taiwan in 1993, has been published using widely accepted, rigorous methods and standards and it did not recommend the use of rhino horn when compared to acetaminophen. Spending money on this product does nothing more than encourage the poaching of rhinos and the illegal trade of wildlife products, which endangers countries and their citizens. Additionally, all rhino species are listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which prohibits commercial international trade in rhinos and their products and derivatives, including hunting trophies. WWF and TRAFFIC are dedicated to keeping track of the changes in rhino horn demand to be certain which niches in the market need to be targeted to decrease this driving force behind the current poaching crisis.

Click on the report picture to read the full article.

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REGIONAL NEWS

Rhino poaching hits new levels in South Africa Poaching increases as South Africa pushes legal rhino horn trade The latest figures from South Africa show that the total numbers of rhinos killed by poachers this year has already surpassed the total for the whole of last year, which was itself the worst ever year on record. 688 rhinos have been killed so far this year in South Africa alone, compared with 668 in the whole of 2012. The Kruger National Park is still by far the worst effected region, having lost 418 rhinos, but Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces have shown the largest increases.

At the current rate, we can expect another 270 rhinos to be killed in the rest of the year, implying that more than 950 rhinos will be killed in South Africa this year, though by some measures (see below) the poaching rate is actually increasing, so the total could edge near the 1000 mark.

18 rhinos per week being killed - the poaching of rhinos in South Africa has increased by more than three rhinos a week on average since Environmental Minister Edna Molewa called for a legal international trade in rhino horn, according to analysis by the non-profit Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).

Poaching has increased since South Africa called for rhino horn sales - from January 1 to March 13, 2013, an average of 15.36 rhinos were poached each week in South Africa. On March 14, Minister Molewa revealed her support at the meeting of the member nations of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Bangkok, Thailand, for a legal international rhino horn trade. CITES has long banned such a trade. Since the Minister's announcement, a weekly average of 18.6 rhinos were poached between March 14 and September 19, totalling 505 rhinos. Today, the 2013 total has now reached a grim new world record of 663 animals, just five short of South Africa's 2012 record total of 668 poached rhinos. Kenya and India have also reported increased numbers of their rhinos poached this year.

The EIA analysis is released to coincide with World Rhino Day which celebrates the five remaining rhino species, all of which are threatened by poaching to meet demand for their horns. EIA President Allan Thornton said: "South Africa is stimulating an ever-increasing and unsustainable demand for rhino horn in Vietnam, China and other countries that is fuelling the rhino poaching epidemic. South Africa's policy signal to the global marketplace that rhino horn is a smart investment commodity is unleashing a tsunami of destruction on South Africa's rhinos."

Snake oil - fraudulent claims spread by Vietnamese crime syndicates and Government officials promoting rhino horn as a cure for cancer and other ailments have caused skyrocketing prices for rhino horn, while corrupt Vietnamese diplomatic officials implicated in illegal rhino horn trade in South Africa have gone unpunished. Alarming results from a recent consumer survey in Vietnam indicate that the potential rhino horn consumer base in Vietnam is three times the current level.

"Rhinos are already being slaughtered at an unsustainable rate to feed the demand for an unsubstantiated ‘medicine' in Vietnam," said Mary Rice, Executive Director of EIA's London office. "Powerful commercial interests in South Africa are seeking to cash in on their stockpiled horn at the expense of the conservation and survival of South Africa's rhinos. Legalising rhino horn trade will reward the criminal kingpins behind the poaching, pushing rhinos inside and outside of South Africa ever closer to extinction."

Source: www.wildlifeextra.com 25 September 2013 Photograph: Jonathan C. Eames

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REGIONAL NEWS

Teaming Up for Rhinos and Elephants HRH and sports icons ask consumers to say no to rhino horn and ivory The Duke of Cambridge, David Beckham, and Yao Ming met in London last month to film two public service messages on illegal wildlife products. The messages focus on reducing demand for both rhino horn and ivory and will air globally, with targeted outreach in China and Vietnam, later this year as part of WildAid’s demand reduction campaign and the Royal Foundation’s United for Wildlife Collaboration.

For the full article click on Yao Ming in the picture.

Source: www.wildaid.org 12 September 2013

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REGIONAL NEWS elephant rescue bid at Yok Don

Vietnamese man arrested smuggling 5 rhino horns

Two wildlife rangers killed by poachers in Thailand

People in Yok Don National Park have scoured the Buon Don protected forest in the central highlands province of Dak Lak to search for a wounded wild elephant whose trunk was caught in a snare several days ago, but their efforts have ended in failure.

En-route from Mozambique to Hong Kong, a 29-yearold Vietnamese national has been arrested trying to smuggle five rhino horns out of the country at Nairobi Airport, while en-route from Maputo in Mozambique to Hong Kong via Doha, Qatar.

Two wildlife rangers have been killed by poachers in

A representative of the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Center, who also joined the rescue mission, told Tuoi Tre that using tamed elephants to chase after the wild animal until it gets exhausted and then tie it with ropes appears to be the only way to subdue it since there are no available anesthetics or anesthetists.

Le Manh Cuong was detected and seized by a joint security team comprising of the Kenya Airports Police Unit, Customs officials, Kenya Airport Authority officials, Kenya Airways officials and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officials. He was found in possession of five pieces of rhino horns weighing 20.1kgs packed in a hand-drawn suitcase stuffed with mattresses cuttings to disguise the contraband.

Therefore, two skilled tamed elephants and mahouts have been mobilised for the search and rescue efforts.

Tran Van Thanh, acting director of Yok Don National Park, said he has asked for assistance from anesthetists from Ho Chi Minh City and his team has prepared medicine and ropes, but the animal has not been found.

“We must find the elephant, even if the rescue mission takes one, two, or even 10 days. No matter what it costs, we have to rescue it and release it back to the wild,” Thanh stressed.

“The elephant is still strong, though its leg is hurt and the snare is stuck to its trunk. We only found footprints after spending a whole day searching,” a mahout said.

By the end of the third day of searching, the rescue team had still failed to find the wild elephant. The animal has left behind dung, footprints, and screams that sound like a wild boar in the deep forest.

Source: Tuoi Tre News 13 May 2013

Preliminary investigations have revealed that Le Manh had disembarked a Kenya Airways flight from Maputo and was scheduled to board a Qatar Airways flight to Doha before connecting to Hong Kong.

KWS has up-scaled Kenya's ports surveillance in recent days to reign on smugglers of illicit consignments of wildlife products. Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Mombasa seaports are an important link on trade routes to international destinations.

Source: Wildlife Extra News 23 September 2013

Thailand, reports the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

The rangers were killed during a gunfight with poachers in Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary on 13 September. One poacher was killed during the incident, while four initially escaped. Two of the poachers have since been arrested.

WCS says the poachers were targeting tigers, elephants, gibbons and other wildlife. The group added that the shooting lends urgency to the need to better equip and better support rangers. "In light of this most recent serious incident WCS will provide additional financial and technical support to increase law enforcement efforts specifically aimed at protecting this vulnerable wildlife section of the Western Forest Complex," said WCS in a statement.

"WCS urges the Government of Thailand to allow rangers of the Western Forest Complex to have up-todate firearms, to add new guard posts at key access points, to bring the highest quality investigative efforts to the incident and to fully prosecute once the poachers are captured."

Elephant and tiger poaching is largely driven by rising demand for wildlife products from middle class consumers in Asia. Every year dozens of wildlife rangers are killed in the line of duty. Most ranger deaths generally occur in Africa, especially Central and East Africa.

Source: www.mongabay.com 24 September 2013

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New shrew discovered in Vietnam Researchers have described a previously unknown species of whitetoothed shrew in the forests of Vietnam. The study was published July 2 in the open access journal ZooKeys. The species, named Crocidura sapaensis after Sa Pa district, where it was collected, was discovered after genetic analysis revealed that it was distinct from three closely-related species also found in Vietnam.

"Our study concerns three species of Crocidura occurring in Vietnam, namely C. attenuata, C. tanakae and C. wuchihensis, and we came across an undescribed fourth species revealed by molecular analysis," said lead author Paulina Jenkins, a zoologist at London's Natural History Museum, in a statement. "While the molecular studies of Vietnamese material confirmed some of the results of the contemporaneous morphological studies, a number of anomalies were equally revealed, indicating the presence of several morphologically similar but molecularly distinct taxa."

Crocidura sapaensis white-toothed shrew species from Vietnam.

Credit: Alexei V. Abramov, Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences

New species of flying squirrel from Laos A new species of the flying squirrel genus Biswamoyopterus is described from the Lao PDR. It is based on a single specimen collected from a local food market at Ban Thongnami, Pak Kading district, Bolikhamxai province. The new taxon shows close affinities to Biswamoyopterus biswasi, which is only known from the holotype collected in 1981, 1250 km from the current locality, in Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India. However, it differs substantially in pelage colour, most particularly on the ventral surfaces of the body, patagia, tail membrane, and tail. The single specimen was found in an area of central Laos, which is characterised by its extensive limestone karst formations and which is home to other rare endemic rodents, including the Khanyou (Laonastes aenigmamus) and the Lao limestone rat (Saxatilomys paulinae).

Read the full article here.

With more than 180 species found worldwide, Crocidura is the largest of any mammal genus. Shrews — which are omnivorous, feeding on seeds, fruit, and invertebrates — are the smallest nonflying mammals in the world.

From the 1960's to the early 1990's, Vietnam has one of the world's highest deforestation rates. But since the mid-1990's, forest cover across the country has increased substantially, mostly the result of reforestation programs and the establishment of industrial tree plantations. Nevertheless, old-growth forest cover has continued to decline rapidly in Vietnam. Habitat loss and hunting has put many of the country's species — especially largebodied mammals — at risk.

CITATION: Jenkins PD, Abramov AV, Bannikova AA, Rozhnov VV (2013). Bones and genes: resolution problems in three Vietnamese species of Crocidura (Mammalia, Soricomorpha, Soricidae) and the description of an additional new species. ZooKeys 313: 61-79. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.313.4823 Source: www.mongabay.com 8 July 2013

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Reforestation of vital Cambodian habitat The first steps in recreating the flooded forests of Cambodia’s Tonle Sap At the centre of Cambodia lies Tonle Sap lake. It is a geographical heart but also an environmental heart, harbouring both a wide diversity of species and driving a massive economy reliant on the fish-rich waters. As such the area was recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1997. Cambodia produces around 400,000 tonnes of freshwater fish per year, the majority of which comes from Tonle Sap. During the wet season in Cambodia the Tonle Sap increases by up to five times its dry season size, creating a vast expanse where fish can breed. Fishing during this time is illegal, meaning at the end of the wet season the numbers of fish are huge because they have been prolific. But in recent years catches have been declining as destruction of the flooded forests that surround the northern areas of the lake have been destroyed.

With the support of the USAID funded Cambodia HARVEST (Helping to Address Rural Vulnerabilities and Ecosystem Stability) programme, Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has been working to help protect this fragile environment and recreate these flooded forests. In an ongoing initiative involving eight lakeside villages, 40,000 seedlings are being planted to restore 30 hectares of formerly forested areas.

The management of this project took a new and innovative approach, involving the communities themselves in all aspects from planning to implementation. Arnaud Guidal, FFI’s Reforestation Specialist, explains: “We sought the involvement of the villagers to help plan our reforestation activities – where were the best areas to work, what size area was manageable, which species to plant, and how and when the work should take place. We also gave them a financial stake. Rather than purchasing seedlings from a private entrepreneur or outside contractors, we supported the community to do the work. For instance, community participants collected wild seedlings during slack periods in their agricultural year – this gave them an off-season activity, and brought in an additional income.

“Integrating the community into the planning and implementation has made this project both more effective for us as conservationists and has also given the villagers a sense of ownership and empowerment – the perfect ingredients for a successful project.”

FFI’s approach has always been to consult with local communities, who are often the true experts on their environment. Whether we are looking for rare mammals in Myanmar or helping to recreate forests in Cambodia, local input is crucial. Villagers living around the Tonle Sap are well aware of both the benefits the flooded forest provides and the problems created by losing it.

Eam Rom, chief of Roka Yea village succinctly summed up their environmental importance.

“Most of our inundated forest has now disappeared. We rely on this habitat and want to restore it because it is vital for us. These forests protect our houses against storms and waves, provide a refuge and food for fish during their spawning season, and give us wood for fuel and minor construction.” Leong Keoum, vice chief of Kamphem village added, “As well as these things the forest allows fisherman to travel safely when the lake is hit by storms, and they help with the problem of erosion.”

“This kind of approach is working well and can significantly contribute to the protection and sustainability of this unique environment,” said Matt Maltby, FFI Project Manager for Cambodia HARVEST Programme.

Villagers planting Barringtonia seedlings Siem Reap Cambodia.

Photograph: Jeremy Holden FFI

Written by: Jeremy Holden Photographer and Field Biologist Source: www.fauna-flora.org 9 July 2013

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Latest Economic Land Concession plan draws scepticism

'Ecological ArmagEddon': mammals vanish entirely from forest fragments after 25 years

The government’s latest five-year strategy calls for a complete halt to economic land concessions (ELCs) and an inquiry into those still in the pipeline. But the plan has drawn scepticism from conservationists and rights groups, who pointed out that loopholes have been liberally applied after the issuance of similar moratoriums in the past. In the directive, issued on Wednesday as part of the five-year plan governing the next mandate, the government vows to strengthen how ELCs are awarded and regulated in order to “eliminate of all kinds of illegal rampant land grabs, prevent the collection of land without use … [and] resolve land disputes with justice and transparency”.

As tropical forests worldwide are increasingly cut into smaller and smaller fragments, mammal extinctions may not be far behind, according to a new study in Science.

Tracking native smalls mammals in Chiew Larn Reservoir, Thailand for over 25 years, scientists found a stunning and rapid decline in mammal populations, until most forests were almost completely emptied of native mammals.

Read more here.

Similarly, it promises to improve crackdowns on forest crimes and put a renewed focus on the protection of forestry resources. But many said yesterday that they doubted that the announcement – though promising on paper – would entail any true reform. “I absolutely don’t believe it, because previously, [Prime Minister Hun Sen] promised to cut his head off if he couldn’t prevent forestry destruction. But, today, he still has his head and continues to offer economic land concessions that affect people throughout the country,” said Kuch Veng, a community activist from Pursat who was sentenced in 2012 to more than three months in prison after staging a series of strikes against powerful developer Pheapimex.

In May 2012, Hun Sen issued a complete moratorium on ELCs, saying the human cost had become far too high. But the directive allowed those already approved but not yet begun to move forward – even while refusing to say how many were in the pipeline. The failures of that ban, said Licadho director Naly Pilorge, gave little hope for the newest directive. “It will take more than words to be optimistic on the actual chances of seeing promise becoming reality for thousands of affected families,” she said.

Last year, more than 380,000 hectares of land was granted as ELCs or reclassified from state public to private land (a frequent first step toward an ELC grant). The vast majority of it – 71.5 per cent – was pulled from forests and wildlife sanctuaries that are meant to be protected under the law. Conservationist Marcus Hardtke pointed to the willingness of government officials to flout the laws when it came to the granting of concessions as a reason for suspicion over the latest ban. “Most of these concessions are already illegal under Cambodian law.… There is basically a giant timber and land grab going on. If the government wants to be serious at all, there needs to be a complete moratorium on these existing concessions. Short of that, we will not see any improvements,” he said.

While cutting down on ELCs, the government strategy, meanwhile, talks about upping the number of social land concessions. Ostensibly aimed at providing land to the nation’s poorest, they, too, have proven easily abused in recent years. In a report issued by Adhoc earlier this year, researchers found that 13 of 38 SLCs granted in the past year had led to conflicts. Barring a thorough review of existing concessions, Adhoc senior investigator Chan Soveth said, it was unlikely new bans would improve the situation. “The government must review the companies receiving ELCs and explain how action will be taken when they deviate from the contract,” he said.

Over the past years, however, few – if any – have been punished for incursions and land grabbing, even as lawsuits among villagers who fight back stack up. With little enforcement of existing laws, there could be scant hope that any directive would be followed, pointed out opposition party whip Son Chhay. “If they want to prevent illegal ELCs they need a mechanism that arrests bad officials and punishes them [for continuing to grant them],” he said. “Giving ELCs for 99 years never gives any benefits; it just destroys the nation.”

Source: May Titthara for the Phnom Penh Post 27 September 2013

Source: Jeremy Hance www.mongabay.com 26 September 2013 Black-shanked douc released

A junior high-school teacher in the central highlands province of Kon Tum has bought an endangered monkey from two local young hunters and released it back into the wild.

Previously, two young men carrying a monkey on their bike arrived at Mang But junior high-school in Kon Plong district’s Mang But commune Teacher Viet and the endangered where biology teacher primate he has rescued Tran Quoc Viet is working. Finding it an endangered monkey, Viet paid the duo VND300,000 (roughly US$15) in exchange for the animal.

The monkey is identified as the gray-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix cinerea) which is listed in Vietnam’s Red Book of endangered and threatened species. Viet released the monkey into a primeval forest in Kon Plong district’s Dak Rin commune on 20 September.

Source: Tuoi Tre News 22 September 2013

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Vietnamese firm is still logging illegally: Adhoc Employees reportedly working for the controversial Company 72 have allegedly been illegally felling timber in a community forest in Ratanakkiri province’s O’Yadav district and shipping it across the Vietnamese border, community members and Adhoc said yesterday.

Romas Svat, a community representative in Paknhai commune’s Lom village, said he and three other villagers, who were patrolling the community forest on Sunday, came across a camp of Vietnamese loggers in possession of as many as 40 logs, each up to 10 metres long. “We saw six Vietnamese men at the camp, a truck and two tractors,” Svat said. “We took video and photos of the camp and timbers as evidence.”

Upon seeing the forest patrol, Svat added, the men left the camp after asking patrollers not to take photos. “We asked them why they logged our jungle. They said it is the company’s forest,” he said, adding that the community had reported the logging to the rights group Adhoc.

Company 72, which has been sub-contracted by Men Sarun Company to clear land for a rubber concession in the area, has repeatedly been accused of illegally logging community forests by locals and officials.

The company was summonsed in February by the Ratanakkiri Provincial Court for questioning, and in May, angry villagers went so far as to seize the keys and batteries of bulldozers owned by the company.

Adhoc coordinator Chhay Thy said yesterday that he planned to go investigate the allegations by Thursday after receiving multiple complaints from the community. “The Vietnamese [loggers] crossed the border and have logged illegally since early July,” he said. “They felled big trees and transported them to Vietnam at nighttime.”

The felled timber, he said, was taken into Vietnam through a border checkpoint without intervention from authorities.

However, Sen Voeurn, the police chief in nearby Yatung commune, denied allegations of logging. “The forest in that area has been cleared and planted with rubber since last year. There’s no forest there,” he said.

Source: Phak Seangly for the Phnom Penh Post 6 August 2013

Dropped murder case demonstrates continued impunity over Cambodian forest destruction A provincial court in Cambodia has acquitted a military policeman and his wife who stood accused of the brutal murder of a journalist investigating the country’s illegal timber trade. Hang Serei Oudom’s mutilated body was found in the boot of his car in Ratanakiri province on 11th September 2012. Captain An Bunheng and his wife were arrested in relation to the death, but have been acquitted today due to insufficient evidence.

In the months before he was killed, Hang Serei Oudom had written a number of stories exposing the involvement of government officials in illegal logging. His death came towards the end of a year which saw the number of violent incidents over land and forests rise sharply, including the murders of environmental activist Chut Wutty, and Heng Chantha, a 14 year old girl shot and killed during a land eviction.

“The Cambodian justice system has yet again failed those who risk their lives to defend their rights and protect the country’s rapidly vanishing forests” said Megan MacInnes, Campaigner at Global Witness. “This is the latest example of the shocking climate of impunity in Cambodia. In the last 18 months there have been three murders. Not one has been investigated properly and no perpetrators have been brought to justice.

“Cambodia’s political and business elite are getting rich selling off the country’s land and forests, whilst those that stand in their way are risking and too often losing their lives. Hang Serei Oudom appears to be yet another casualty of this war and his family deserve justice. The investigation into his murder must be reopened and those responsible found and punished.”

A report published this week revealed that illegal logging has skyrocketed since July’s national election and that land concessions are being used as a cover to access valuable timber. As of late 2012, 2.6 million hectares of land had been awarded to companies, increasingly in supposedly protected areas. Cambodia has lost almost two-thirds of its primary forest since 2000 with a mere 3% remaining.

“As the battle intensifies over Cambodia’s last remaining forests, it is more vital than ever that the courts and the authorities defend those brave enough to speak out against illegal logging and land grabs. Without their support, environmental defenders like Hang Serei Oudom will continue to be killed and some of Asia’s last remaining intact forests will soon be gone.”

Source: Global Witness 28 August 2013

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Do the latest changes to IUCN threat status for Indochinese birds change conservation priorities?

Upcoming updates to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species will result in changes to the threat status of several bird species, some of which can be found in Indochina (Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and South-west China), including one extremely rare passage migrant.

Only Black-crowned Barwing Actinodura sodangorum has been down-listed from Vulnerable to Near-threatened. This is due to an increased number of records and better understanding of this species’ habitat preferences which appears to be secondary/degraded habitat, which if anything is increasing in this species’ known distribution (Laos and Vietnam). The remaining nine species that have been assessed so far have a threat status that has either remained the same or worsened (Table 1).

Table 1. Confirmed upcoming changes to the IUCN Red List Threat Status for Indochinese bird species Common Name Species Name Previous IUCN IUCN Red List

Red List Category Category 2013 Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus VU VU Greater Thick-knee Esacus recurvirostris LC NT Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria

LC NT Grey-headed Parakeet Psittacula finschii LC NT Blossom-headed Parakeet Psittacula roseata LC NT Red-breasted Parakeet Psittacula alexandri LC NT Black-crowned Barwing Actinodura sodangorum VU NT Giant Nuthatch Sitta magna VU EN Rufous-headed Robin* Luscinia ruficeps VU EN 1 Emberiza aureola VU EN Yellow-breasted Bunting

Notes In order of severity; LC (Least Concern), NT (Near-threatened), VU (Vulnerable), EN (Endangered) * Rare passage migrant with only one known record from Indochina (Phnom Penh – Cambodia; Mahood et al. 2012) 1

Winter visitor to Southeast Asia

Rufous-headed Robin Luscinia ruficeps is arguably one of the most enigmatic passerine species in the region, with only one record in Cambodia in 2012 following a record from 1963 in the species’ only known wintering ground in Peninsular Malaysia (Mahood et al. 2012). Though the uplisting to Endangered is accurate the species does not represent a priority for conservation in Indochina per se as it is only thought to be a very rare passage migrant in the region and as such there are limited conservation interventions that can be applied. As suggested by Mahood et al. (2012) increased care over the identification of any Luscinia species in the region during the migration period is needed, and this is probably the only species specific action that can be done in Indochina.

The decline in Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola is alarming as this bird was once common across its breeding grounds in the North Palaearctic. The species is a winter visitor to South and Southeast Asia where, relative to its breeding grounds, it is only thought to occupy a small range. Within its wintering range the species can be found in scrubby, agricultural habitats and grasslands. The former habitat type is obviously common outside of protected areas and the species is therefore particularly vulnerable to small bird trapping that is nearly ubiquitous in the region. However, Yellow-breasted Bunting is unlikely to yet, if compared to other threatened bird species, represent a regional conservation priority. The species’ status as a luxury dish in China may well change this though and could rapidly push this species to extinction. Increased vigilance around potential wintering sites, many of which could be outside protected areas, and better recording of flock sizes are warranted.

Greater Thick-knee Esacus recurvirostris appears to have undergone a rapid decline in Indochina and its future looks bleak, as it does for all riverine nesting bird species in South and Southeast Asia (River Tern, River Lapwing and the now regionally extinct Black-bellied Tern). Harvesting of eggs by people, domestic dogs, human induced disturbances along riverine habitat, and damning along the Mekong and its tributaries have all contributed to rapid declines in Indochina. The only sizable populations are probably now in Myanmar and India.

Systematic river surveys in these countries are urgently needed for a more confident assessment of this species’ overall status and this data may well justify further uplisting to either Vulnerable or Endangered. With the ongoing threats to riverine bird species and the probable extirpation of these species along most river systems in Laos and Vietnam, Cambodia is the only country in Indochina that still retains relatively good populations. All riverine nesting bird species should remain regional priorities.

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Of the remaining six species, Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus remains a regional conservation priority. There is now a relatively large colony in Prek Toal, Cambodia and the species is probably the most commonly encountered large waterbird in Cambodia’s forests. However, outside of Prek Toal and areas where the species is protected from hunting and egg collection it is still in decline and the population is probably a small fraction of what it once was. Giant Nuthatch Sitta magna is another conservation priority. The species is probably dependent on mature conifer forest with large trees, a habitat type that is very threatened in the region because of logging and anthropogenic forest fires.

Recent surveys in suitable habitat in Myanmar have not produced records and declines have been documented in both Thailand and in Yunnan province, Southwest China.

The CEPF Ecosystem Profile for the Indo-burma biodiversity hotspot lists 23 bird species that are priorities for conservation investment and the 2013 IUCN Red List updates largely supports the CEPF listing. The CEPF Ecosystem Profile is one of the more definitive references for regional conservation priorities and should always be consulted when one is setting out to design and implement conservation interventions for a site or a species. The one exception is Giant Nuthatch which is not included on the CEPF Ecosystem Profile and should be considered a regional conservation priority.

The threat status of most of these ten species reviewed so far are in part due to the large amount of habitat loss that is expected to hit the region in the next decade, particularly in Cambodia where industrial scale agri-businesses e.g. Economic Land Concessions (ELCs) threaten nearly all lowland habitats, especially any forested areas. Even though there have been some notable conservation success stories in the region, in particular the recovery of waterbird colonies at Prek Toal, Cambodia, the future is far from certain for many species and the rapid development of incompatible land use threatens nearly all lowland species in Indochina.

Further IUCN Red List updates are planned for 2014 and many of these will reflect recent changes in non-passerine taxonomy following the application of the Tobais et al (2010) criteria. These changes are likely to cause the uplisting of several bird species in the region. It is crucial that regional experts and naturalists contribute to this process so that any changes are a genuine reflection of a species’ status on the ground. In particular records and observations from Myanmar and the Indian subcontinent, as well as knowledge of perceived or known threats, are required as both are thought to be strongholds for several threatened species, though there is often little data to back up such statements.

Written by Daniel Willcox, Technical Advisor. BirdLife Cambodia Programme.

References CEPF [Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund]. 2012. Ecosystem Profile for Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot, 2011 Update.

Mahood S., Eaton J.A. and Leader, P.J. 2012. Second record of Rufous-headed Robin Luscinia ruficeps outside its breeding range and a description of its first winter plumage. BirdingASIA 19: 43-47 Painting of Black-crowned Barwing Actinodura sodangorum by Kamol Kamolphalin courtesy of Jonathan C. Eames

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Spoon-billed Sandpiper sighting

First confirmed record in Cambodia of Black-faced Spoonbill Platalea minor

A rare sighting of a marked Spoon-billed Sandpiper on migration was reported last weekend from Rudong mudflats north of Shanghai. The Critically Endangered bird was identified by a lime green plastic flag on its leg marked ‘01’ that was attached by scientists from Birds Russia on its breeding grounds this summer.

Conservationists know that this bird ‘Lime 01’ fathered six fledglings this summer – three that were hand-reared by conservationists and three that he raised himself – which is 10 times the average for the species.

In all, this summer sixteen hand-reared Spoon-billed Sandpiper fledglings and eight adults were marked with the lime green plastic leg flags. Birdwatchers are being asked to report all sightings of Spoon-billed Sandpipers. Rudong mudflats are the most significant known staging post in China for Spoon-billed Sandpipers where 106 individuals were counted last year in October. Demand for land is high in the region, which is only 150km from Shanghai, and land has already been reclaimed from the marshes at Dongling to the southern end.

Pavel Tomkovich of Birds Russia, who caught and marked the bird with Nikolai Yakushev, said: “When I marked “Lime 01” I wondered if anybody would ever see it on its travels, almost a quarter of the way round the world, as looking for Spoon-billed Sandpipers can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Looking for marked birds is even more difficult as we were only able to mark eight adult birds with these unique flags. Thanks to the reports of local birdwatchers, we’re learning their stopover points.”

Further information is available in BirdingASIA 19th edition.

Visit the Oriental Bird Club's website here.

‘Lime 01’ was seen leaving the breeding grounds on 4 August and was seen 5,000km away at Rudong on 31 August. Spoon-billed Sandpipers can cover as much as 1,000km per day, leaving around three weeks during which it may have been staging elsewhere. Zhang Lin of the “Spoon-billed Sandpiper in China” Team said: “The first Spoon-billed Sandpiper arrived at Rudong about two weeks ago since when I have been regularly scanning the increasing numbers of waders at the high tide roost at Rudong. When I glimpsed a bird on 31 August that looked like it had a lime green leg flag I knew something exciting was in front of me. On closer inspection it turned out to be ‘Lime 01’. I was over the moon as this is the first time that one of the birds marked in 2013 has been seen in China.

“It is amazing to see how these little, but Critically Endangered birds, are connecting our key sites along the flyway between Russia and China. They are very important as they allow us to track whether efforts to save the species are working.”

BirdLife’s project to save Rudong and Minjiang Estuary, two key resting and feeding sites used by Spoon-billed Sandpipers in China, ‘Saving Spoony’s Chinese Wetlands’ is supported by a $100,000 grant from The Walt Disney Company, through Disney’s Friends for Change. Guidance on reporting Spoon-billed Sandpiper sightings is available from the East-Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force here.

Source: www.birdlife.org/community 6 September 2013

© photo by Michelle and Peter Wong

This Spoon-billed Sandpiper was marked in Northeast Russia and has now been seen in China

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The plight of ungulates in the Greater Mekong region

Two ungulate species endemic to the Greater Mekong, the kouprey (Bos sauveli) and Schomburgk’s deer (Rucervus schomburgki), became globally extinct in the 20th Century. The hog deer (Hyelaphus porcinus) and saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) are on the edge of disappearing from the region while a number of species are extinct or about to go extinct in many of the countries they once inhabited, including Eld’s deer (Rucervus eldii) and banteng (Bos javanicus).

RePORt gReAteR meKOng

2013

The world’s most extraordinary ungulate (“being hoofed” or “hoofed animal”) species can be found in the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia, spanning Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Yunnan province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China. More unique ungulate species inhabit this unique part of the world, symbolised by the mighty Mekong River, than anywhere else on Earth.

Little is known about many of the region’s hooved mammals; the saola, for example, was only discovered in the early 1990s and has been hailed by scientists as one of the most significant new mammal finds of the last 70 years. The ungulates of concern vary in species and status: from ‘dog-sized’ deer to culturally significant cattle; from large antlered species to others so seldom seen that they have taken on mythical status. What is known, is that their futures are uncertain.

WWF-Greater Mekong

Rumble in the Jungle

the plight of endangered hooved animals in the greater mekong

Many of the ungulate species are endangered. Living amongst the new emerging economic powers of Asia, a combination of human pressures: hunting and international wildlife trade, habitat destruction, particularly deforestation and degradation, and infrastructure development, is quickly eroding populations of these extraordinary species.

The clock is ticking. Between 1973 and 2009, the Greater Mekong region lost 42.4 million ha of forest cover – more than 30 percent.

Apart from losing the biological, economic and cultural benefits derived from these species, their further decline would also deal a serious blow to the remaining population of endangered tigers (Panthera tigris) that rely on the ungulates as prey species. Because of the same threats, the number of tigers in the Greater Mekong has fallen from 1,200 to 350 since 1998.

In addition, ungulates are an important food source and play a vital role in the conservation of three Critically Endangered vultures in the region.

As ambassadors of the Greater Mekong region, vulnerable to pressure and changes in the environment, the status of the ungulate species is one indicator of the health and ecological integrity of the entire Greater Mekong region. The well-being of these species is therefore closely linked to the sustainable management of the region and to limiting the environmental impacts of increased regional economic activity and integration. Any impact on the ecological balance of the environment also threatens the sustainability of the resources that support millions of people.

WWF encourages others to join in supporting the Mekong countries to commit to an overarching green economy. Key steps that need to be taken to create these enabling conditions include: • Prioritising government investment and spending in areas that stimulate the greening of economic sectors as opposed to depleting our natural capital; and • Investing in capacity building and training; and • Establishing sound regulatory frameworks.

In addition, underpinning these regional efforts to encourage and maintain a healthy and sustainable population of the species and those that depend on the ungulates, WWF aims to work closely with governments and key partners to: • RESTORE focal species populations to forests where they were once abundant; • RECOVER focal species populations where populations still exist; and • RECONNECT forest habitat to ensure focal species populations increase. This can be achieved through countries fostering greater sustainable forestry, alternative forest uses and sustainable livelihoods. This will alleviate further pressure on remaining populations of the region’s unique ungulates.

Click on the report picture to read the full document.

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Arsenal F.C. gets ‘Yellow Card’ on links to suspected human rights abuses Club ignoring concerns over Vietnamese-academy partner’s land grabbing and human rights abuses Arsenal F.C. appears unwilling to prevent a key Vietnamese-academy partner company trading on its name whilst accused of widespread environmental and human rights abuses in Cambodia and Laos, said Global Witness today.

Rubber giants Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) and Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG) are accused of causing extensive social and environmental damage in and around their plantations in Cambodia and Laos, according to Global Witness’s May 2013 report and film, Rubber Barons. At the time, both companies committed to review the environmental and social impact of their activities in Cambodia and Laos and take action to remedy any problems found. However, reports received from both companies in July show that neither company has made any genuine effort to fulfil its pledge or has any intention of doing so.

Meanwhile, HAGL’s Chairman Duc has used the media to trade heavily on the company’s close relationship with Arsenal. Media reports state that HAGL is the club’s main distributor for merchandise in Vietnam, while the partnership also includes the HAGL – Arsenal JMG Academy, and saw the London club play a Vietnam XI on a recent trip sponsored by the company.

HAGL chairman used this visit to boost the company’s image and publicly dispute Global Witness’ findings. Duc was reported in the press saying that the findings were “90 per cent untrue”, before claiming "you can see that the team has come, can't you? Nothing has happened."

Megan MacInnes from Global Witness said: “Although this is not the first time that HAGL and VRG have promised action but done nothing, we are genuinely shocked at how bad these reports are. Our investigation showed how both companies are routinely bulldozing farms and ruining lives – this shows they have no real interest in cleaning up their act. Instead, HAGL’s Chairman Duc is far more interested in using Arsenal’s name to launder his company’s reputation in the media, and the club seems happy to let him do so.”

Global Witness contacted Arsenal with its concerns after the Rubber Barons findings were picked up by fans, who wrote blogs and started a petition demanding that the club break all ties to HAGL. Arsenal responded that it was unaware of the allegations, and that its relationship with the club had effectively ended in 2008.

The club has since clarified to Global Witness that HAGL remains part of the club's wide talent scouting network, but that the recent associations with the company related to HAGL's sponsorship of a match on Arsenal's 2013 tour of Vietnam, and no other use of the Arsenal name has been granted for some time.

“Arsenal initially said they’re no longer involved with HAGL, but their trip is sponsored by the company, they’re partnering on an academy and the club’s name is plastered all over HAGL’s advertising,” said MacInnes. “There is no excuse for fudging this, this company has kicked people off their land in deals they knew nothing about, and then used armed security forces to guard the plantations, there have been many human rights abuses. If Arsenal wants to be seen as a credible and positive influence in the region, it has to clear up its position and publicly end all ties with HAGL.” International investors in HAGL and VRG have also been keenly watching the reporting process as a test of both companies’ intentions and will be extremely disappointed to see the results so far. These investors should publicly threaten to divest from both companies if they don’t clean up their act by the end of November 2013.

Rubber Barons provided community testimony and other evidence of land grabbing, lack of consultation with communities, non-payment of compensation and routine use of armed security forces to guard plantations in Cambodia. Large areas of supposedly protected intact forest have been cleared, in contravention of forest protection laws and apparently in collusion with Cambodia’s corrupt elite.

Despite promising to investigate these problems, HAGL’s report simply states “there are no land disputes between HAGL and local people” and “HAGL’s project do not harm the livelihood of local people as well the society and environment in the area” without providing any evidence to back this up. VRG’s report denies the existence of any disputes, but then goes on to say “it is impossible to identify the arable land areas belonging to the local population when implementing … land concessions”.

Source: Global Witness 12th August 2013

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Prime Minister of Vietnam cancels two controversial hydro projects After considering a report by Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has agreed to cancel the Dong Nai 6 and 6A hydropower projects due to environmental concerns.

Accordingly, the PM has asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to remove the two projects from the list of hydro plants planned to be built on the Dong Nai River in southern Dong Nai province, Vu Duc Dam, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office said at a press conference on this issue on Sunday.

The PM also asked the ministry to review all plans of building hydropower plants on the river, Dam said. Any projects must meet the first criteria such as safety for the ecological environment and resettlement of affected people before they can be considered in terms of investment efficiency, the minister said.

In its previous report to the government’s leader, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment affirmed that the Dong Nai hydropower projects, a controversial issue over the past several years, will have an adverse impact on the environment.

According to the environmental impact assessment report, revised for the third time in June by the investor, Duc Long Gia Lai Group Joint Stock Company, the project will generate 929 million kWh and pay VND300 million (US$14,400) in taxes to the State budget every year, the ministry said in its report. However, this project will also have a harmful impact on the environment, as it will cause the permanent loss of 372 hectares of forest, including 182 hectares belonging to Cat Tien National Park. The project will also impact the river’s flow in its downstream areas and the demand for water use in the area.

The ministry also said that as the project is developed, many subsidiary structures will also be built, such as the power transmission network and road system.

These sub-works will have further adverse impacts on the natural, social and economic environment. “The development of these projects will also be detrimental to UNESCO’s consideration to recognise the Cat Tien National Park as a World Natural Heritage site,” the ministry said, adding that the project violates the Law on Cultural Heritage.

In a proposal sent to the Prime Minister and the NA’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment on May 15, deputy chairman of the Dong Nai province People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Tri requested that the project be stopped.

The two planned plants will directly affect the Bau Sau wetland in Cat Tien, cause flooding during the rainy season and water shortages in the dry season in downstream areas, undermine and cause a loss of habitat for many rare and precious species of flora and fauna, including those at risk of extinction, bury the Cat Tien cultural relics, and affect the culture and life of local ethnic minorities.

At a seminar titled 'The Dong Nai River Basin: Impacts of the Hydropower Projects' held in Ho Chi Minh City on December 16, 2012, experts also warned that the hydropower projects should be cancelled as they would violate laws and damage the environment.

"The projects violate the Law on Biological Diversity, under which, except for works built for the sake of defense and security, all construction projects are banned from strictly protected areas in conservation zones like Cat Tien," said Dr. Le Anh Tuan, from the Climate Change Research Institute of Can Tho University.

In addition, he said, "the projects are against the National Assembly’s Resolution 49, under which projects or works using land that belongs to national parks, conservation areas, or forests for research purposes must get National Assembly approval if the area in question is larger than 50 hectares."

Source: Tuoi Tre News 30 September 2013 Photograph: Jonathan C. Eames

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Swift action saves Koh T’beng in the Sekong River Koh T’beng is one of the most important remaining islands for sandbar nesting birds in the Sekong River. It regularly supports nesting Great Thick-Knee Esacus recurvirostris, River Tern Sterna aurantia , River Lapwing Vanellus duvaucelii and Little Pratincole Glareola lactea. It is also used regularly by Green Peafowl Pavo muticus. On 7 July, a routine BirdLife ranger patrol discovered that boat builders had built a temporary house on the island, had felled a number of large trees and had planted crops, including squash and maize. The team also found a large boat under construction, which was evidently the main reason for their presence. One of the group was also observed felling trees along the main riverbank. On 29 August, with the support of the Stung Treng Provincial Forestry Administration, a joint BirdLife, Forestry Administration staff and Military Police patrol confiscated three chainsaws and evicted the illegal loggers from the island. The boat and sawn planks of luxury timber were not confiscated.

We are grateful to the Stung Treng Forestry Administration for their decision to authorise this action. Fortunately the intent of these people was to stay only long enough to complete their boat building. However, this boat was built using trees felled illegally from the riverine forest. The accompanying photograph shows that this was a large boat (20m long) destined for commercial use. Thankfully the encroachment occurred during the non-breeding season. Had this event occurred during the dry season it would have resulted in disturbance and probably failure of the sandbar nesting birds present. If the remaining sandbar nesting bird communities are to be conserved we must be ever vigilant against such incursions.

Tan Thara, Forestry Administration Bou Vorsak and Jonathan C. Eames, BirdLife Cambodia Programme

All images: Jonathan C. Eames

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DAM THREAT TO SREPOK RIVER IN YOK DON NATIONAL PARK In a talk with Saigon Giai Phong Newspaper, Tran Van Thanh, the Acting Head of Yok Don National Park, threatened to resign if the Drang Phok Hydropower Plant is built.

The Department of Industry and Trade in the central highland province of Dak Lak on September 9 proposed to senior leaders to allow the investor to resume building of the Drang Phok hydropower plant on the Srepok River in Buon Don district in Dak Lak province, as the construction is already 14 months behind schedule.

According to a report, the 28MW hydropower plant would need to clear 295.4 hectares of the National Park, including 28.88 hectares of forestland. Tran Van Thanh said he has rejected the project many times in meetings with Dak Lak province leaders, and has threatened resigning from office, if the project is given the green light. According to Thanh, the construction of the Drang Phok hydropower plant will certainly have a negative impact on the Yok Don National Park, a lush forested area and home to a diverse species of flora and fauna.

"First of all," Thanh said, "the plant will destroy more than 59 hectares of protected forest and dynamite explosions during the construction of the plant will cause environmental pollution and drive wild animals away. The hydropower plant will also block the present current of the Srepok River and affect the living environment of aquatic species here, he said. Furthermore, in the long term, the hydropower plant will leave a heavy and detrimental burden on the forest."

Thanh rejected related agencies supposition that the area for the construction is lying in poor natural forest; saying that actually Yok Don National Park is a deciduous forest and the country shouldn’t exchange valuable forest for energy. Thanh pointed out that the Department of Industry and Trade has not been honest in its project report as the plant will clear up to 59 hectares of forest, while the department announced only 28.88 hectares.

Source: Saigon Giai Phong 10 September 2013

Photograph: Jonathan C. Eames

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"If wild birds and animals do not live in Chu Yang Sin National Park, they have other places to live, so there is no need to worry."

Hoang Dinh Tuan, director of Hoang Nguyen Ltd., Co., which is investing in a hydropower plant in the park in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, in an interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Tuan is rejecting public concerns that the 5MW-plant will heavily affect the park's ecological environment.

Photograph: Luyen Nguyen

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REGIONAL RAREST OF NEWS THE RARE

The fate of two Giant Ibis nests at Western Siem Pang Despite a sustained effort by members of the technical staff and monitoring teams, only two active Giant Ibis nests were found at Western Siem Pang during the 2013 season.

The nest near Trapeang Trach, en route to Veel Kreel was ideally located for observation and photography, but sadly when visited by a monitoring team on 8 August, a dead chick was found beneath the tree. It is believed the nestling was blown from the nest by high winds and rain in the preceding days (and after 2 August, when the previous visit was made). The exposed position of the nest made it vulnerable to such an event, a point noted at the discovery of the nest. Inspection of the nest also revealed a second egg, which failed, either, because it was addled or because the adults abandoned the nest after the loss of the chick. The second nest near Trapeang Nhor, en route to Trapeang Boeung was however successful and the single chick fledged on 11 or 12 September.

Elsewhere in Cambodia, payments to villagers for locating Giant Ibis nests have been successful. Although this approach has been used at Western Siem Pang, it has not proved a success, mainly, it is believed because households at Western Siem Pang are relatively wealthier.

Neab Samneang and Jonathan C. Eames, BirdLife Cambodia Programme

Successful Giant Ibis nesting site near Trapeang Nhor, Western Siam Pang Far right: Failed nest at Trapeang Trach. Photographs: Jonathan C. Eames

Lost Giant Ibis chick, Trapeang Trach Photograph: Neab Samneang BirdLife

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Green Innovation Development Center: Strengthening Good Governance for Hydropower Dam Development on the Mekong Mainstream, with a particular focus on Mekong Delta, Vietnam With the support of Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), Green Innovation Development Center (GreenID), together with Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA), Southwest Steering Committee, and Center for Sustainable Development of Water Resources and Adaptation to Climate Change (CEWAREC), Can Tho University co-organised the student seminar titled The effect of hydropower development in Mekong river on socio-economy, environment and livelihood and workshop on Legal aspects in collaboration on Mekong River basin management in May, 2013, in Can Tho city.

The student seminar was held in Can Tho University. The aim of this seminar was to strengthen the students understandings of the effects of hydropower development on Mekong mainstream. The seminar was a great opportunity for students to present their understanding about Mekong hydropower development and talk over with Mekong experts about relevant issues. Very enthusiastic to raise questions the students were expected to participate in similar seminars in the future.

In addition, the workshop aimed to exchange information among stakeholders on legal basis relating to the collaboration on Mekong river basin management, whilst discussing the enhancement of participatory roles of concerned stakeholders in Mekong delta in the management process of Mekong river basin.

Fifty representatives participated in the workshop from central and local agencies, specifically representatives of Southwest Steering Committee, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chief of Vietnam National Mekong Committee, VUSTA, CEPF and WWF Vietnam Department of Irrigation, Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Women Union and relevant bodies of some provinces in Mekong delta. Additionally, Mekong experts’ presence made significant contribution to the workshop’s success.

At the end of the workshop, recommendations included: - Building up a form of regulation like the 1995 Mekong Agreement on cooperation for river basin sustainable development to avoid conflicts among provinces; - Collecting different view points from academic scholars, local representatives, functional bodies, NGOs and raising them in a common voice in order to contribute to strengthen the cooperation for Mekong sustainable development.

Eld’s Deer Community Conservation Group in Ban Sanamxai: Community based conservation in Xonnabouly district, Savannakhet province, Laos The only known population of Eld’s deer in the Lao PDR occurs within the Savannakhet Eld’s deer sanctuary, founded in 2005 in partnership with the Savannakhet Provincial government and NGOs. The site is currently managed in partnership with local communities with technical and financial support provided through WWFLaos and CEPF. The project goal is to work towards maintaining a sustainable interest in Eld’s deer conservation among the local communities and to develop community-base ecotourism activities as sustainable financing sources of the Eld’s deer sanctuary conservation project.

The Dry Forests ecoregion is characterised by low elevation, a strongly monsoonal climate, a high frequency fire regime, a high herbivore biomass and a relatively low human population density. As recently as the mid-20th century, the Dry Forests supported some of the most diverse and abundant megafaunal communities in Asia. In recent decades however, the Dry Forest ecosystem and the species within it have come under increasing threat. Rapid development and limited planning throughout the region have resulted in large scale conversion of forest and wetland habitats, and species loss. Within this ecoregion, the Korat plateau in Thailand has been almost entirely converted for agriculture. In Laos, which retains a large proportion of the remaining plateau, the demand for cash-crops is propelling its conversion, and where it remains as forest, unsustainable logging, over hunting, over harvesting of non-timber forest products and burning to provide fresh growth for livestock are all leading to habitat degradation.

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The Lao Wildlife Conservation Association: Finding the Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) in the Annamite Range in Laos With CEPF support, Lao WCA aspired to achieve the following objectives: (i) Assess the potential occurrence and distribution of Saola in Nam Mo-Nam Thong Provincial Protected Area through village questionnaire. (ii) Obtain reliable abundance and distribution of Saola in Nam Mo-Nam Thong PPA using ground-truth checks by observing signs and collecting dung samples for DNA analysis. (iii) Assess the threats/potential threats to the species and find ways to conserve the Saola population.

All above objectives were fully met by the project. Technical trainings for both government staff and local villagers were held on two occasions. One, on the subject of local expert opinion questionnaire survey, and followed by the ground survey techniques.

A series of workshops were organised with local stakeholders, including Lao WCA staff, provincial and district military, police, DAFO, cluster office, and village headman. The first workshop informed local stakeholders about the Critically Endangered Saola conservation status, conservation significance and needs, and purposes of the project. The following workshops were organised to work with local villagers and officials in target villages to gather baseline information on Saola, and also develop a conceptual model via brainstorming.

Asking local opinion how to save the species by identification of direct and indirect threats, appropriate interventions, and participants in implementation, and provide recommendations for future actions to ensure their survival in nature.

In conclusion, the project has not only produced baseline information on Saola’ occurrence and distribution in the last portion of northern Annamite range, it has also encouraged involvement of variety of stakeholders at different levels (national and local) to pay conservation attention on the Critically Endangered Saola.

Additionally, the project supported capacity building for government staff and local villagers through; i) formal/informal technical training and (ii) learning by practical experience. Those trained people are now capable of replicating or continuing field activities, if future funding sources are available.

Written by Dr. Chanthavy Vongkhamheng

Wildlife Conservation Society: Analysing trade dynamics and catalysing enforcement responses towards eliminating the illegal trade in CEPF priority species in Southern Vietnam The capacity-building workshops and meetings with local stakeholders, including local civil society groups and government agencies, and the provision of accurate information and detailed analysis of the illegal trade dynamics provided through this project contributes to the implementation of the CEPF ecosystem profile by improving law enforcement and increasing political awareness and commitment of the illegal wildlife trade in CEPF priority species in the major wildlife trade and demand hub of the Ho Chi Minh Metropolitan Area (HCMMA) defined as Bien Hoa City (Dong Nai province), Thu Dau Mot town (Binh Duong province) and Ho Chi Minh City.

Over the last two years, WCS has developed and applied different survey methods to generate accurate data on the scale and dynamics of the illegal trade in wildlife in the HCMMA. We have piloted these methods and generated a set of data that will serve as our baseline for future comparisons and to guide the development of a Wildlife Crime and Enforcement Monitoring Tool currently under development. Components of the project were: Component 1. Collect information on the illegal wildlife trade, and provide accurate and detailed analysis of illegal trade dynamics in CEPF priority and other endangered species in the HCMMA Component 2. Communicate survey results to raise political awareness and commitment to catalyse action to eliminate the illegal wildlife trade Full final report written by Scott Roberton is available here

Local surveyors captured these images on hidden cameras of a tiger, allegedly bought from a local tiger ‘farm’ being butchered for its parts in Ho Chi Minh City in January 2013.

Photographs: Wildlife Conservation Society

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Pannasastra University of Cambodia: Cambodian Vulture Conservation Project Since December 2012, Faculty of Environmental Sciences of the Pannasastra University of Cambodia (PUC) under technical support from the BirdLife International Cambodia Programme and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has received grant from Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) to implement the Cambodian Vulture Conservation Project. The project has provided supplementary food for the largest vulture in Cambodia every month and seek vulture nests to monitor the population of endangered species Red-headed vulture, White-rumped vulture and Slender-billed vulture.

During implementation, the vulture restaurant were conducted in four sites in Cambodia, Western Siem Pang, Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary, Preah Vihear Protected Forest and Sesan.

According to data, the number of species was not stable as the vultures did not come to vulture restaurant regularly and, also, they could find other natural carrion (wildlife and domestic animal die naturally) to consume as their primary food sources.

Pannasastra University of Cambodia students joined the project and have learned a lot in the field, including the identification of vulture species during visits to Western Siem Pang and Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary sites.

In conclusion, the Cambodia Vulture Conservation Project wishes to thank CEPF, WCS, BirdLife International, PUC, World Wildlife Fund, Sam Veasna Center, Angkor Center for the Conservation of Biodiversity and the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery of Cambodia.

People Resources and Conservation Foundation (PRCF): Strengthening White-shouldered Ibis conservation and bolstering local stakeholder-led initiatives in the landscape of Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary, Cambodia Through small grant funding from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, People Resources and Conservation Foundation (PRCF), has established two community-based organisations (CBOs) in local villages to help protect the White-shouldered Ibis in the landscape of Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary.

The two CBOs, in the villages of Sre Angkrong and Sre Chrey, were established between May - June 2013 at commune level. Further development hopes to bring recognition under higher Cambodian authorities.

The purpose of the organisations is to help create sustainable livelihoods of village households and to support the community protect their natural environment. The organisation holds a village savings and loans facility, and supports White-shouldered Ibis conservation through a nest protection programme. To date, villagers have embraced the conservation and development idea, and have started to define the operational aspects of the organisations.

With membership standing at 45 in the two villages, mostly women—one of the groups managed by a local woman, both CBOs are planning to mobilise additional people to join their groups.

CBO members have received training throughout the establishment process, including building capacities for each organisation, and the management of the savings and loans programme.

Upcoming training will include conceptualisation and planning of conservation and development activities, for later submission to international donor organisations.

Capital from external seed-funds and monthly savings by members will be loaned to local villagers for to supplement their livelihood, whilst part of the interest generated from loans and invested capital will help fund the annual nest protection programme at corresponding sites. CBO members save their own funds via compulsory low monthly deposits, with resulting funds used to provide low interest rate loans to members. An initial, and likely additional, seed-fund deposit by PRCF will help generate needed capital resulting in sufficient funds to pay for annual nest protection programme, and administration costs of the savings and loans scheme. Interest income, in part, will also be distributed proportionally amongst the savings and loans group members.

Long-term commitment by PRCF at the site will result in a village-based conservation and livelihoods organisation, contributing to Ibis conservation and improvement of livelihood conditions of its members.

Project team and BirdLife staff.

Photograph: Pannasastra University of Cambodia

Expects impacts of the programme are: • Help local people protect their own natural environment • Support village-based sustainable White-shouldered Ibis conservation • Help villagers improve their livelihood conditions • Motivate local people into conservation of their natural resources • Promote solidarity in the village community

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PROJECT UPDATES Wildlife Conservation Society: Conserving a Suite of Cambodia’s Highly Threatened Bird Species Cambodia supports globally important populations of highly threatened, wide ranging, large bodied bird species which present great conservation challenges since they are mostly highly mobile, have large area requirements, live at low population densities, have significant market value, and come into frequent contact with people. This project was designed to address the threats of agricultural intensification and expansion, trade driven hunting and chick/egg collection at nest sites, and a lack of institutional capacity amongst civil society conservation organisations. The project focused on 13 priority species.

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CRITICAL!ECOSYSTEM!PARTNERSHIP!FUND! Conserving!a!Suite!of!Cambodia’s!Highly!Threatened!Bird!Species!

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The project sought to expand upon existing initiatives, a very important point, since it was designed and implemented as part of a much longer process. Built upon considerable amounts of previous work provided a solid platform and structures in place to support its planned achievements after completion, thereby significantly improving its sustainability. This aspect of CEPF’s funding, the long term commitment to a cause or an area inherent in the approach of both local and international NGOs – is one of its most important and one which is not only commended, but one which the evaluator believes should be reinforced through repeated investment, where necessary. Better to have fewer interventions that are sustainable over the long term than many that fall by the wayside after funding has ceased, as is so often the case with other larger funding interventions.

The three interventions provided local communities with direct financial incentives to ensure that populations of the target species were protected, and to develop the capacity of civil society organisations to improve the long term sustainability of these, thus: • community based ecotourism linking revenue directly to long term species conservation at various sites in the Northern Plains, at the Ang Trapeang Thmor (ATT) Sarus Crane Reserve, and in the Bengal Florican Conservation Areas (BFCA).

• wildlife friendly farming schemes, in particular locally branded Ibis Rice, in the Northern Plains and the BFCAs. • birds’ nest protection programme at Prek Toal Core Area of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve where communities are offered financial incentives for reporting and protecting nests to reduce trade driven hunting.

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The project fell under Component I: Conservation of Priority Species through Strategic Direction: Safeguard priority globally threatened species by mitigating major threats within the CEPF’s Portfolio Investment Strategy and Programme Focus for the Indo-Burma region. The grant of US$ 699,125 was the largest in terms of financial investment of any of the CEPF Large Grants made in the Indo-Burma hotspot. Funding commenced on 1st October 2009 and officially finished on 30th June 2013 (45 months). As a result of changes to the co-financing during the project’s lifetime, the total funding rose by US$ 52,304 (8.4%).

The evaluation finds that the project has been implemented very successfully and to the highest technical and management standards. All three components have been assessed as Highly Satisfactory and the capacity building component as Satisfactory.

Eco tourism – all villages exhibit sustained growth in the numbers of tourists visiting the sites despite some dips due to the global economic problems, and the amount of revenue generated by these visitors has also risen.

Wildlife friendly farming – the scheme has been expanded to include ten villages with the number of farmers involved rising from 12 in 2008-09 to 216 in 2012-13. Over the same period the total amount of paddy purchased by the scheme has risen from 7.72 tonnes to 282.70 tonnes, resulting in the total annual benefit paid to participating farmers increasing from US$ 1,325 in 2008-9 to US$ 7,908 in 2012-13.

Nest protection – at Prek Toal, the scheme has expanded from 12 rangers in 2003 to 32 in 2013. In the Northern Plains over the past eleven years the programme has benefited about 100 households each year and has protected 2,981 nests of eleven species from which 5,379 chicks have fledged. The two main NGOs supported by the project, the Sam Veasna Centre for Wildlife Conservation and Sansom Mlup Prey, both show significant growth in various measures of enterprise development.

The impact on most priority species at most sites has been positive and significant and some other species appear to have benefitted as well.

Dr. Phillip Edwards The full final report will be available via the project updates page of the CEPF website shortly.

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Chamroien Chiet Khmer: Community Actions to Improve Livelihoods Linked to Protection and Conservation of Sarus Cranes and Other Globally Threatened Species in Boeung Prek Lapouv Conservation Area, Cambodia Boeung Prek Lapouv (BPL) and Anlung Pring (AP) are two seasonally inundated wetlands, remaining remnants in the Lower Mekong Delta, and homes to an annual dry season nonbreeding population of Sarus crane (Grus antigone) and other birds, located close to the border with Vietnam, Chau Doc and Ha Tien. These are two of three sites in Cambodia supporting crane non-breeding population during the dry season. The average maximum for the entire Mekong delta (based on annual counts held in March) within the same period is 443 cranes and the average maximum count of the regional (Cambodia and Vietnam) population is 803 cranes (Tran Triet and van Zalinge 2012, van Zalinge et al. 2011).

BPL, located in Takeo province, represents the largest such grassland remnant in the region covering 8,305 hectares. The current maximum count of cranes was 225 individuals in 2013.AP in Kampot province covering 217 hectares, holds 31% of the total regional population. The current maximum count of cranes was 342 individuals in 2013 which was the highest count since the start of conservation work in 2004. To date 90 bird species have been recorded in AP. BPL has threats such as land encroachment in buffer zone to rice paddies and the invasive species (Mimosa pigra and Ipomoea rupens). However, the Local Conservation Group (LCG) have worked to prevent and successfully stopped such activity with local people removing 5 cases of invasive species by September 2013. A potential impact in BPL related to hydrology is the effect dam construction upstream, on the Mekong and its tributaries will have on BPL. Within the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) most of the larger Mekong River tributaries have cascades of dams in place or planned with some 71 projects expected to be operational by 2030 (ICEM, 2010). A further eleven dams are being considered on the Mekong mainstream within the LMB and a twelfth is already being developed (despite a lack of official consensus between LMB countries).

enforcement patrols, biodiversity monitoring and environmental awareness. Furthermore, the development of Kampong Krasang community fisheries and application of management practices have lead to sustainable use of the fishery resource at BPL. In addition, the land title research and mapping around AP was conducted by Kampot Provincial Department of Land Management, Urban Planning, Construction and Cadastral in order to verify and update status of land ownership. As a result, 801 plots of land around the site covering 840 hectares in four villages such as Chres, Koh Chamkar, Koh Tnaot and Preah Trohueng within two different communes were verified. It seems hard to prevent land owners who have land around AP from developing their land because they all have official land titles offered by the government.

The way to stop shrimp farm development adjacent to AP Sarus Crane Reserve is to consider purchasing these lands from them to keep for future conservation planning purposes.

Although headway is being made in strengthening community involvement in the conservation of these sites, at present the LCGs are the only protection for the sites and without them the work achieved so far will have been in vain and the future of the sites become uncertain. Post October 2013, there are concerns about the lack of funding to keep LCGs working in these two sites, whilst long-term funding is really needed to contribute to actions set out in the 2014-2018 Management Plan created by WWT during the previous CEPF project implementation to reduce pressure on natural resources in these key wetlands through support of local livelihood activities.

Written by Seng Kim Hout, Forestry Administration Official and Project Manager

The small size of AP makes it very vulnerable to external impacts and therefore a landscape scale approach is needed to prevent the degradation of this important site. The main current threat is shrimp farming. Shrimp farms are rapidly being developed in the area and in 2013 some shrimp farms were built adjacent to the reserve in the southern and eastern parts. There are strong concerns by conservation, government and community groups about the impact of shrimp farming, which would impact on hydrology, water quality and the environment in AP. Another key issue that needs addressing is human disturbance especially around crane’s roosting site, as well as upstream developments and land use activities in the basin that could impact on hydrology and water quality.

The two current CEPF small grant projects, completing in October 2013 and simultaneously implemented by CCK, have focussed on continued protection of BPL and AP with regular law

 Survey on hydrologic and vegetation investigation in Anlung Pring in 2013 Photograph: Dr. Le Phat Quoi

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Action for Development (AFD): Integrating Bengal Florican Conservation in Community Forestry

Asian Turtle Program (ATP): Keeping the legend alive: research and conservation of Swinhoe's soft-shell turtle in Vietnam

Working with Kampong Thom communities in the area of livelihood support, natural resource management, good governance and climate change adaptation, the Integrating Bengal Florican Conservation in Community Forestry project focuses on education, capacity building and conservation measures for target Community Forests in Kampong Thom province.

On 18th September 2013, ATP worked with Youth Union of Kim Son commune, Son Tay district, Hanoi, to organise the Mid-Autumn festival. Within Vietnam the Mid-Autumn festival is the second most important holiday after the lunar New Year and celebrates the end of the rice harvest when the moon is also at its largest.

With the wet season migration of the Bengal Florican away from the Tonle Sap inundation zone, the Florican seeks refuge in surrounding Community Forests. Tlokpopel Community Forestry is one of the wet season refuge areas with a focus on conservation of the Florican. Tlokpopel supports two villages, Kob Thlok and Mongkolslar in Domrey Slab commune, Kampong Svay district.

With the message: “Happy Mid-Autumn help protect the Dong Mo turtle” seven villages from around the lake took part in the festival. Dragon dancing, folk music and games were held while traditional moon-cakes and fruits were also enjoyed.

This project strengthens the Community Forestry Management Committee to participate in decision making, attend commune meetings, co-ordinate the community to conduct forest patrols and to integrate conservation measures in development of the management plan, including boundary identification, marking and protecting areas within the forest for the Florican. Included in the project is distribution of Bengal Florican books to the local schools, erecting signs, supporting small resources for ranger patrols and strengthening community capacity.

The Tlokpopel community are active in the management and protection of the forest, comprising of 8 patrol teams with 78 members. The committee collates the patrol reports and distribute to the relevant stakeholders. During a recent patrol, members identified illegal logging activities within the forest. With support of the Commune Council, the committee was able to take action to cease further damaging actions.

Bengal Floricans are sighted during patrols by the members, motivating the Tlokpopel community to retain and improve the condition of the forest. The community also see an opportunity to attract tourists to view the Bengal Florican in its natural habitat.

Mr. Nguyen Van Quyet, chief of Youth Union, said: “We are pleased to create such an event for children.

This is a happy Mid-Autumn with meaningful activities which bring joy to people here, and help them to dispel the tiredness of the rice harvest season. Moreover, the festival is properly integrated with the protection of Rua Hoan Kiem (Rafetus swinhoei) which evokes people’s pride to protect the legendary turtle of Vietnam. We are extremely glad to cooperate with you all to protect this critically endangered turtle. I’m sure that our next generations of Dong Mo people will protect the turtle better because they have clearer understanding about the turtle.”

Children gathered at the cultural house to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Photograph: Pham Van Thong (ATP)

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Royal University of Phnom Penh: Conserving the last remaining wild populations of Hog deer in Cambodia Hog deer Axis porcinus once ranged throughout large areas of South and mainland Southeast Asia, favouring the moist, tall grassland habitats associated with medium to large rivers. The hog deer is categorised as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is declining throughout its range primarily due to hunting, as well as habitat loss and degradation. The South Asian subspecies Axis porcinus porcinus is now largely restricted to protected areas in India and Nepal, with smaller populations in Pakistan and Bhutan, but has fared comparatively better than its Southeast Asian counterpart (A. p. annamiticus) from where it has disappeared almost entirely. It is extinct in Thailand (apart from some small reintroduced and managed populations) and almost certainly also extinct in the Lao PDR, China and Vietnam, leaving Cambodia with the only known wild populations of the annamiticus subspecies. The taxonomic status of the few hog deer populations in Myanmar is not understood.

Since the 1980s, Indochinese hog deer had been found at only two locations in Cambodia: along the Mekong north of Kratie town and Botum Sakor National Park, Koh Kong province in Southwest Cambodia. Hog deer were re-discovered near Kratie in 2006 following reports from local villagers, which were confirmed by WWF camera-trapping surveys. Preliminary surveys estimated 50-80 individuals in the area, based on dung counts and other signs. Since 2008 however, no conservation actions have been implemented for this globally important hog deer population. Similarly, no conservation actions have been undertaken since the discovery of the species near Botum Sakor National Park in 2008.

In late 2012 the Royal University of Phnom Penh’s Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (CBC) with FFI, received a grant from CEPF to search the two known sites for hog deer, as well as

support from additional

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PROJECT UPDATES Above: Hog deer fawn. Previous page: Trapeang An Doung Tuk Photographs: Jeremy Holden FFI

The Babbler 47 areas of potential habitat in Kratie province and Southwest Cambodia. Ten different areas were identified using remote imagery, and were surveyed by a joint CBC-FFI team in early 2013.

Interview surveys were carried out in local villages and hog deer reports were followed up by rapid field surveys looking for tracks or dung (which are usually easily distinguished from those of muntjac and other deer).

Thankfully, hog deer were found in 5 of the 10 locations – a remarkable discovery given the species’ apparent vulnerability to hunting and that all of the sites are outside of the existing protected area system. Hog deer are very easy to hunt and their preference for grassland floodplain habitats also usually ensures they occur in very close proximity to human settlements. Although the time available for the CBC-FFI survey did not allow us to quantify population sizes, it is clear that very few individuals or small groups remain at 3 of the 5 sites. The two sites (Kratie province and near Andoung Teuk, Koh Kong province) where tens of individuals are suspected to persist are small and under increasing pressure from agricultural encroachment. Hunting has been reported at all of the sites.

Clearly, time is dwindling to try to conserve Indochina’s rarest deer and its fast disappearing habitat. FFI have received an additional CEPF grant to hold a workshop which will develop a conservation action plan for Indochinese hog deer in Cambodia. A conservation working group will also be established, through which, we hope to motivate and support collaborative conservation efforts. The workshop will be held on 22nd October and bring together scientists and managers from Cambodia, alongside international specialists in deer conservation.

We hope that important decisions will be taken on what to do with the three small populations in Southwest Cambodia (captive breeding is a likely option); that we will determine how to protect the two seemingly larger populations at Kratie and Andoung Teuk, and also identify willing national and international collaborators to support long-term conservation. The hog deer is now the predominant large mammal of the Mekong floodplains wet grasslands. It is an important species to conserve in its own right, and also a key tiger prey species. Given the recent interest in reintroducing tigers back into landscapes where they formerly occurred in Indochina, perhaps this can go hand in hand with the protection and reintroduction of the overlooked hog deer.

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Newcastle University: A strategic approach to conserving the critically endangered Edwards's pheasant IUCN SSC Galliformes Specialist Group Strategic conservation planning workshop for Edwards’s pheasant 18-19 September 2013 Edwards’s pheasant Lophura edwardsi is endemic to Vietnam and is listed on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered. It has been identified as in need of urgent action by both the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) in its Indo-Burma profile and also by Asian Species Action Partnership that is being co-ordinated by IUCN. A workshop was held in Hanoi to develop a conservation strategy for this species and to create a consortium of organisations and individuals able to act in Vietnam. This consortium is vital if the strategy is to stand a realistic chance of being implemented.

Organisation and participants - the workshop was organised under the umbrella of the IUCN SSC Galliformes Specialist Group and hosted by the IUCN-Vietnam office. It was funded by the CEPF through a grant to Newcastle University, UK. VietNature Conservation Centre assisted with workshop development and logistics.

The workshop was attended by Directors and technical staff from the key protected areas, Phong Dien, Dakrong, Ke Go and Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserves and Bach Ma National Park, as well as Directors of Quang Tri and Quang Binh Forest Protection Departments. Participants also came from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), Institute of Ecological and Biological Research, Hanoi Zoo, BirdLife International and King Mongkut’s University of Technology, Thonburi in Thailand. The meeting was conducted in English and Vietnamese to ensure that all participants contributed fully.

The workshop started with scene-setting presentations on the IUCN Species Survival Commission approach to Strategic Conservation Planning for species, the current knowledge of Edwards’s pheasant, VietNature’s plan for Truong Son IBA and lessons from conservation efforts for saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis, another conservation priority species that is very poorly known.

The species - historically, Edwards’s pheasant was recorded in four central Vietnamese provinces, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue. In the 1920s Delacour collected several specimens, but between 1930 and 1996, the species was not recorded and assumed extinct. After some unconfirmed records of Edwards’s pheasant in Thua Thien Hue province the species was rediscovered in 1996 near to the Phong My commune, Thua Thien Hue, and also near the Huong Hiep commune, Quang Tri. After this re-discovery several other individuals were found in Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue provinces. The last confirmed recent record was in 2000, where one male was confiscated from a hunter and held in captivity in the Hai Lang District Forest Protection Department, Quang Tri. In total there have been 85 individual Edwards’s pheasant recorded and 66 of these have associated geographic location data. These 66 individual records consist of 26 independent geographic locations (several individuals, up to 10, were recorded at the same location at the same time). We developed a predictive species distribution model from these 26 independent records using altitude, mean wet season rainfall, mean wet season temperature and annual temperature range as environmental covariates. The model was then constrained by the extent of evergreen forest in Vietnam. The model showed that areas in Ha Tinh and Quang Binh had very high probability (>0.87) of being potentially suitable habitat (where suitable climate, elevation and evergreen forest coincide) for Edwards’s pheasant. These included Ke Go and Khe Net Nature Reserves. Parts of Khe Nuoc Trong Watershed Protection Forest (Quang Binh), Dakrong Nature Reserve (Quang Tri), Phong Dein (Thua Thien-Hue) Nature Reserve and Bach Ma National Park (and extension; Thua Thien-Hue) had high probability (>0.77) of being potentially suitable.

Several of the protected areas established in the 1990s in Central Vietnam were created because of Edwards’s pheasant and as a result of BirdLife International studies and feasibility assessments. These include Dakrong and Phong Dien Reserves. There is a captive population of Edwards’s pheasant in Vietnam, Europe, North America and Japan. The international studbook for this species has a new keeper and the captive population is currently being examined for genetic variability and purity, as some individuals were hybridised with the Taiwanese Swinhoe’s pheasant Lophura swinhoii and their progeny have bred.

Strategic planning - workshop participants developed a Vision for Edwards’s pheasant that was to see “Self-sustaining wild populations of Edwards’s pheasant”. In order to achieve this, two goals were identified, one that was about understanding the ecology and the other that was concerned with getting the site management right. A threat analysis involving all participants identified a suite of pressures and constraints to be considered before these goals could be achieved. This led to the analysis of three Objectives involving site management, limited knowledge and co-ordination. This, in turn led to identification of Actions describing the steps that need to be taken straightaway.

A key challenge is finding suitable places on the ground for conservation action. Such a place could be either: a) a site where the species is found during surveys; or b) a site where reintroduction could take place. There was discussion about potential areas for survey, which involved assessing predictions from climate data; examination of vegetation cover maps; and

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on-the-ground knowledge from the field. Areas on a map were identified as candidate sites for survey and these will be further examined as discussed as part of a survey strategy. It was agreed that it is likely that Edwards’s pheasant has a requirement for tracts of wet evergreen forest within evergreen forest and so finding patches of this forest type will be the first step. It will then be necessary to find suitable terrain, which is considered to be valley bottoms at low altitudes and with gentle slopes.

As two other species from the same genus also occur in the evergreen forests, there was discussion as to whether all three might live in the same forest and be separated by habitat and or altitude.

A presentation was given on one of these species, Siamese fireback, from Sakaerat Environmental Research Station in Thailand outlining both the study methods and results. Participants felt that there were subtleties of habitat use of these three species and consolidating current knowledge and opinion together would help understand whether there have been changes to the apparently specialised habitat requirements of Edwards’s pheasant that may affect its survival prospects.

Although the Vision, Goals and Objectives were set with a longer time frame in mind, most the Actions were given a much shorter timescale. This is because time is running out for this species and its habitat and if intervention (i.e. reintroduction) is to be needed, then it was felt that suitable sites should be identified and prepared as soon as possible. Within the next two years, therefore, potential sites should be surveyed for the species, all available information on surveys (camera-traps and others) should be gathered and analysed, and a study should be conducted into the feasibility of reintroduction. At the same time there should be work to identify and, where possible, prepare sites for management work if the species is found, but also to lay the groundwork for reintroduction, if that proves necessary. As subsequent actions will depend on whether or not a wild population is found and what is needed to secure suitable management at a site for the species, it was considered unrealistic to identify actions beyond this initial phase. Given the rapidly dwindling prospects for this species it was concluded that the survey and site preparation should be completed as a matter of urgency, and well within two years, if at all possible.

A key constraint that has resulted in insufficient focus and work on this species (and its habitat in general) is the lack of co-ordination and the absence of an agreed plan. Given the success of the Saola Working Group in galvanising organisations, promoting the cause of the saola, and in facilitating funding for the species, it was felt that a similar approach would be valuable now for Edwards’s pheasant.

All participants agreed that an Edwards’s Pheasant Working Group, operating under the IUCN SSC Galliformes Specialist Group, should be established. It was further agreed that it should be co-ordinated from within Vietnam with strong technical and strategic support from the international community.

A predictive species distribution model for Edwards's pheasant constrained by the extent of evergreen forest remaining in Vietnam.

The probability of habitat suitability for Edwards's pheasant increase from green (low probability) to red (high probability)

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PROJECT UPDATES IUCN Vietnam Country Programme: Baseline population assessment of the Critically Endangered Cat Ba Langur Trachypithecus poliocephalus poliocephalus and initiation of a long-term research agenda This project was conceived following a site visit to the Cat Ba Langur Conservation Project (CBLCP) implemented by Westfälischer Zoologischer Garten Münster GmbH in November 2012, which noted an opportunity to provide further support to the excellent work that the project is undertaking (see The Babbler 44 October - December 2012). The IUCN Vietnam Country Programme project is designed to provide a solid baseline for the population of Cat Ba langurs including total numbers, group sizes, and age and gender classes against which the success of population recovery in the future can be assessed. The project has helped broaden the base of support for this species and a PhD student from the Australian National University will be based at Cat Ba from early 2014.

The Babbler 47 Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV): Targeted campaign to reduce the consumption of rhino horn in Vietnam ENV’s rhino horn demand reduction

campaign gained significant momentum with the release of a new public service announcement (PSA) in August 2013 and a trip to South Africa for a Vietnamese delegation in September 2013.

In August 2013, a new PSA was released, aimed at increasing public awareness about the plight of the world’s rhinos. See footage here.

By tracing the path of the illegal rhino horn trade from South Africa to Vietnam, the PSA highlights the severe consequences of Vietnam’s increasing demand for rhino horn products. Released as part of ENV’s expanding rhino awareness campaign, this is the second video in this year’s series of PSAs discouraging the consumption of rhino products.

Within a month, there have been over 30 television channels including both national and provincial TV stations around the country broadcasting the PSA. The PSA is also reaching audiences virally through websites, forums, and blogs. This is the 16th PSA ENV has produced to reduce consumer demand for wildlife products.

One of the biggest initiatives of this year’s programme was a trip to South Africa (SA) for an influential Vietnamese delegation from 8-18 September 2013. The delegation included a Vietnamese National Assembly member, a well-known journalist, a movie star and a senior Environmental Police officer. In SA, they directly observed the impacts of the international illegal rhino horn trade and witnessed the problem firsthand to be able to bring their stories and experiences back home. The trip was a crucial opportunity for those prominent members of Vietnamese society to raise awareness among the Vietnamese people.

Photograph: Jonathan C. Eames

The delegation returned to Vietnam just before World Rhino Day 2013 to participate in a press conference in Hanoi on September 20, 2013 entitled “World Rhino Day 2013 – Rhino horn is not a magical medicine or a status symbol”. Comedian Xuan Bac was also formally recognised as a Rhino Ambassador for ENV. He pledged to drive home the message to his fans and the Vietnamese public that they must say NO to rhino horn before it is too late for the world’s remaining rhinos.

There was almost 180 entries and media covering the event.

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Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS): Addressing the illegal trade and consumption of rhino horn in Vietnam In recent years, the plight of the rhino has dominated the conservation agenda with a massive resurgence of rhino poaching in South Africa, by 30th September this year, up to 704 rhinos were killed for horns, nearly 54 times increase from 2007 with 13 rhinos poached and the extinction of two sub-species; the Western black rhinoceros and Vietnamese Javan rhinoceros in 2011, underlining that conservation measures have been ineffective in the face of persistent illegal demand for rhino horn. Law enforcement investigations and efforts have identified Vietnam as being at the centre of the current rhino conservation crisis as both a major destination for rhino horn consumption and as a country that is hunting and re-exporting rhino horn to other Asian states. Within Vietnam, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Nghe An province have emerged as three key areas with the greatest number of seizures made and imports of horns and live rhinos from Africa.

One of the project objectives is to build pro-conservation support within the judiciary and procuracy by increasing engagement and understanding on illegal rhino horn trade, relevant laws and treaties. In cooperation with the Vietnam CITES Management Authority, the first training workshop was held on 26 July 2013.

Fifty-five representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, National Forest Protection Department, Supreme People’s Procuracy and Supreme People’s Court and their colleagues in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Nghe An, General Departments of Vietnam Customs and Environmental Police and a number more were invited to the event. A couple of presentations were made; WCS pressed home the seriousness of wildlife crimes, especially the trade of rhino horns and ivory in Vietnam recently, voicing their concerns about law enforcement not being strong enough to stop wildlife trade and consumption in the country; TRAFFIC briefed the initial findings on their latest rhino horn consumer study in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and recommendations to reduce the current and future wildlife product consumption; the representative from the US Fish and Wildlife Service shared their experiences and challenges when implementing law enforcement on wildlife crimes in the US and the necessity of strict punishment to violators, whenever possible.

Participants really engaged in the plenary discussion when they could list a series of problems relating to investigation, placement, criminal proceedings, prosecution and adjudication of wildlife crimes, especially cases of rhino horns and elephant ivory, and asked for advice from their counterparts and the expert panel. Getting the

appropriate prices for the seized rhino horns and ivory, which is essential to set an adequate sentence for the violator, seems one of obvious challenges to prosecutors.

People felt much more encouraged when listening to an example from a Hanoi People’s Court judge, who, despite of all obstacles from unspecific law documents and complicated prosecuting process, had recently succeeded in treating criminally one rhino horn trader instead of considering it as a normal administrative violation.

Strong will and flexibility might be the first requirements when dealing with wildlife crimes. Another similar workshop is going to take place in early October for Ho Chi Minh City’s judges and prosecutors. This promises to be a good opportunity to engage senior government officials in dealing with environmental criminals and to share experiences and advice.

In parallel, two media workshops were also organised in the weeks leading up to the World Rhino Day (22 September) to update journalists with the latest information on the trade and to share experience in journalism investigation into illegal trade in Hanoi (held 10 September) and in Ho Chi Minh City (held 12 September). In total 38 journalists attended alongside with 22 government officials from the CITES MA, Forest Protection Department, Customs, Police, the Supreme People's Court and the Institute of Tropical Biology.

Through updates from Mr Do Quang Tung, head of the Vietnam CITES MA, the journalists understood the international pressure on Vietnam to act swiftly to reduce the demand for rhino horns. Ms Khuong Thi Minh Hang, Vice head of department 1, The Supreme People's Procuracy showed progress of the drafted guideline on categorising the seriousness of crimes in ivory and rhino horn trade according to weight of specimen. The journalist participants showed great interest by interviewing the awarded journalist Julian Rademeyer from South Africa on his 3-year investigation on the trans-national organised rhino horn trade, which resulted in his book "Killing for profit". Other speakers, an ex-member of the National Assembly, the co-ordinator of TRAFFIC Greater Mekong Programme and the Customs of Ho Chi Minh City also received many questions after their presentations on fighting rhino horn trade.

Immediately after the media workshops, 26 articles were published online and in printed newspapers, including the news page of the Communist Party, covering different aspects of the rhino horn trade.

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PROJECT UPDATES Royal University of Phnom Penh: Community-based monitoring and conservation of threatened fish species in the 3S (Sekong, Sesan and Srepok) region Our project is to improve our knowledge about and the conservation of threatened fish species in three major tributaries of the Mekong river: the Sekong, Sesan and Srepok rivers in Northeastern Cambodia. We work closely with local fishers to achieve three specific objectives: 1) to monitor threatened species at landing sites, 2) to determine daily catch of local fishers, and 3) promote conservation awareness of threatened fish among local villagers.

To achieve our first objective, the project team worked closely with local fishers to conduct a presence/absence survey of threatened fish species at landing sites, local markets, or major fishing areas (e.g. Dat Touch). At the beginning of the project, we recruited a team from Siem Pang to monitor the presence of threatened fish species. Their main task being to visit each site to monitor and investigate the presence of endangered fish species. Pictures and measurements of fishes were taken by the team whenever threatened fishes were present. The results from the monitoring survey indicated that at least two species namely Probarbus jullieni and P. labeamajor, that listed as IUCN endangered Red List species, appeared at the landing site, and frequently. In addition to the endangered fish species above, the team reported other threatened fish species, which include Wallago leeri, Osphronemus exodon (Elephant ear gourami), Osphronemus goramy (Giant gourami), Datnioides undecimradiatus (Narrow-barred tiger perch), Glyptothorax fuscus, Bagarius bagarius (Dwarf goonch), and Bagarius suchus (Crocodile catfish). Even though these species listed are protected under the Cambodian fisheries law signed on August 2009, they are very frequently seen at the sites we visited.

To achieve our second objective, we established three local monitoring groups consisting of six experienced fishers (two in each of the following sites Siem Pang, Veurnsai, and Lomphat) to monitor their daily catch of fish. Each fisher was trained to use a monitoring form, which was developed with expert consultation at the beginning of the project. The task of each fisher being to record their daily fish catch, gear used, fishing location, and, number of hours spent fishing. In total, fishers collected more than two hundred species of fish, however, only several species such as Hypsibarbus malcolmi, Henicorhynchus lobatus, Hemibagrus spilopterus, Labiobarbus siamensis Bagrichthys obscurus, B. macracanthus dominate their catch. There are approximately ten fishing gears reported to be used by our fishing team, among them gill nets are the most common.

Our third objective was achieved via three training sessions conducted for key fishers and students on monitoring techniques and fish identification. Additionally, education materials such as a poster of protected and threatened fish were produced and distributed to the target area in the 3S region.

Further activities include a district workshop planned for next month to promote conservation awareness among our local working groups and villagers, to share project output, and to seek recommendation for further research.

Written by Vibol San and Chouly Ou

Research Center for Resource and Rural Development (RECERD): Using and systematising fishers’ local ecological knowledge to monitor and manage fisheries, with emphasis on three globally threatened fish species (the Giant Catfish Pangasianodon gigas, Sanitwongsei’s catfish Pangasius sanitwongsei and Jullien's Golden Carp Probarbus jullieni), in the Lower Mekong River system of Long An province, Vietnam The conservation of endangered fish species in Vietnam is still restricted.

The catching of endangered fish species is still taking place in many localities, with no interest to conserve these species. During 2012 in the Mekong Delta, people caught just two Mekong giant catfish (globally endangered species) weighing more than 70kg, however both of them died as rescue work was not implemented in a timely and proper manner.

In order to serve the rescue of endangered fish species in Long An and other places next to Lang Sen, the project implemented by Research Center for Resource and Rural Development (RECERD) financed by Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), has built the Lang Sen MiniRescue centre. The centre is equipped with treatment and nursing tanks, as well as other modern equipment and medicine to cure and treat fish before they are returned to their natural habitat. There are two fishery officers in charge for mini-rescue centre and a service hotline established for information on the detection of endangered fish species between local community and protected areas, which has widely been distributed among community and relevant authorities. The project also organised training for reserve officers on how to rescue and treatment of endangered fish species.

Recently, management of Lang Sen wetland reserve has officially announced the completion of the mini-rescue centre to the agencies responsible for conservation in the province and local communities around the protected area. People capturing or detecting endangered fish species with serious injuries can now promptly move them to the mini-rescue centre for appropriate treatment.

Written by Xuan Lap

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Center for Water Resources Conservation and Development (WARECOD): Raising awareness on potential impacts of upstream development activities to hydrological regimes, livelihoods and biodiversity in the Plain of Reeds, Mekong With the purpose to help local communities understand how their livelihoods depend on flood pulse of Mekong river and how biodiversity is important to the Mekong delta; CEPF funded the Center for Water Resources Conservation and Development (WARECOD) to conduct project “Raising awareness on potential impacts of upstream development activities to hydrological regimes, livelihoods and biodiversity in the Plain of Reeds, Mekong”. Local communities were provided with knowledge and skills to monitor the hydro regime and to protect the biodiversity in their village. We also involve the local authorities in the process for a better understanding of the solutions to local environmental problems. Moreover, with the support of professors from Can Tho University and An Giang University, our project helps local people have insight into many aspects of the problem. The project conducted four main activities these being research, training, building a regime measuring device and monitoring the hydro regimes by local people.

At the beginning of the project, the Can Tho University and An Giang University’s experts implemented research on the local experience of dealing with environmental changes. We studied and documented role and impacts of flood pulse to local livelihoods and biodiversity in the Plain of Reeds, as well as the knowledge and experience of local people in dealing with environmental changes, using questionnaires, interviews and group discussions. Based on the result of this research, we provide three training sessions for villagers to better absorb this new information. The experts from An Giang University discussed how the river has been altered by human activities. Whilst in June, an expert from Can Tho University – Dr. Duong Van Ni, provided training in the field to local farmers on how to adapt with the changes and protect their productive land. With support from Vam Nao Hydrology Department and the local people, we also built a water level measuring device on the bank of the Vam Nao river. The Hydrology Department officer conducted training about the role of river and explained why measuring the water level is important and how to monitor the water level using the equipment. After the training, the local people who were invited and volunteered to be members of the monitoring group measuring the water level in a daily basis. They also were trained to analyse and present the result on a graph, before disseminating information on a local radio system to the village.

The project succeeded in raising awareness for local people on environmental change, and make them understand the need to protect the river and its environment. In terms of capacity, local villagers can now measure and record the hydro regimes, which in the past was only completed by government officials. They can now contribute their voices for the local issues.

Living River Siam Association: Strengthening Local Community Network for Fish Conservation in the Ing River Basin Since November 2012, project for Strengthening Local Community Network for Fish Conservation in the Ing River Basin has been implemented in the lower Ing River in Chiang Rai province, Thailand. The main objective is to protect fish species and its habitats by people’s participation based on local culture and knowledge. Living River Siam Association (LRS) has been working with local communities in the project area to support their traditional fish conservation zones (FCZ). The main activity is to ordinate the river and FCZ. River ordination to set up FCZ is adapted from Buddhist monk ordination for environmental conservation. According to our latest survey, there are at least 32 traditional FCZs in 32 villages in the river basin.

LRS also works to strengthen their network in the lower Ing River. Our organisation has achieved more than we expected with the establishment of the People Council of Ing River Basin set up by the communities in lower, middle, and upper Ing River Basin. After invitation to communities within the upper and middle Ing River Basin to participate in a meeting of the Lower Ing River Network, they agreed to set up the council. The first meeting of the council was organised on 15 June 2013 to discuss the structure and duties of the council. The first Chairman and Committees were also elected during this meeting. If it is successful, this can be a model and replicated in other river basins located in Thailand and neighbouring countries.

It could also be a model for or be developed to become the People Council of Mekong River Basin.

We also work to promote this good practice to other river basin and strengthen the network across the basins and countries. On 19 September 2013, a group of villagers, NGOs, and local authorities from Vietnam exchanged experience with a community.

Written by Teerapong Pomun

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Conservation of Tigers, their prey and habitat in Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary Phase 2 This two-year project, extended by one-year and funded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, concluded at the end of July. The project goal was that Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary (LWS) become a functional protected area, conserved in perpetuity, with viable populations of globally significant species, including tigers Panthera tigris, conserved within stable boundaries. We hope that one day this goal be realised. The project had three objectives: 1.

2.

3.

To enhance the conservation of tigers and other globally threatened species by strengthening the enforcement capacity of LWS management team and rangers.

To improve baseline data of LWS particularly tiger prey species.

To develop a management zoning plan for LWS.

Although a 35 man ranger force was trained and equipped and became an operational force during the project, the widespread resignation of members of the ranger force at the end of the project compromised the investment of donor funds and any conservation outcome. Beyond the project end there was less patrolling than during the project. Project impact was, therefore, minimal on reducing threats from illegal activities. The project obtained additional data on tiger prey species using a combination of camera trapping and direct observation and was able to complete an annual White-shouldered Ibis census during the project, but Giant Ibis survey proved more difficult. This additional data formed the development of the LWS management zonation plan.

The management zonation plan was drafted, but not approved during the project period. Resources were obtained during the project life to fund the completion and approval of the LWS management zonation plan in 2014.

Photograph: Ranger training, BirdLife Cambodia Programme

Overall we judge the impact of this project to have been low due to the resignation of most of the ranger force at the end of the project.

External factors beyond the control of the project, including the violation of LWS’ integrity through the granting of Economic Land Concessions and failure of the Ministry of Environment to allocate sufficient resources for basic staffing of the site were other reasons.

However, there were significant shortcomings on the BirdLife side and the 13 lessons learnt are listed in the final report. The failure to detect any evidence of tigers during the project supports the generally held belief that LWS does not support a tiger population. The LWS management zonation plan, if approved does offer some hope and a basis for future external donor support and civil society intervention.

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Record vulture count at Western Siem Pang Whilst the 10 August restaurant at Tourl Bosromeat managed a respectable 71 vultures comprising 5 Red-headed Vultures Sacrogyps calvus, 28 Slender-billed Vultures Gyps tenuirostris and 38 White-rumped Vultures Gyps bengalensis, plus 11 Greater Adjutants Leptoptilos dubius, the September counts set a new record. The restaurant held on 10 September recorded 104 birds comprising 7 Red-headed Vultures, 42 Slender-billed Vultures and 55 White-rumped Vultures. However, at the restaurant held on 21 September Lourn Bunpaeng, Neab Samneang, Van Kosal, and Daniel Willcox recorded an astonishing 146 birds comprising 7 Red-headed Vultures, 46 Slender-billed Vultures and 93 White-rumped Vultures. In addition 12 Greater Adjutants were also recorded. This is the highest vulture count ever made at Western Siem Pang. Whilst we cannot draw any conclusion from a single event such as this, it is perhaps noteworthy that at the Sesan vulture restaurant site on 19 September only nine birds were present.

Could birds normally in the Sesan area have fed at Western Siem Pang on 21 September. Recent anecdotal reports received from staff suggest that vultures are facing a shortage of available food. As a result in September we held two restaurants and we will continue doing so until further notice.

Neab Samneang, Project Officer, BirdLife Cambodia Programme

Recent vulture deaths at Western Siem Pang On 3 September, Senior BirdLife ranger Loun Bunpheang found a dead buffalo in a muddy wallow near the Siem Pang airstrip. Vultures had clearly been feeding on the buffalo carcass. Two White-rumped Vultures Gyps bengalensis and adult and a juvenile were found alive, but evidently poisoned, and another dead juvenile was found nearby. The two live vultures were housed in the vulture aviary at the BirdLife Siem Pang office. Both vultures died during the night. On 7 September another White-rumped Vulture was found in rice fields by local people and this too was taken into care. This bird died two days later and had apparently been bitten by a dog after falling form a tree (suggesting poisoning).

All three vultures were taken to Phnom Penh for future necropsy.

Neab Samneang, Project Officer, BirdLife Cambodia Programme

All images: BirdLife Cambodia Programme

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PROJECT UPDATES

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Cambodia Forest Restoration and Management Project BirdLife has recently completed implementation of a two year project entitled Cambodia Forest Restoration and Management Project CAMFORM funded by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

The overall goal of the CAMFORM project is to permanently establish a representative example of the dry forest ecosystem of Central Indochina, which supports livelihoods and economic development. After completion the year two of the project, overall progress towards this goal has been very satisfactory.

The total area of Western Siem Pang (WSP) forest considered by the project is 149,000 ha. This area may be treated as two parts: the North (c. 67,000 ha), which is unallocated for any specific use, and the South (c. 82,000 ha), which is covered by part of an Economic Land Concession held by the Cambodian company Green Sea Industry; the Green Sea concession also extends to the south of WSP. This difference in current land allocation is crucial to the project and understanding of this report.

There is a strong probability that a large part of WSP will shortly be designated as a Protected Forest. This concerns the unallocated Northern part of the forest, and it was agreed between BirdLife International and the Forestry Administration (FA) that this opportunity should be given priority. The project secured the endorsement of the Governor of Stung Treng province for a Protected Forest covering 66,932 ha. The revised designation proposal was completed and the final recommendation on this proposal will be made by the steering committee of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) during the first week of June 2013, for onward submission to the Council of Ministers.

Prospects for the Southern part of WSP, held in the Economic Land Concession, are less clear; this is why the Northern part, with a clearer opportunity to reach a major milestone, was prioritised. The Southern area has been discussed with the concession holder and key persons at the Forestry Administration. In the first year of the project another Economic Land Concession, held by the Sekong Development Corporation, was cancelled as a result of BirdLife’s work, showing that these concessions are not irreversible. However, the Green Sea concession is held by a more powerful and influential individual than the Sekong DC Concession had been; dialogue between Green Sea and Government has not led to changes of position on either part and so the Green Sea Concession is unlikely to be cancelled so readily. However, Economic Land Concessions held by extremely wealthy individuals and managed with minimal local benefits or consent are increasingly opposed in Cambodia, and cancellation or revision of the concession is a possibility on this basis. BirdLife has held constructive discussions directly with Green Sea, including its owner, including options for collaboration, leasing, or re-acquisition, but no final agreement has been reached. A conservation concession covering at least part of the area is the preferred outcome.

A biodiversity baseline report was published (500 copies) and launched at a provincial workshop in Stung Treng town, the provincial capital. This report has been used by FA as an advocacy tool to lobby relevant government stakeholders for their endorsement of the Protected Forest proposal. It will also prove a useful fundraising tool in future. Two additional reports related to impact of climate change, resource use and livelihood change in WSP were also published. All three reports are available on the BirdLife International websites for public access.

Progress towards the development of a strategic vision and feasibility study for the site continues. BirdLife explored options for models of site management and financing while maintaining close links with and support to local community groups. A visit was made to Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa, where a new protected area was established as the basis from which to develop high-end safari based tourism. Project and FA staff also visited BirdLife’s Harapan Rainforest (conservation concession) project in Sumatra and participated in a workshop co-hosted by the World Land Trust and IUCN Netherlands Committee to explore the possibilities for purchase or lease of important areas for conservation in Southeast Asia.

Development of the strategy and vision were unavoidably delayed by the evolving situation in regard to Economic Land Concessions and the two parts of the site. Early plans were made for a cost-benefit study for the whole forest area but with special attention to the Southern and Western part, comparing the management plan as proposed by Green Sea Industry to a proposal for safari-based tourism, with sale of carbon credits and livelihoods components. However, when the clear opportunity was identified to seek Protected Forest status for the Northern part, preparation for this became a priority and has been advanced to the point of submission and endorsement of the application.

During and since the compilation of the biodiversity baseline report it has also become clear that the biodiversity values of the Southern area are high, and this area must not be neglected. It is now proposed that the feasibility study will take the form of a business plan based on safari tourism and will address a defined 60,000 ha area in concession area of the Southern part of the forest. This will be developed in next phase of project with additional funding support from the MacArthur Foundation.

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There has been an increased effort to reduce illegal logging and hunting at the site. The law enforcement team was established in year one and in year two, the site project manager and technical advisor were recruited to strengthen the enforcement, management and monitoring capacity at the site. The first ranger station has been built at a strategic crossroads used by illegal loggers in the forest. In further support of this monitoring effort, an unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, was purchased and training provided to staff in its use in surveillance.

The law enforcement team currently consists of seconded officers from the Forestry Administration and the Military Police, plus a villager. A team of four men on motorbikes is insufficient to address the increasing scale of threats to the site, but shortage of funds and of FA staff have so far prevented us from establishing a second team.

During the project life, additional project funding was secured from a Rare Bird Club donor in the UK and the first corporate supporter in Cambodia under BirdLife’s Preventing Extinctions Programme. Several other proposals were submitted and some approved, although more resources are needed to develop long-term funding sources.

Roger Safford, Senior Programme Manager, BirdLife International

Photograph: Jonathan C. Eames

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PROJECT UPDATES

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Western Siem Pang, towards a vision for biodiversity conservation in the dry forests of Cambodia BirdLife is currently implementing a MacArthur Foundation funded project entitled Western Siem Pang, towards a vision for biodiversity conservation in the dry forests of Cambodia. The goal of this project is to permanently manage a representative example of the dry forest ecosystem of Central Indochina in Cambodia, which supports livelihoods and economic development, with enhanced levels of biodiversity as a model for replication and to inform wider forest management policy. The project has four objectives: 1.

2.

3.

4.

To develop and seek endorsement from key stakeholders for the strategic vision and feasibility study for a Forest of Hope at Western Siem Pang.

To improve the conservation status of biodiversity in Western Siem Pang.

To secure sustainable financing for implementation of the feasibility study.

To increase awareness of the value of Western Siem Pang.

Overall progress with project implementation was behind schedule by the end of Year 2. Only limited progress was made towards achieving Outcome 1 and this will now be re-scheduled for Year 3. Good progress was made towards achieving Outcome 2. Most activities were completed on schedule and those not completed will be re-scheduled for Year 3. Outcome 3 is scheduled for Year 3 and is not further reported on here. Outcome 4 was partially completed and activities not yet completed will be re-scheduled for Year 3. It is expected that by project end all project Outcomes will be achieved. By the end of Year 2 only 29% of project funds has been dispersed. This is because many activities were co-financed and the other funding source was the main source of expenditure in Year 2. Also, the most costly activities in relation to achieving Outcome 1 were not undertaken in Year 2.

Progress towards the development of a strategic vision and feasibility study for the site continues, but due to changing strategic opportunities the nature of the outputs proposed has evolved and changed. It is now proposed to produce a management plan for the proposed Protected Forest, located in the northern and eastern portion of the site and a business plan for a conservation concession located in the southern part, the so-called overlap area. BirdLife explored options for models of site management and financing while maintaining close links with and support to local community groups. Project and Forestry Administration staff visited BirdLife’s Hutan Harapan Rainforest (conservation concession) project in Sumatra and participated in a workshop co-hosted by the World Land Trust and IUCN Netherlands Committee to explore the possibilities for purchase or lease of important areas for conservation in Southeast Asia.

Development of a strategy was unavoidably delayed by the evolving situation in regard to Economic Land Concessions and evolving strategic opportunities at the two parts of the site. Early plans, specifically at the request of the Forestry Administration, were made for a cost-benefit study for the whole forest area, but with special attention to the southern and western part, comparing the management plan as proposed by Green Sea Industries to a proposal for safari-based tourism, with sale of carbon credits and livelihoods components. However, when the clear and immediate opportunity was identified to seek Protected Forest status for the northern and eastern part, preparation for this became a priority and has been advanced to the point of submission and endorsement of the application. Only the paralysis of government in the run-up to the general election held on 28 July 2013 delayed its final approval by the Council of Ministers. Once this designation has been obtained, now expected early in year 3, the project will proceed with the elaboration of a site-management plan and budget for this area.

During and since the compilation of the biodiversity baseline report (funded under an earlier MacArthur project) it has also become clear that the biodiversity values of the southern area are high, and this area must remain the main strategic priority. Therefore, it is now proposed that the feasibility study will take the form of a business plan based on safari tourism and will address a defined 60,000 ha concession area in the southern part of the site. This will be undertaken in the first part of Year 3.

Since the start of the project, there has been a significant escalation in the scale of illegal logging at the site and addressing illegal activities became a focus of work in Year 2. More and more villagers are engaged in this activity, both within the site and across the international border at Xe Pian National Biodiversity Area in Laos, to which villagers from Siem Pang travel routinely to cut rosewood, which is then transported back across Western Siem Pang and sold in the town.

Recent analysis of habitat changes at Western Siem Pang has shown that agricultural encroachment is a continuing threat to the site and that this habitat type has increased by approximately 1,400 hectares since 2009. The scope of this project is to address illegal activities within Western Siem Pang, particularly as they relate to logging of large trees within the

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site, which provide nesting sites for ibis and vulture species. Therefore, particularly in the second half of Year 2 there has been an increased effort to reduce illegal logging and hunting at the site.

Mid-way through Year 2 a site project manager, seconded from the Forestry Administration was appointed. He oversaw the construction the first ranger station before departing from the project in June 2013. In early 2013, a Cambodian national was appointed as a technical officer and an expatriate technical advisor took up his position in April. Both of these positions are based at the project office in Siem Pang. The higher-level management of the wider project is also now the subject of review by BirdLife and the Forestry Administration. The project now fields an expanded and strengthened monitoring team, including the recruitment of additional locally hired staff from Siem Pang.

The law enforcement team currently consists of seconded officers from the Forestry Administration and the Military Police, plus a local villager to act as a guide and liaison officer. The size of the site and the current scale of illegal activities is way beyond the capacity of a team of four men on motorbikes to address. In Year 3 a new and expanded team will be established whose capacity more accurately reflects the scale of the threats faced.

The first ranger station was built at a strategic crossroads used by illegal loggers in the forest. In further support of this monitoring effort, an unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, was purchased and training provided to staff in its use in surveillance.

At WSP, we actively and regularly monitor populations of five Critically Endangered bird species, comprising three vulture species, White-rumped Vulture, Slender-billed Vulture and Redheaded Vulture, plus Giant Ibis and White-shouldered Ibis. Using our biodiversity baseline data the number of White-shouldered Ibis recorded at Western Siem Pang has increased from 147 birds in 2009 to 346 birds in 2012. This is partly a reflection of better detection methods, but we believe it is also a reflection of improved enforcement efforts including nest guarding, and regulation of hunting and poisoning of trapeangs. During the reporting period a preliminary assessment of the northern and eastern sectors of the site was undertaken. A cameratrapping programme was initiated and Sun Bear, Banteng and Gaur were all detected, as well as several other globally threatened mammal species. These species were not previously confirmed from the site and confirmation of their presence adds further weight to the case for its conservation.

Seven Local Conservation Groups (LCGs) have also been established and are supported by BirdLife’s on-site community outreach officer. The LCGs have been informed about ongoing conservation actions and their active support has been solicited. Pilot trapeang co-management has been introduced and seven LCGs implement the trapeang best practice protocol and have signed agreements to apply this at 35 trapeangs. During Year 2 the pilot income generation activities provided assistance to 217 households from seven target villages to minimise their livestock mortality risk through vaccination. Ear–tagging of vaccinated animals will also help monitoring of livestock use of key trapeangs. Livestock is an important asset of local communities in WSP PPF; therefore we expected that in Year 2 and 3 of this project there would be more participation from local communities in site management and protection. This activity also helps to preserve the unique livestock raising practice of local communities in dry forest that contributes to maintaining ecosystem function. The project will also assist these groups to gain recognition at commune level in order for them to be more involved in land management issues.

The biodiversity baseline data for the proposed Western Siem Pang Protected Forest is obtained through regular monitoring of key trapeangs by the project team and LCGs. Much of this data was incorporated into the recently published biodiversity report, which itself was an output of an earlier MacArthur Foundation funded project Evaluating, consolidating and sustaining conservation of key sites in the Lower Mekong.

Collaborations were established with Cambodian academic institutes including the Royal University of Phnom Penh and Pannasatra University of Cambodia who each received BirdLife/CEPF small grants to conduct research on Eld’s Deer Recervus eldii and vultures. Several short-term research projects were set up at the site, including one that was part of a Master’s degree.

Hopefully these projects will lead to an improved understanding of the conservation issues of the site’s priority species, as well as strengthening BirdLife’s links to local civil society.

During Year 2, we have worked closely with the Forestry Administration on the drafting of the sub-decree for the non-overlap area in the north of WSP and worked to support its fast tracking through the government bureaucracy. The biodiversity baseline report has proved a useful advocacy tool in this process. A provincial workshop to raise awareness about WSP PPF was held in Stung Treng and attended by 40 delegates. During Year 2, a first complete draft of the photographic natural history book on Western Siem Pang was completed and this is scheduled for publication during the first half of Year 3.

Written by Jonathan C. Eames OBE, Senior Technical Advisor, BirdLife Cambodia Programme

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PERSONAL PROFILE

Sun Mao: Effort to save the Mekong Biodiversity Mao is one of the founders and the current technical advisor of the local NGO, Cambodian Rural Development Team (CRDT) that formed in 2001. Holding an Executive Master in development studies from Geneva Graduate Institute in Switzerland and a BSc. in Agriculture Engineering, specialising in Rural Development from Maharishi Vedic University in Cambodia, Mao has over ten years of experience working with rural communities in Cambodia to support sustainable development, biodiversity conservation and climate change, especially the communities situated along the Mekong River.

Since 2005, Mao has led the development program in support of conservation along the Mekong River.

GRANTEE PROFILE

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GreenID is a non-profit organisation established under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) and recognised by Decision 840/QD-LHH dated 27th December 2011. GreenID promotes an inclusive approach to sustainable development in Vietnam and the larger Mekong region, with a particular focus on better environmental governance and good nature resources management. The organisations resource base includes environmental and energy experts, researchers, and activists. All share a common commitment to promote green, low carbon, environmentally-friendly development and natural resource protection. Founders and resource persons of GreenID bring into the organisation many years of experience with network development, civil society strengthening and policy dialogue in Vietnam and an extensive network in the water, hydropower, renewable energy and environmental protection and governance. These experiences create a good foundation for GreenID in its further initiatives towards a sustainable development in Vietnam and the Mekong region. GreenID firmly believes that viable and sustainable solutions to the current challenges can only be achieved if local communities are involved in the whole process from planning to execution.

Vision: GreenID envisions sustainable development for Vietnam and the larger Mekong region based on improved governance of the environment, good natural resources management, and widespread use of green technologies and production methods.

Mission: GreenID works to achieve fundamental change in the approach to sustainable development by promoting sustainable energy sources, improved natural resources management and inclusive decision processes.

Approach: GreenID works to achieve this in close collaboration with relevant national and international stakeholders by applying a systematic, integrated, inclusive and forward-looking approach to its work and its mandate.

Strategic directions to 2020 • Promoting sustainable energy development in Vietnam • Strengthening community resilience to emerging challenges from disasters, climate change and development process • Enhancing good practices and better governance in the field of natural resources and environment in Vietnam and the Mekong River Basin Projects and activities: 1. Building an Energy Alliance & Network for Sustainable Energy Development in Vietnam and the Mekong Region funded by The Swedish International Cooperation Development Agency. May 2012 - September 2013 2. Energy sector overview study: of the scope and limitations of energy planning at sub-national levels and opportunities and challenges for energy conservation and development of the renewable energy sector in Vietnam funded by WWF in 2012 3. Analysis of policy framework for development of energy sector and energy-intensive and high-growth industrial sub-sectors under the context of climate change in Vietnam funded by KEPA in 2012 4. Towards a participatory policy development: the case of revised Electricity Law in Vietnam funded by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung and ActionAid Vietnam. May - November 2012 5. Increasing multi-stakeholders’ awareness on the impacts of Mekong mainstream hydropower dams on the Mekong Delta funded by WWF 6. Supporting VRN’s advocacy work related to Song Tranh 2 hydropower and Xayaburi hydropower cases Green Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID), Suite 1504, 15th Floor, Tower B, Building #173 Xuan Thuy, Cau Giay Str., Hanoi, Vietnam. Tel: +84 4 626 973 18; Fax: +84 4 379 563 72 www.greenidvietnam.org.vn

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JUST PUBLISHED

Cambodian Journal of Natural History Identifying bats from echolocation calls The real price of sustainable bamboo Farming butterflies in Siem Reap A survey of freshwater fishes Describing new species

August edition of the Cambodian Journal of Natural History released.

Contents include: Guest Editorial: Describing new species, Jonathan C. EAMES. The Kannitha Fund for female Cambodian conservation scientists.

Announcing the publication of The Birds of Cambodia - An Annotated Checklist by Frédéric Goes The Banteay Srey Butterfly Centre: five years of endeavouring to support conservation and poverty alleviation, Torsten VAN DER HEYDEN. Records of freshwater fish species from Phnom Kulen National Park, Northwestern Cambodia, Timo HARTMANN, Sebastian HÜLLEN, Peter GEISSLER, Markus HANDSCHUH, SENG Rattanak, Friedrich Wilhelm MIESEN and Fabian HERDER. Cambodian bat echolocation: a first description of assemblage call parameters and assessment of their utility for species identification, PHAUK Sophany, PHEN Sarith and Neil M. FUREY.

Deciduous forests

Structure and composition of deciduous dipterocarp forest in the Eastern Plains Landscape, Cambodia, PIN Chanrattana, PHAN Channa, PRUM Sovanna and Thomas N.E. GRAY. Estimating the value of sustainable bamboo resource management in Cambodia: a case study in O Tauch community, Kampot province, OU Ratanak and Mitsuhiro TERAUCHI. Recent literature from Cambodia.

Instructions for Authors.

Click on the cover to download the full journal

August 2013

Vol 2013 No. 1