The Babbler 21

The Babbler April 2007 Number 21 Welcome Jonathan C. Eames

Features Crested Ibis conservation project in Shaanxi Province, China New approaches to Bustard conservation in India

Regional news National PM Hun Sen opposes Tonle Sap becoming a World Heritage Site Community attitudes towards protected areas in Myanmar Vulture restaurants can reduce diclofenac deaths Commercial tiger breeding in Vietnam

Important Bird Area News Chindwin dam threatens Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary Sugar cane plantation threat to Hukaung Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

Rarest of the rare Spotted Greenshank

Project updates Cambodia activities Vietnam activities Myanmar activities

Spotlight Organization

Book reviews Staff news

BirdLife International in Indochina This issue of The Babbler carries features from elsewhere in Asia, on endangered bird species, with close relatives in our region that are a focus of our work. When I fist began to take an interest in Asian bird conservation the Crested Ibis was only known from one or two captive geriatric birds in Japan. It seemed doomed.

The discovery of colonies in Shaanxi Province, China and the subsequent conservation effort has seen a dramatic increase in their numbers and heir downlisting from Critical to merely Endangered. The range size of the species has not increased however, and its existence is precarious. Could the White-shouldered Ibis go the same way? Unless we can conserve viable populations in Cambodia’s protected areas, twenty years from now we could be faced with the same problem. The dry forest landscapes of northern and eastern Cambodia are poised for dramatic change. Although BirdLife continues token conservation efforts in western Siem Pang IBA the future of this site hangs in the balance. In this issue we report on the status of a major land concession that if confirmed by the Cambodian Government, would seriously undermine efforts to conserve this species.

Other good news we report on this quarter is the rediscovery of the Large-billed Reed-warbler Acrocephalus orinus by Philip Round in Thailand. This story is made even more remarkable because even the exisitsnce of the species was doubted by some and it was overlooked in recent conservation literature.

During this quarter we have launched a new project which aims to monitor biodiversity across southern China, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. This is a component of the Asian Development Bank’s Biodivserity Conservation Corridors Initiative. We are delighted to have secured such an important role in this project and are looking forward to working in close collaboration with our BirdLife colleagues at the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand and Hong Kong Birdwatching Society.

During this quarter we have also seen some staff comings-and-goings. We say goodbye to Do Bao Quyen, Dang Nguyen Hong Hanh and Ngo Van Tuan from the Hanoi office and welcome Thura Win Htun who has been working on the vulture and Gurney’s Pitta research projects in Myanmar recently.

I hope very much that in the next issue we can report the final outcome of our long-standing efforts to have Beuong Prek Lapouv designated a protected area.

The unsustainable demand for water at this site increasingly threatens its viability. Our collaborative efforts at the Integrated Faming and Biodivesrity Areas in the Ton Le Sap floodplain will be re-doubled in the coming quarter following important new support from Fondation Ensemble. So we have much to do and hopefully much to report on in the next issue due early July.

From the Archive Portfolio BirdLife International in Indochina #4/209, Doi Can, Hanoi, Vietnam Tel: + 84 4 722 3864 / Fax: + 84 4 722 3835 Email: birdlife@birdlife.netnam.vn www.birdlifeindochina.org If you have any contribution or suggestion for the next issue, please contact Giao@birdlife.netnam.vn by June 1st.

Jonathan C. Eames Programme Manager BirdLife International in Indochina

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Features Crested Ibis Nipponia nippon Conservation in Shaanxi Province, China It is now 25 years since the rediscovery of the Crested Ibis Nipponia nippon in Yangxian, China. The bird lives in close proximity to people, feeding in farmers’ fields and nesting in nearby trees. It is exciting that a project in China has successfully brought man and bird together allowing the ibis to be pulled back from the brink of extinction.

The Crested Ibis used to be commonly seen in many areas of Japan as well as in northeastern and central China, Taiwan, Korean Peninsula and Ussurisk in Russia. Toward the latter half of the twentieth century it disappeared. There were no sightings of the bird in the wild after 1964. The species were about to be declared extinct.

Then in May 1981, seven individuals including three juveniles were discovered in the mountains in Wild Crested Ibises were rediscovered Yangxian in 1981 and have thrived Yangxian, Shaanxi Province 1,200 m since. (Photo taken on May 26, 2006) above sea level. The news attracted worldwide attention.

Governmental policies were put in place to establish systems to protect the ibis in the wild and its habitat. The number of individual birds has gradually increased and the extinction risk reduced.

The Japanese Crested Ibis is different from other ibis species in that it inhabits the vicinity of human settlement, roosting and breeding in tall trees and feeding in rice fields, ponds, rivers and dams close to people. In Yangxian, the ibis shares its mountain home with farmers. Over the last 25 years local residents have shown that they can live in harmony with the birds.

During February through June ibis build their nest, lay and incubate eggs, and raise their chicks. They feed in shallow water in rice paddies and rivers near their nests. From July to January, they fly further a-field, even to neighboring prefectures, in groups of three to five birds, feeding on riverbanks, reservoirs and rice paddies.

The project in Yangxian, began with just seven adult birds 25 years ago. At the end of the breeding season of 2006, there were as many as 500. During the breeding season of 2005, ibis fledged young at 62 out of 74 nests, with 123 young birds fledged in total.

This year (2006?) more nests were successful (80 out of 108), but the number of young that fledged was only 106. The survival rate decreased by 18%. It is thought that the critical factor is a shortage of food because the area of cultivated rice fields this year has been reduced due to unusually dry weather over recent years.

At the same time as the project to protect the birds in their natural habitat was begun, a captive breeding program was initiated. It wasn’t until 1990 that this had any positive results but now the Crested Ibis are breeding in the three zoos: Yangxian and Louguantai in Shaaxi Province, and in Beijing.

Wild Crested Ibis breeding in Yangxian in 2005, where there are now about 500 wild birds.

At the Yangxian zoo, 37 chicks were born this year bringing the total to 163. In Louguantai, where there are 260 birds in captivity, 26 pairs bred and 36 chicks fledged. The total number of ibis which have been raised in Shaanxi Province now stands at 430. Increasing numbers of birds means higher costs for food, staffing, infrastructure and maintenance. Insufficient space and funding is said to be holding the project back for the time being.

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3 BirdLife International in Indochina The time seems right to reintroduce the captive-bred birds into the wild. Research and experiments for reintroduction have been ongoing for a number of years. A few places have been nominated as candidate sites for re-introducing the ibis.

An experimental release of captive-bred individuals into areas where wild ibis remain has begun. In 2004 and 2005, 23 sub-adults were released fitted with satellite transmitters in Huayang, Yangxian. According to the tracing reports, 17 of these individuals have already settled in the wild. Initially the released birds moved around separately from the wild ibis but recently the released birds have begun to blend with wild ones. Of the 12 individuals released last year 1 pair mated and another released individual mated with a wild bird, each pair raising one chick during the 2006 breeding season.

The plan for reintroduction of the ibis to its former habitat must be essentially different from the one for conserving the birds in their present habitats. The work in Yangxian, China on the conservation of the Crested Ibis, and its reintroduction to areas within its former range in China will provide much useful information, which can be used in other areas for example the ibis project on Sado island in Japan.

Development of wild Ibis population: Line graph shows from the top: egg production, hatched number, fledged number, and number of breeding pairs.

Dr. Su Unshan – Chief Researcher, Institute for Environmental Culture Creation, China

New Approaches to Bustard Conservation in India There are 22 species of bustards in the world. India is home to three of the rarest: Great Indian Bustard Ardeotis nigriceps, Lesser Florican Sypheotides indica and Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis.

Although these, and the winter visiting Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis macqueeni, have been given the highest degree of protection under Schedule I of the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972, their numbers continue to decline at an alarming rate.

Indian and international conservations are working to find new ways to protect these birds. Even though Great Indian Bustard is found in small numbers in Pakistan, Lesser Florican in Pakistan and Nepal, and Bengal Florican in Nepal, Vietnam and Cambodia, their chances of long term survival are dependent on India playing a proactive role in their protection.

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4 BirdLife International in Indochina Great Indian Bustard The Great Indian Bustard was formerly widely distributed in India, its main stronghold being the Thar desert and parts of Pakistan, Spread of agriculture, overgrazing and destruction of grasslands by livestock, and illegal hunting have resulted in a drastic decline. Presently, the species is confined to pockets of habitat in six states of India namely Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

In the mid 1980s, the total population was estimated to be between 1,500 and 2,000 with Rajasthan possibly having half of the estimated number. However, surveys since the late 1990s show further decline, especially in Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan.

Some conservation measures have been taken in all six states and nine sanctuaries contain or used to have the Great Indian Bustard. However, most of these sanctuaries were established in private agricultural or common grazing lands.

Respective state governments ignored the ‘settlements of rights’ leaving the Forest Department in charge of managing these protected areas but with virtually no legal control over the land. As a result habitat alteration by expansion of agriculture or settlements, development of roads or canals, and the spread of industry is still going on.

Three sanctuaries (Karera, Sorsan and Rannibennur) have already lost all their bustards. Conservationists fear that this will happen in other sanctuaries within two-three years unless immediate measures are taken.

Lesser Florican In the past, Lesser Florican was a common ‘game’ bird of Indian grasslands, especially in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. It was found in almost the whole of India. Now, perhaps less than 2,500 Lesser Florican survive in the whole world, making it one of the most endangered birds of India. Like the Great Indian Bustard, its habitat has shrunk by more than 90%.

Conservation of this species is difficult as it is a monsoon breeder, changing its breeding grounds depending upon monsoonal conditions. Lesser Floricans may visit sanctuaries in very small numbers or not at all if rainfall is not favourable.

Agricultural change threatens floricans like this Lesser Florican. Photo: Asad Rahmani

This monsoon breeding pattern however, does mean that conservation of this species and protection of natural fodder (grass) are compatible. By the time the grass is ready for harvesting, the main breeding period of the florican is over. Delaying grass cutting by a week and /or leaving a small patch of grassland uncut, allows prefledged florican chicks and other species such as partridges and quails to survive. However, before specific prescriptions can be given for their protection, long term studies and planning have to be undertaken.

Presently, there are only two existing Lesser Florican sanctuaries in India – Sailana and Sardarpur, both in Madhya Pradesh. Increasing land hunger means that the chances of developing additional grassland sanctuaries, especially large ones, are remote. The possibility for integrating Florican conservation and grassland development is more interesting. In Gujarat and Rajasthan, for example, livestock husbandry is a major occupation or rural people and there is tremendous demand for natural fodder.

Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican inhabit a landscape consisting of grasslands, grazing land and crop fields. It is therefore essential to involve local people in their protection.

A number of possible paths for conservation of these birds and their habitat are being explored urgently by the Indian Bird Conservation Network and BNHS (BirdLife in India) working with the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) and BirdLife International.

These include: looking at protection using the concept of Community Reserve or Conservation Reserve, suggested under the recently amended Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972; and of taking resource to various provision of the Indian Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, restricting certain activities in bustard habitats without displacing or disturbing the human populations. The concept of working with Site Support Groups, developed by BirdLife, could also prove to be a good model in bustard conservation.

Dr. Asad R. Rahmani – Director, Bombay Natural History Society

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Regional news Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen Opposes Tonle Sap Lake Becoming A World Heritage Site Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said the Tonle Sap River basin should not be designated a World Heritage site on the grounds that fishing and the development of oil and mineral resources might be constrained as a result.

“Soon there will be oil under-ground – not only in the sea,” he said Monday at a two-day conference hosted by the Asian Development Bank in Phnom Penh. “When we admit it into World Heritage (listing), we have to discuss it with others. It is ours – why do we need to consult with them if it is ours?” he added. Hun Sen also said that he was concerned such a designation might impinge on the region’s thriving fishing industry. “Khmer people have been catching fish since Angkorian times,” he said. “They are used to getting fish for eating and ...they would not be able to,” if the Tonle Sap area became a World Heritage site, he said.

Teruo Jinnai, who heads the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in Cambodia, said Tuesday that designation as a World Heritage site would not affect fishing. Less clear, he said, was what such a designation would portend for natural resource development. An application for World Heritage designation for the Tonle Sap would have to be made by the Cambodian Government, and no such application has been made. However, UNESCO, which serves as the secretariat for the World Heritage list, has been encouraging the Government to apply, he said.

In 1997, the Tonle Sap lake and surrounding floodplain were designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, which established zones with different levels of protection and development for the area but also permitted natural resource extraction, Teruo Jinnai said. There are no financial penalties for violating protective conditions set out for World Heritage sites. Urooj Malik, the director of ADB’s agriculture, environment, and natural resources division in Southeast Asia, said he believed the Tonle Sap should be designated a World Heritage site. “Nearly three million people depend on this area for their livelihood,” he said. “It’s not just a national resource. It’s a regional resource because of its connection to the Mekong River.”

Lor Chandara and Erika Kinetz, The Cambodian Daily, March 7, 2007

Farming Threatened Wildlife to Extinction Turtles are among the groups with the highest proportion of species under threat of extinction. Asia is the epicentre of threat to this group, largely because of demand for their meat for soup and shells for traditional Chinese medicine. A recent publication reveals the scale of turtle farming operations in China and suggests that these are a major threat to the survival of China’s turtle species1. Although farming of species in captivity is sometimes suggested to be a sustainable alternative to exploitation of species in the wild, the authors of this publication state that turtle farms are a problem because they are also the main purchasers of wild-caught turtles. As well as laundering cheaply-caught wild turtles, farmers seek wild breeders because successive generations of farm-raised turtles show a marked decrease in reproductive capability. The authors thus believe that these farms pose a major conservation threat, which they do not think can be regulated sufficiently to provide a conservation opportunity. Further, because of the need for – and depletion of – wild breeding stock, these unsustainable farms are even putting themselves out of business. These findings should be an alarm call not just to China, but also to other countries in the region – such as Vietnam and Thailand – which are investing heavily in farming of wildlife species such as turtles, snakes, crocodiles, and bears.

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Shi Haitao, Parham, J. F., Lau, M. and Chen Tien-Hsi (2007) Farming Endangered Turtles to Extinction in China.

Conservation Biology 21 (1): 5-6.

John Pilgrim, Conservation Advisor, BirdLife International in Indochina

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Community Attitudes Towards Protected Areas in Myanmar A study has recently been published of attitudes of local people towards three protected areas in Myanmar1. There is a lot of prior evidence linking socio-economic status to attitudes towards protected areas, with well-educated and wealthier people generally looking more favourably on protected areas. These findings were reiterated in this study, but it also showed significant – indeed much greater – links between attitudes towards protected areas and people’s perceptions of benefits and conflicts. Specifically, perceived conservation benefits (of forest, wildlife, and climate) were found to increase the likelihood that a person liked a protected area 28-fold. Likewise, perceived management benefits (such as road construction) increased this likelihood tenfold, and perceived extraction benefits by fivefold. Conversely, people who perceived extraction restrictions were found to have one seventh the chance of liking a protected area.

Likewise, perceived conflicts with protected area staff or crop damage by wildlife decreased the chance of liking a protected area to one fifth. A key finding of the study was thus that perceived positive benefits of protected areas had a much higher impact on overall attitudes towards protected areas than either perceived costs or socio-economic variables.

This study was conducted at Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park, Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary, and Chatthin Wildlife Sanctuary, but has a lot of implications for other areas in Indochina. Throughout the region, protected area managers are inadequately resourced to manage their areas without the cooperation of local communities, but environmental education, conservation and development activities have been sparse to date. This study emphasises not only the importance of ensuring benefits (such as sustainable natural resource extraction) from protected areas, but moreover the importance of conservation awareness-raising work to increase understanding and positive perceptions of protected areas.

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Allendorf, T., Khaing Khaing Swe, Thida Oo, Ye Htut, Myint Aung, Myint Aung, Allendorf, K., Hayek, L.-A., Leimgruber, P. and Wemmer, C. (2006) Community attitudes toward three protected areas in Upper Myanmar (Burma).

Environmental Conservation 33: 344-352.

John Pilgrim, Conservation Advisor, BirdLife International in Indochina

Freshwater Biodiversity in Asia A recent publication has summarised the importance of, threats to, status of, and conservation challenges for freshwater biodiversity globally1. It highlights the fact that, although freshwater makes up only 0.01% of the world’s water and c. 0.8% of the Earth’s surface, it supports almost 6% of all described species. The authors point out that inland waters and freshwater biodiversity constitute a valuable natural resource, in economic, cultural, aesthetic, scientific and educational terms. However, freshwater habitats are experiencing declines in biodiversity far greater than those in any terrestrial ecosystems. The authors recognise the overwhelming human demands on freshwater habitats, and thus believe that both human and biodiversity needs must ultimately be compromised. The lead author of this recent publication has written several previous papers focusing on Tropical Asia. These highlight the poor state of knowledge of the freshwater biodiversity of Tropical Asia2 and the exceptional levels of threat to freshwater biodiversity in the region, from pollution, watershed deforestation, overexploitation, invasive species, and flow modification by dams3.

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Dudgeon, D., Arthington, A. H., Gessner, M. O., Kawabata, Z.-I., Knowler, D. J., Lévêque, C., Naiman, R. J., PrieurRichard, A.-H., Soto, D., Stiassny, M. L. J. and Sullivan, C. A. (2006) Freshwater biodiversity: importance, threats, status and conservation challenges. Biological Review 81: 163-182.

2 Dudgeon, D. (2003) The contribution of scientific information to the conservation and management of freshwater biodiversity in tropical Asia. Hydrobiologia 500: 295-314.

3 Dudgeon, D. (2005) River Rehabilitation for Conservation of Fish Biodiversity in Monsoonal Asia. Ecology and Society 10 (2): 15.

John Pilgrim, Conservation Advisor, BirdLife International in Indochina

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Large‐billed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orinus Rediscovered in Thailand Ornithologists across the world are celebrating with the news that a wetland bird that has eluded scientists ever since its discovery in India in 1867 has been refound. Twice. The Large-billed Reed-warbler Acrocephalus orinus is the world’s least known bird. A single bird was collected in the Sutlej Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India, in 1867, but many had questioned whether it was indeed represented a true species and wasn’t just an aberrant individual of a common species.

But on 27 March 2006, ornithologist Philip Round, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology, Mahidol University, was bird ringing (banding) at a wastewater treatment centre (the Royally initiated Laem Phak Bia Environmental Research and Development Project) near Bangkok, Thailand.

“Although reed-warblers are generally drab and look very similar, one of the birds I caught that morning struck me as very odd, something about it didn’t quite add up; it had a long beak and short wings,” said Round. “Then, it dawned on me—I was probably holding a Large-billed Reed-warbler. I was dumbstruck, it felt as if I was holding a living dodo.”

“I knew it was essential to get cast-iron proof of its identity. I took many photographs, and carefully collected two feathers for DNA analysis, so as not to harm the bird.”

Large-billed Reed-warbler Acrocephalus orinus : the world's least known bird. Photo: Philip Round/The Wetland Trust

Round contacted Professor Staffan Bensch, from Lund University, Sweden, who had previously examined the Indian specimen and confirmed it did represent a valid species. He examined photographs and DNA of the Thai bird and confirmed the two were the same species.

"A priority now is to find out where the Large-billed Reed-warbler’s main population lives, whether it is threatened, and if so, how these threats can be addressed.” —Dr Stuart Butchart, BirdLife International “This rediscovery of the Large-billed Reedwarbler on the shores of Inner Gulf of Thailand (a BirdLife Important Bird Area, IBA) illustrates the importance of wetland habitats and the remarkable biodiversity they are home to,” said Ms Kritsana Kaewplang, BCST Director.

“It also demonstrates the contribution of routine monitoring and ringing of migratory birds at even well-known sites.”

“This remarkable discovery gives Indian ornithologists an added incentive to continue our search for the Large-billed Reed-warbler in India,” said Dr Asad Rahmani, Director of the Bombay Natural History Society. “Like the discovery of Bugun Liocichla last year in Arunachal Pradesh, it shows us just how much we still have to learn about our remarkable avifauna.”

Ornithologist Philip Round at the site of the dramatic rediscovery - a wastewater treatment centre near Bangkok. Photo: Philip Round/The Wetland Trust

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BirdLife International’s Dr Stuart Butchart, commented: “Almost nothing is known about this mysterious bird. The Indian specimen has short, round wings and we speculated it is

8 BirdLife International in Indochina resident or short-distance migrant, so its appearance in Thailand is very surprising. A priority now is to find out where the Large-billed Reed-warbler’s main population lives, whether it is threatened, and if so, how these threats can be addressed.”

In a further twist to this remarkable tale, six months after the rediscovery, another Large-billed Reed-warbler specimen was discovered in the collection of The Natural History Museum at Tring, in a drawer of Blyth’s Reed-warblers (Acrocephalus dumetorum) collected in India during the 19th Century. Once again, Professor Staffan Bensch confirmed the identification using DNA. “Finding one Large-billed Reed-warbler after 139 years was remarkable, finding a second— right under ornithologists’ noses for that length of time—is nothing short of a miracle,” said Butchart. The second specimen is from a different part of India and is bound to fuel debate as to the whereabouts of more Large-billed Reedwarblers. “Now people are aware Large-billed Reed-warblers are out there, we can expect someone to discover the breeding grounds before long. Myanmar or Bangladesh are strong possibilities, but this species has proved so elusive that it could produce yet another surprise,” said Butchart.

BirdLife International, March 7, 2007

Camera‐Trapping Tigers Vital to Saving Endangered Species in Asia Capturing a tiger on camera has always been Ed Pollard's goal, but now it's a necessity. His Wildlife Conservation Society has staked its prestige on a pledge to boost tiger numbers by half across six Asian sites over the next 10 years.

The Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area in north-eastern Cambodia is one of the locations. So collecting accurate data on tiger numbers and food sources is crucial. The $10 million initiative, called Tigers Forever, was officially launched in January. As few as 5,000 tigers survive in the wild in Asia, down from some 100,000 a century ago. WCS's other targets for tiger conservation is in India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.

For the Tigers Forever project, the New York-based group has 15 pairs of cameras covering paths and trails across nearly 80 square miles of the Cambodian forest's core. They are moved every few weeks, set in pairs because the stripes on a tiger are not symmetrical, and the animal must be photographed on both sides before identification is definite.

When the first films were collected last month, there was almost schoolboy-style excitement. The researcher who retrieved them reported a fresh tiger track on a trail leading straight to one of the cameras. But something must have lured the beast off the path before it broke the beam that would have triggered the cameras.

The conservation group has been operating here since 2002, the year it got its first and so far only tiger photo.

But paw prints are found quite often, especially in the softer ground during the rainy season, and there have been regular sightings. Native tracker Den Amboyn says he came face to face with a tiger on a logging road last year. "I was scared but I managed to get away," he says.

Of all the sites in Asia, the Cambodian one has the fewest tigers, probably no more than ten. But country director Joe Walston is confident of hitting the target, in part because the zone has plenty of prey. "As tiger habitat it's close to optimal," he says.

Increased protection is part of the plan. Some of the Tigers Forever money will go toward building three more ranger stations at key points in the jungle over the next three years. With every identified tiger now at a premium, Pollard is tantalized by a story told by the forest-dwelling Phnong people, who say they know of a tiger that lives in a cave but whose whereabouts can't be revealed because the wood is sacred. Pollard has spent many hours poring over maps, trying to find it. "I think I know where it is now," he says, "or at least I think I'm getting close."

Keo Seima, International Herald Tribune, March 1, 2007

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Myanmar Bird and Nature Society survey in Tanintharyi Division With unseasonable downpours constantly sending his bird research team scrambling for shelter or forcing them to spend time packing their survey equipment into waterproof bags, U Thet Zaw Naing did not expect to make many new discoveries in the dense forests of southern Tanintharyi Division. It is therefore not surprising that the ornithologist was thrilled that among the more than 200 bird species spotted during an eight-day trip to the forest last month were two species previously undocumented in Myanmar.

“We didn’t expect it at all,” said U Thet Zaw Naing, secretary of the Myanmar Bird and Nature Society. “Despite the bad weather, what we recorded was pretty high in terms of both species and population.”

Of the two new species, the yellow-wattled lapwing had previously been sighted only in Malaysia in the Southeast Asia region. The other new species was the brown fulvetta Alcippe brunneicauda. The October 14 to 21 trip followed an excursion in September to Alaungdaw Kathapha National Park in Sagaing Division arranged jointly by the society and three foreign bird experts. Mr Martjan Lammertink, a Dutch bird expert who joined last month’s trip, told The Myanmar Times prior to his departure for Tanintharyi Division that the area was particularly interesting because it was a complex zone where the ranges of many bird species – including those from Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia – overlapped. “So you get an exceptionally high diversity of bird species,” he said. “Nowhere on earth can so many bird species be found in a tropical forest as in southern Tanintharyi.”

Despite this great diversity, and despite the fact that it is the only place where the nearly extinct Gurney’s pitta Pitta gurneyi can be found, the area is under siege by development that threatens the health of the local environment. Mr Lammertink said the main threat was from a project to replace the indigenous forests in the area with palm tree plantations to boost the country’s production of edible oil. While environmentalists acknowledge that such projects are vital to boost the development of the country, they say that such growth should be approached in a balanced, sustainable manner that does not irreparably destroy the environment. “This kind of valuable forest can be found nowhere else except Tanintharyi, so we should preserve it instead of destroying part of our national heritage,” said U Thet Zaw Naing. He said the forests in the three areas of Kawthoung district where last month’s survey took place were still in very good condition, characterised by dense forests with many big trees that provide ideal habitat for a wide range of bird species.

Without additional protection, the endangered Gurney’s pitta species is expected to go extinct within ten years, U Thet Zaw Naing said, adding that although the bird is also found in Thailand forests contiguous with Tanintharyi Division, the habitat in Thailand is even more severely degraded than in Myanmar. “While planting oil palms is important for the economy, we also need to create reserves to protect some of the remaining forestland instead of clearing it all,” he said.

“Such areas also have economic value as ecotourism sites that attract tourists for their rich diversity of flora and fauna species.”

U Thein Aung, assistant director of Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division of the Forestry Department under the Ministry of Forestry, said that areas like the forests of Tanintharyi Division constitute irreplaceable ecosystems uniquely suited to supporting specific plant and animal species that would be unable to survive elsewhere. “Oil palms can be planted in many areas other than Tanintharyi Division, but the local forests and their animal inhabitants can’t just move somewhere else,” he said. “Endangered animals that live in the forest will simply disappear if the trees are cleared.”

Khin Hninn Phyu, The Irrawaddy, November 20-26, 2006

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Commercial Tiger Breeding in Vietnam A Government of Vietnam ministry proposes confiscating as many as 37 illegally bred tigers in southern Vietnam, state media said on Tuesday, but questions remain about what the government would do with the animals. Only about 150 tigers survive in the wild in Vietnam, where much of their natural habitat has been destroyed, so releasing them into the wild might not be an option, according to conservationists. "We have made recommendations to the authorities on how to deal with the tigers, but the issue is fraught with problems," said Tim Knight, spokesman for the conservation group, Wildlife at Risk, in Ho Chi Minh City. "From a conservation point of view, keeping them for breeding purposes would be the best thing."

The reports said the tigers were found in Binh Duong province in districts about 40 km (25 miles) north of Ho Chi Minh City. They are being kept privately by individuals and organisations. The official Vietnam News Agency and newspapers said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung had told the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to "work out measures" to deal with the tigers in the province. They said the ministry "proposed to confiscate all illegally bred tigers and transfer them to authorised organisations to raise in line with the state's regulations". It did not say where the animals might be taken.

Breeding tigers in captivity is [not] difficult and the enormous demand in Vietnam and other Asian countries to consume parts of exotic animals for culinary or medicinal purposes threatens many species. Communist-run Vietnam signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, in 1994, but wildlife groups have criticised the country for inconsistent enforcement.

Reuters News Service, March 14, 2007

Pollution Changes Bird Diversity at Mai Po, Hong Kong Water pollution in Deep Bay has caused changes in migratory bird species at the Mai Po wetland by killing off the food of some birds while encouraging the growth of food favoured by others, conservationists say. Crabs were dying in the contaminated waters while worms, snails and algae were thriving, said the local chapter of the global conservation body WWF, which manages the nature reserve. The green group yesterday urged a joint working group of the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Governments to disclose water quality data from the Shenzhen side of the bay, as pollution remained unchanged despite a big reduction in the discharge of effluent by Hong Kong.

WWF Mai Po reserve officer Bena Smith said Hong Kong discharge 13.4 tonnes of effluent a day into Deep Bay in 2005, a 40 percent decrease from 1996. But he said water quality remained poor and this was reflected in the changing species of water birds at Mai Po. One species that has increased significantly in recent years is the pied avocet Recurvirostra avosetta a winter migratory bird. Fewer than 1,000 were recorded in 1990, but this increased to more than 8,000 last year. On the other hand, the number of Saunder’s Gulls Larus saundersi has fallen from 170 in 1990 to 50 last year. The gull is classified as vulnerable with only 3,000 recorded worldwide. Mr. Smith attributed the change to pollution in Deep Bay. He said micro-organisms that were more tolerant to pollution, such as worms, snails and larvae, had been increasing, attracting flocks of water birds that feed on them, including the pied avocet. But pollutants, such as heavy metals and toxins, have wiped out less-tolerant marine life, like small crabs, which Saunder’s gulls eat.

The working group was formed in 1992 to tackle water pollution in Deep Bay. Both governments have agreed on a plan to clean up the bay by 2015. But water quality remained poor in 2005, particularly the inner bay area, the latest Environment Protection Department figures show. Nitrogen compound levels were the highest of all Hong Kong waters.

“Academics estimated that more than 80 per cent of pollution came from Shenzhen, but we don’t know the situation on Shenzhen’s side,” Mr. Smith said. He said the department should make annual reports on the water quality of both sides and start regular monitoring of heavy metals in Deep Bay. He said the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department should also release monitoring data of sediment quality. The director of the Institute of Public and Environment Affairs, Ma Jun, said Shenzhen ranked 26 among 300 mainland cities on transparency of water data. An environment department spokeswoman said Hong Kong and its Guangdong counterparts had been informing the public of the findings through press briefings.

Olga Wong, South China Morning Post, February 28, 2007

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11 BirdLife International in Indochina

Newly Discovered Myanmar Fish Already in Decline

Just months after the discovery of a colorful new fish in South-East Asia, worldwide demand and intense exportation are already causing concern about the readily available supply of the species.

The celestial pearl danio Celestichthys margaritatus was first found in August by a commercial aquarium-fish dealer near the town of Hopong in Myanmar. At first the danio's location was kept a secret. But it wasn't long before word leaked out to other commercial dealers, said Tyson Roberts, an ichthyologist who has collected fish in Myanmar for almost 30 years. Within a few months one Thai company alone had exported about 15,000 of the fish, he pointed out.

The celestial pearl danio (male, top; female, bottom), was discovered recently in Myanmar. Photographs courtesy Khun Kamphol Udomritthiruj

Since then exportation—mainly to Japan, North America, and Europe—has probably been ten times that amount, Roberts added. "Captive breeding may be the only way for the aquarium hobbyist to ensure a supply of the species in the future, since it reportedly is already nearly fished out in the area where it was discovered," he wrote by email. Roberts is the author of a paper on the celestial pearl danio that appeared in last week's issue of the journal the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. He also named the new species, after white spots on its body that reminded him of stars and pearls.

Maryann Mott, National Geographic News, March 21, 2007

First Captive White‐rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis Hatched in India…….

One of the world’s most threatened birds has bred in captivity for the first time in India. The news has given scientists and conservationists further hope for saving Asia’s declining vulture populations. The single chick, a White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis, was hatched at a breeding centre in Pinjore, Haryana, as part of a breeding programme undertaken by BNHS (BirdLife in India) and the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK). Scientists had not expected the birds to breed successfully in captivity until at least 2008. “The egg was laid in November and since then, we have been waiting and hoping.” said Dr Vibhu Prakash, Principal Scientist for the vulture breeding programme at BNHS “This success shows that we have got the conditions right, so now we can plan ahead with confidence to breed many more vultures in the future.”

Captive breeding is being used in India to help ensure that Asian vulture populations recover after populations of three vulture species - White-Rumped Vulture, Indian Vulture Gyps indicus and Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris declined by more that 95 percent in just three years in the 1990s. Subsequent research found a link between the apparent vulture declines and a veterinary drug, diclofenac, being used in treating livestock. Many millions of vultures are thought to have died as a result of feeding on the carcasses of livestock treated with the drug.

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12 BirdLife International in Indochina

“This success shows that we have got the conditions right, so now we can plan ahead with confidence to breed many more vultures in the future.” —Dr Vibhu Prakash, Principal Scientist, BNHS Vultures, being highly efficient scavengers, are a crucial part of South Asia’s ecosystems. In recent years they have continued to decline by between 22 and 48 percent each year. Vulture numbers are now so low that the birds’ survival is largely dependent on captive breeding success, as well as stopping the use of diclofenac.

The drug is currently being phased out in India, Pakistan and Nepal.

Chris Bowden, Head of the RSPB’s Vulture Conservation Programme said: “The hatching of this vulture chick is a hugely important milestone and shows that the vulture breeding programme really can help save the vultures once diclofenac is removed from the environment.”

In January 2006, scientists from the RSPB and the Zoological Society of London proved that the drug meloxicam was a suitable, and safe, alternative to diclofenac. Conservationists are now promoting the use of this safer drug in veterinary practice: “The increasing availability of meloxicam means that farmers and vets can switch to the new drug. But this must happen immediately if we are to avoid losing the last remaining wild vultures,” urged Dr Asad Rahmani, Director of the Bombay Natural History Society.

The captive breeding success gives hope to conservationists working to save Asia's declining vulture populations. Photo: BNHS

BirdLife International, January 9, 2007

….Only to Later Die Two rare vultures said to be the first of their species bred in captivity have died after only a few weeks, a scientist said on Thursday, in a blow for conservationists trying to save the endangered South Asian birds from extinction. The Oriental white-backed vulture chicks had been warmly greeted when they hatched in January at a breeding centre in Pinjore in the north Indian state of Haryana. Both chicks died later in January, Vibhu Prakash, the principal scientist of the Bombay Natural History Society's vulture breeding programme, told Reuters on Thursday. Prakash blamed the parents. "They were first-time parents and they just didn't know what to do with their chicks," he said. "That happens very often even in the wild." The society is trying to save South Asia's Oriental white-backed, long-billed and slenderbilled vultures from extinction. The population of these birds has dropped by more than 97 percent in the last 15 years, according to Britain's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Scientists say the decline is largely due to farmers dosing their cattle with the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, poisoning the birds one step up the food chain. Prakash said the society was taking the bad news in its stride. "This is just a part of what happens in nature" he said. "We were not expecting breeding to happen so soon anyway." He said dozens of vultures at the centre would reach parenting age in the next two or three years, when breeding would begin in earnest.

Reuters News Service, February 23, 2007

Vulture Restaurants can Reduce Diclofenac Deaths Providing regular and reliable supplies of uncontaminated carcases is a well-established tool in vulture conservation.

Among their many applications, vulture restaurants are used to provide a safe food source in areas where carcasses are commonly baited with poisons. A team from the Peregrine Fund set out to find whether vulture restaurants could be used in the Indian subcontinent to reduce exposure to the veterinary anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac. Recent catastrophic declines in three Gyps species, Slender-billed Gyps tenuirostris, Indian G. indicus and White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis have been attributed to the toxic effects of the drug upon birds which have fed on treated livestock. Affected vultures die of visceral gout.

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13 BirdLife International in Indochina Their findings are described in the current issue of Bird Conservation International. [1] The restaurant was established at the White-rumped Vulture colony at Toawala, in Punjab province, Pakistan. The vultures were offered the carcases of donkeys, purchased locally and held for a week to ensure that any diclofenac residues had been eliminated.

Mean daily mortality in the colony when carcases were provided was 0.072 birds per day (8 birds in 111 days), compared with 0.387 birds per day (41 birds in 106 days) during non-provisioning control periods. The researchers collected 50 dead adult and sub-adult vultures during the study period. Visceral gout, indicative of renal failure possibly due to diclofenac poisoning, was found in 29 of the 30 dead vultures that were available for necropsy. At least five vultures were found dead with visceral gout while the A dead White-rumped Vulture, a victim of diclofenac restaurant was operating. “Even under optimum conditions it exposure. Photo: Munir Virani/The Peregrine Fund is not possible to eliminate diclofenac exposure entirely where alternative carcass sources are readily available,” the authors assert. The authors conclude that restaurants can reduce, but not eliminate, diclofenac exposure.

“Supplementary feeding may prove to be a useful management tool for slowing declines locally in the short term,” until diclofenac can be withdrawn from veterinary use. Education of veterinarians and livestock owners to avoid treatment of terminally ill livestock, or to bury or burn carcasses of recently treated livestock, may also be helpful. Otherwise, “extinction is inevitable in all populations foraging in areas where diclofenac is in veterinary use and treated carcasses become vulture food at sufficient frequency to cause deaths and negative population growth.”

[1] Vulture restaurants and their role in reducing diclofenac exposure in Asian vultures, MARTIN GILBERT, RICHARD T. WATSON, SHAKEEL AHMED, MUHAMMAD ASIM and JEFF A. JOHNSON, Bird Conservation International (2007) 17:1–16.

BirdLife International, March 20, 2006

Zoo‐Born Sumatran Rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis shipped to Indonesia A rare Sumatran rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis the first born in captivity in more than 100 years, arrived in the country of his ancestors on Tuesday as part of an international breeding programme. Andalas had set off from the Los Angeles zoo for the 40hour journey that took him via Amsterdam to the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, where he landed on Tuesday evening. Highranking Indonesian officials, including the forestry minister, greeted the rhino at Jakarta's main Soekarno-Hatta airport as light rain fell.

However, their view of Andalas was limited as he was brought out of the plane inside a closed wooden box with only gaps for air ventilation, and quickly put into a lorry for the last stages of the long journey to his new home on the island of Sumatra. "The rhino seems to be healthy after the trip," said Marcellius Adi, an official with a wildlife research group. He still faced land and sea travel to reach the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in the Way Kambas National Park. "The reason this move is so significant is that it is the first relocation of this species back to Indonesia, the species' homeland," Robin Radcliffe of Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in New York said before the trip began. Only a few African rhinos have been moved from captivity back to the wild. Andalas, born in the Cincinnati rhino not born in the wild in 112 years.

The Sumatran rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis has a viable future probably only in Sumatra, through small populations are found elsewhere in South-East Asia.

Photo: Gerald Cubitt.

Zoo in September 2001, is the first Sumatran

There are only about 300 Sumatran, or hairy, rhinos still surviving in the wild in south-East Asia. The Javan rhino is the rarest species. "But the Sumatran rhino is considered more endangered, even though there are more of them because they are isolated and fragmented in habitats. Their population has been in a steady decline in the last 20 years," said Radcliffe, who works for the International Rhino Foundation. "Sumatran rhinos are closely related to the woolly rhino which became extinct during the last Ice Age. It is a very prehistoric rhino," he said. The hairy Sumatran rhino is the smallest of the rhino species but can still weigh from 1,300 to 1,800 pounds (600 to 800 kg), so transporting Andalas is not a simple task. The lorry set off with Andalas to the western end of Java, from where a ferry was scheduled to take him on to Sumatra for an eight-ten hour drive to the sanctuary.

Reuters Service News, Feb. 21, 2007

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Clouded Leopards in Borneo a Different Species Scientists have discovered that the clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra is an entirely new species of cat. The secretive rainforest animal was originally thought to be the same species as the one found in mainland South-East Asia. The news comes just a few weeks after a WWF report showed that scientists had identified at least 52 new species of animals and plants over the past year in Borneo. The global conservation organization says these repeated findings show how crucial it is to conserve the habitat and species of the world’s third largest island. Researchers at the US National Cancer Institute say the differences between the Borneo and the mainland clouded leopard were found to be comparable to the differences between other large cat species such as lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar and snow leopard. They believe the Borneo population from the mainland population some 1.4 million years ago. “Genetic research results clearly indicate that the clouded leopards of Borneo should be considered a separate species,” said Dr Stephen O’Brien, Head of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, US National Cancer Institute.

“DNA tests highlighted around 40 differences between the two species.” The results of the genetic study are supported by separate research on geographical variation in the clouded leopard, based mainly on fur patterns and colouration of skins held in museums and collections.

“The moment we started comparing the skins of the mainland clouded leopard and the leopard found on Borneo, it was clear we were comparing two different species,” said Dr Andrew Kitchener, from the Department of Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland. “It’s incredible that no one has ever noticed these differences.” The Borneo clouded leopard has small cloud markings, many distinct spots within the cloud markings, greyer fur, and a double dorsal stripe. It is altogether darker than the mainland species. Clouded leopards from the mainland have large clouds on their skin with fewer, often faint, spots within the cloud markings, and they are lighter in colour, with a tendency toward tawnycoloured fur and a partial double dorsal stripe.

“Who said a leopard can never change its spots? For over a hundred years we have been looking at this animal and never realized it was unique,” said Stuart Chapman, WWF International Co-ordinator of the Heart of Borneo programme.

“The fact that Borneo’s top predator is now considered a separate species further emphasizes the importance of conserving the Heart of Borneo.”

Clouded leopards are the biggest predators on Borneo, sometimes as large as small Leopards, and noted for having the longest canine teeth relative to body size of any cat. By taking into consideration the forest conditions in Borneo, a total number of 5,000 to 11,000 Bornean clouded leopards are estimated to live there. The total number in Sumatra could be in the range of 3,000 to 7,000 individuals. However, further studies are needed to obtain better population data.

Destruction of their habitat is the main threat they face. The last great forest home of the Bornean Clouded Leopard is the Heart of Borneo, a 220,000 sq.km wild, mountainous region – about five times the size of Switzerland – covered with equatorial rainforest in the centre of the island.

Last month in Bali (Indonesia), the minister of the three Bornean Governments – Brunei Darussalem, Indonesia and Malaysia – signed a historic Declaration to conserve and sustainably manage the Heart of Borneo. This has put the area on the global stage of conservation priorities.

Vietnam News, March 21, 2007

HSBC: World’s Local Bank Raises Money for Global Forest Destruction HSBC appears to be violating its own forest sector guidelines by arranging the stock exchange listing for Malaysian timber giant Samling, a company notorious for destroying tropical forests and the abuse of local communities, said Global Witness, Monday.

Global Witness found evidence that Samling Global was illegally sourcing timber from a Cambodian wildlife sanctuary in the 1990s, and has followed its activities ever since. Samling and its related companies have caused controversy in Cambodia and Papua New Guinea, and continue to do so in Guyana and Malaysia. Samling is selling a 25.3% stake on the Hong Kong stock exchange, with which it hopes to raise a reported $280 million for paying off debts and expanding into new areas. HSBC, which announces its results today, is joint arranger of the deal with Credit Suisse and Macquarie Securities. Public trading in the shares begins on 7 March.

"While HSBC is planting trees to reward its retail customers for requesting online statements, Samling is cutting them down. By helping Samling to raise a war-chest for new logging projects, HSBC is turning its own environmental commitments into meaningless greenwash," said Anthea Lawson, a campaigner at Global Witness. HSBC's 2004 "Forest Land and Forest Products Sector Guideline" says it will not deal with commercial operations logging in primary tropical moist forest, high conservation value forest, or logging in violation of local or national laws.

The Babbler 21 – April 2007

15 BirdLife International in Indochina Logging untouched tropical forest is precisely what Samling and its related companies have done for years in Cambodia, Malaysia, Guyana and Papua New Guinea. In the Malaysian province of Sarawak, Samling is one of the companies logging the last remaining areas of primary forest. The local Penan people face an on-going battle to prevent the destruction of the forest and their livelihoods. In addition, 210,000 hectares of a concession in Guyana logged by Samling subsidiary Barama is high conservation value forest. Global Witness also has evidence that Samling and its related companies have violated laws in Cambodia, Guyana and Papua New Guinea.

HSBC's guideline also says that the bank prefers to deal with customers who operate managed forests that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC, or equivalent, or who are ‘following a credible path towards achieving compliance within a maximum of five years'. Global Witness notes, however, that in January 2007 Barama had its FSC certification suspended after an independent audit found ‘systematic major nonconformities'. Barama had failed to conduct appropriate environmental impact assessments and did not have a forest management plan for the certified area. In addition the company is logging in Amerindian lands without the free and informed consent of local populations.

Only last month HSBC donated $8 million for research into the long-term effects of climate change on forests. But equally important is effect of industrial-scale logging on forests and, therefore, on climate change. According to last year's Stern Review, emissions from deforestation contribute more than 18% of global emissions, a greater share than the global transport sector. "HSBC's association with Samling makes a mockery of its forest policy and commitments on climate change. HSBC must terminate its relationship with Samling with immediate effect, and consider carefully what to do with the profits raised from this listing," said Anthea Lawson.

Global Witness, March 5, 2007

Vietnam Forestry Development Strategy 2006‐2020 Published The first Forestry Development Strategy 2001-2010 for Vietnam, was approved on 22nd January, 2002 by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) through the Decision number 199/QĐ-BNN-PTLN to provide guidance for forestry activities. However, in the socio-economic context of rapid development, the sectoral development orientation should be comprehensively adjusted to match with the national socio-economic development orientation and to meet the innovation needs, the trend of international economic integration, and thus, to create conditions for the mobilization of more domestic and foreign resources for sectoral development investment.

Therefore, MARD has prepared a Vietnam Forestry Development Strategy for the period 2006-2020. The new strategy builds upon elements of the previous strategy and the Forest Sector Support Program (FSSP) Framework (The FSSP Memorandum of Agreement was signed by MARD and 19 (now 25) international partners in November 2001). The new strategy provided new updated viewpoints and orientation to meet the requirement of innovation, integration and sustainable development. The strategy formulation began in February, 2004. On 5 February 2007, the Prime Minister signed the decision No. 18/2007/QD-Ttg which approved the Vietnam Forestry Development Strategy 2006-2020. This is the result of such a scientific and meticulous progress with consultation of former leaders of the forest sector, scientists, national and international experts, donor community, local authorities and the people.

In October – November, 2006, under the direction of MARD leaders and the coordination of FSSP Coordination Office, 5 working groups were established to build action plan, identify top priorities for implementing the Strategy till 2010. In order to foster the implementation of the Strategy after the approval by the Prime Minister, on 14th March, 2007, the Minister Cao Duc Phat sent an announcement to Ministry agencies, giving steering ideas for the implementation of Vietnam Forestry Development Strategy, particularly assigned the related units to implement strategy programs.

At present, FSSP Coordination Office is tightly cooperating with International Cooperation Department to prepare for organizing a round table meeting (tentatively in May, 2007) to mobilize ODA sources for the Strategy implementation.With such an interest of leaders at all levels and the strong support of donor community, national and international forestry organizations, we hope that in the near future, Vietnam Forestry will advance with new steady steps on the way of global integration.

Vietnam Forestry Development www.vietnamforestry.org.vn

Strategy

2006-2020

and

other

related

documents

are

available

at

Forest Sector Support Programme Coordination Office Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam

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Important Bird Areas News Chindwin Dam Threatens Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary (MY014) Tamamthi dam, Hydro-power and Multi-purpose project is situated between 25o North and 95o East and 26o North and 96 o East, and the dam site itself is located at Tazone village which lies 50 km north of Homalin town in Upper Sagaing Division, Union of Myanmar. The catchment area covers approximately 27,025 km2, a huge area of the Chindwin watershed. The average annual rainfall (Tazone) is 1,920 mm and annual flow of water into the dam is expected to be about 101,638,904,878 m3. These watersheds comprise intact forests including Tamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary and Hukaung Tiger Reserve along with natural forests at the headwaters and on both sides of the Chindwin River. More than six percent of the Tamanthi Wildlife sanctuary will be inundated including the vital habitats of globally endangered large mammals like tiger Panthera tigris, elephant Elephus maximus, and the endemic Myanmar’s Roofed Turtle Kachuga travittata will be lost forever as no other site is for this species is currently known. The proposed dam will be of composite construction (rockfill with concrete spillway and powerhouse) with an earth core and a crest level of 184 meters asl. The project will include construction of a 80 meter high and 1,600 m long dam at Tazone on Chindwin River and will create 1,396 km2 water spread area. The dam will also create a full reservoir capacity of 2,317,224,609 m3 of which 17 268 745 974 m3 is the effective storage capacity. There will be seven tainter gates with spillways each 14 meters wide and 16 meter high. The spillway discharge will be 37,997 m3 per second. Six penstocks will be used each with a 9.1 m diameter. The power plant will be 200 m long and will house vertical Francis turbines for a maximum rated output of 1200 MW (200 MW x 6 generating Units). The total expected production of the scheme will be 6,685 million kilowatt-hours (KWh) per year.

The Biodiversity And Nature Conservation Association (BANCA) was requested to conduct an EIA of this dam by the Government of Myanmar, Ministry of Electric Power (2), focusing mainly on the negative impacts on biodiversity.

Because of a short notice and limited time (45 days) BANCA was only able to conduct a rapid assessment. The team departed from Yangon on the 28th of August and returned back on the 10th of October. The team managed 30 days in the field for the study. A total of 43 persons participated in this biodiversity studies. The study group was divided into two main groups, flora and fauna with a leader in each group. The fauna group was then sub divided into 5 study groups of 4 participants. As for the flora group it consists of 14 members and was sub divided into groups whenever necessary. The rest participated as members of the support team.

The expert teams managed to record 332 species of birds, 59 species of mammals, 333 species of insects, 57 species of reptiles and amphibians, 67 species of fish, and 526 species of plants, including 4 species listed as critically endangered, 11 species as endangered, 12 species as vulnerable and 8 species as near threatened. The study team advised the Ministry of Hydroelectric Power (2) to seriously consider mitigation measures for all those species listed as critical, endangered, vulnerable and near threatened, but especially for one particular endemic species, Myanmar Roofed Turtle, it was advised that special attention needs to be paid for its survival since there is a possibility that it would become globally extinct after construction of the dam. This turtle which was found quite abundantly in Myanmar 100 years ago now appears to be approaching extinction in the wild due to chronic over harvesting of eggs and adults. Now it is only found in the section of the Chindwin River which will be flooded after construction of the dam. The team also advised to conduct further baseline studies of both flora and fauna as well as studies to identify mitigation measures for globally threatened species affected by the dam.

Dr. Htin Hla, Chairman of Wildbird Adventure Travels and Tours BANCA Executive Committee

Sugar Cane Plantation Threat to Hukaung Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (MY05) The largest “paper-park” in Myanmar has just had a few strips torn-off and could be headed for the garbage bin.

BirdLife has recently learnt that 200,000 ha, some 10% of the protected area has been allocated as concessions for two companies to grow sugar cane. Recent eye-witness reports indicate that the clearing of forest along the Ledo Road has already begun.

Although BirdLife does not yet know which areas will be affected it seems certain that if they are destined for sugar cane they must be either areas of alluvial grassland or lowland forest. Lowland grasslands are now almost entirely destroyed throughout tropical Asia and those in and around the Hukaung Valley Wildlife Sanctuary constitute the largest and most important grasslands in the region. These grasslands and the wetlands within them support such globally threatened

The Babbler 21 – April 2007

17 BirdLife International in Indochina species such as White-winged Duck Cairina scutulata and Green peafowl Pavo muticus. These areas could also be the last hide-out of the Pink-headed Duck Rhodonessa caryophyllacea if it is not already extinct. This grassland habitat also supports globally threatened mammals like Tiger Panthera tigris and Hog Deer Cervus porcinus and possibly relict populations of Wild Water Buffalo Bubalus bubalis.

Has the Hog Deer Cervus porcinus had its bacon in the Hukaung Valley? (left) Photo: J C Eames

Populations of the globally threatened Green Peafowl Pavo muticus would be adversely affected (right).

Photo: J C Eames

The grasslands in and around the Hukaung Valley are the largest remaining in tropical Asia (left) Photo: J C Eames

This dead buffalo was photographed in the Hukaung Valley. But was it wild or feral? Local people claim that they are wild (right). Photo: J C Eames

J C Eames, Programme Manager of BirdLife International in Indochina

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Continued Chinese Logging Ruins Mount Imawbun, Myanmar “China has clamped down on illegal logging in northern Myanmar by closing its border to the timber trade and ordering Chinese workers to leave the country. The order was issued by the Provincial Government of Yunnan, China. It included the trade in timber and minerals and referred to Chinese logging and mining workers.” So stated the Xinhua New Agency on 27 March 2006 under the headline, ‘Yunnan Public Security Border Defense Brigade takes actions to ensure the Yunnan-Myanmar timber and mineral trading cooperation.’ Although welcomed at the time and declared an “unprecedented move” by Global Witness, BirdLife can confirm that in January 2007 the logging trade was in full flow.

Fieldwork conducted by BirdLife in the Mount Imawbun area of north-east Kachin State in January 2007 saw ample daily evidence of logging and mineral extraction by Chinese companies. On the night of Friday 12 January we counted more than 100 fully laden logging trucks leaving an area known as “the triangle” crossing the Chinese-built suspension bridge across the Nmai River and passing through the town of Chibwe en route to the international frontier. At a truck stop at 3,000 m just short of the Myanmar-Yunnan boarder at Kangfeng, the team watched fully laden Chinese logging trucks role in every night so the drivers could get a hot meal and put snow-chains on their trucks before the drive to the border. Trucks parking overnight had to set fires under their engines to thaw-out the frozen diesel.

The team also observed huge blocks (30 m3) of freshly quarried marble also being trucked out. The first time that this had been observed by BirdLife in this area. As Chinese Lunar New Year approached their seemed to be more logging traffic queuing-up as drivers made haste to return to the motherland.

From our highest vantage points at 3,400 m and for as far as we could see, the tell-tale signs of logging roads and the landslips that so often accompany them could be seen on every ridge to the horizon. During this trip the team also saw, for the first time, saw-mills on the Myanmar side of the border.

The extraction of such enormous volumes of timber from this area has seriously reduced the biodiversity value of this world famous site first surveyed by plant hunter Capt. Frank Kingdon Ward and later by the Anglo-American VerneyCutting expedition during the late 1930s. Despite the work done by these scientists and others, confirming the global conservation importance of this site, BirdLife no longer believes it is worth proposing the Mount Imawbun area as a national park. The forest structure has been so damaged that not only has canopy cover been significantly reduced, the middle story has been gutted across huge areas. Bird species that hunt by sallying and gleaning are likely to have been hardest hit. The globally threatened Ward’s Trogon Harpactes wardi is likely to have been badly affected.

Imawbun now stands as a memory to human greed and reckless and totally unsustainable logging.

Log depot near Tsawlaw. Note loaded trucks and yellow crane at upper depot for loading timber (left) Photo: J C Eames

An active saw mill on the Myanmar side of the border.

Note fully laden Chinese trucks at centre and jeep parked right of center (right).

Photo: J C Eames

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Team members investigate a Chinese logging truck that has run-off the road (left) Photo: J C Eames

Drivers of un-laden returning trucks melt their frozen diesel at a 3,000 m truck-stop (right) Photo: J C Eames

J C Eames, Programme Manager of BirdLife International in Indochina

Bi Doup‐Nui Ba National Park Damaged by Infrastructure Development (VN036) Bi Doup-Nui Ba National Park (Lam Dong Province) is one of the most important IBAs in Vietnam, containing a high number of threatened and restricted-range species endemic to the Da Lat Plateau. The forests there are contiguous with those of Chu Yang Sin National Park (Dak Lak Province) and together comprise one of the largest continuous extents of high quality forest in the country. The park staff are working hard to try to conserve the biodiversity of this important area. However, as these photos from late 2006 show, this area is undergoing rapid change as a result of development of a new road from Da Lat to Nha Trang. The road has caused much direct impact to the park (photo 1). The road is increasing market opportunities for people who live in the park and surrounding areas, an admirable development achievement, and this is in turn spurring increased cultivation (photo 2) of crops such as coffee. However, it is not clear that such major agricultural expansion has been carefully planned to minimise its impacts on the biodiversity of the park, despite the efforts of a recent pilot biodiversity corridor project in the province. Of perhaps even greater concern is the impact of other large developments attracted into the area by the new road. One such development is a trout farm, fed by the headwaters of the Da Nhim River (photo 3). Although fish farming is a very polluting industry in many countries, this same river is the one that feeds the Da Nhim Reservoir, main water supply for Da Lat. Surely not only conservationists, but also all residents of Da Lat, should be concerned about such a development?

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Photos: John Pilgrim

Photo 1: The new road, cutting through some of the best montane forest left in Vietnam (left).

Photo 2: Small-scale agriculture up to the edge of, if not sometimes beyond, the forest edge (below)

Photo 3: Experimental trout farm, established by the Ministry of Fisheries, on the headwaters of the Da Nhim River (left)

John Pilgrim, Conservation Advisor, BirdLife International in Indochina

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Sticky End for Black‐shanked Douc Langurs of Chu Yang Sin National Park (VN030) On January 31, 2007, rangers of forest station No. 5 of the Chu Yang Sin National Park saw a group of five H’Mong hunters while patrolling in the Park. One hunter was caught with 40 dried Endangered Black-shanked Doucs Pygathrix nigripes while the other hunters run away. The apprehended hunter was Hoang Seo Quang, of Bai Bay village, Ea Trang commune, Ma Drak district, Dak Lak province. He said he went hunting with four villagers for over ten days. After catching these Black-shanked Doucs, the hunters skinned them, ate their meat and dried their bones for selling to people who make bone glue.

This is a major hunting incident in the Park. Despite local rangers’ efforts, wildlife hunting is still rampant in Chu Yang Sin National Park. Most of the hunters are ethnic H’Mong people who migrated to this area from mountainous provinces in northern Vietnam. The Global Environment Facility/World Bank (GEF/WB) funded Integrating Watershed and Biodiversity Management in Chu Yang Sin National Park, Dak Lak Province, Vietnam project, is currently being implemented by BirdLife, who have been carrying out a conservation awareness education programme in some prioritised villages in coordination with the park authorities.

Hunter Hoang Seo Quang and dried Endangered Black-shanked Douc Langurs Pygathrix nigripes from Chu Yang Sin National Park.

Photos: Loc Xuan Nghia

Loc Xuan Nghia, Ranger of Chu Yang Sin National Park

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Mong Reththy Group Defends Siem Pang Land Concession (KH008) The Mong Reththy Group on Thursday defended a government-granted land concession in Stung Treng province that was named by rights workers as a possible example of land grabbing that will be reported to Prime Minister Hun Sen. The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, NGO Forum, the Community Legal Education Center and Legal Aid of Cambodia presented five alleged land grabbing cases at a press conference on Wednesday. The groups said they plan to present their information to Hun Sen to assist in his recently proclaimed "war" on land grabbers.

Among the five are two economic land concessions granted by the Ministry of Agriculture: 100,852 hectares in Stung Treng province given to tycoon Mong Reththy's Green Sea Industry Co, Ltd, and 10,000 hectares in Mondolkiri province allocated to the Chinese firm Wuzhishan. Licadho President Kek Galabru said that the Mong Reththy concession is far in excess of the 10,000 hectare limit placed on economic land concessions by the Land Law, and that Wuzhishan has been responsible for taking a great deal of territory away from indigenous peoples. Tann Monivann, vice president at the Mong Reththy Group, said that the concession was perfectly legal because the agreement was signed in 2000, before the Land Law came into effect. However, the Agriculture Ministry's Web site states that the Green Sea concession contract was signed on Nov 23, 2001-nearly three months after the passage of the Land Law. Tann Monivann said that the Government had already cut the size of the concession in half-and if the Government wanted to take the entire concession back, his company would comply, but would expect compensation.

Minister of Agriculture Chan Sarun welcomed the NGOs' decision to work with the prime minister on land grabbing, but declined to comment on any specific land concessions. He did say that his ministry was going to ask all companies to return any lands in excess of 10,000 hectares to the state by March 2008. "If any company did not do anything on the land-like planting-the government will take back the land," he added.

The three remaining cases involve unspecified military officials allegedly grabbing land. In Banteay Meanchey province, 1,320 hectares of land were allegedly taken from the families of demobilized soldiers who were only compensated $17.50 for three hectares of land. In Battambang province's Bavel district, 20,000 hectares of land supposed to be set aside as a social land concession for the poor was allegedly sold off to speculators by military officials, the NGOs claim.

Chhay Channyda and John Maloy, The Cambodia Daily, March 30, 2007

Increased Water Demand Forces Early Sarus Crane Departure from Boeung Prek Lapouv (KH039)

This dry season Sarus Cranes Grus antigone sharpi first arrived at Boeung Prek Lapouv on 9 December 2006. The population had increased to 81 individuals by 22 December, reached 149 by 29 December 2006 and 226 on 4 January 2007 and 297 on 7 February 2007. All the Sarus Cranes departed Boeung Prek Lapouv during the second week of February 2007 because the wetland had become dry. Wildlife Protection Office staff believe that the cranes could feed for longer at Boeung Prek Lapouv, into March and April if the water-level remains higher in the lower areas of the site where the main food items of the cranes are found. The reasons that the wetland dries-up earlier in the season include increasing demand for water and reduced flooding of the site (presumably caused by lower rainfall). People are increasingly pumping water out of the wetland for irrigated dry season rice cultivation. This issue is of grave concern. It would be a cruel and bitter irony that after struggling long and hard to get this site formal protection, it can no longer support the species it was designed to conserve.

Seng Kim Hout– BirdLife International Cambodia Programme

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Rarest of the rare

EN – Spotted Greenshank Tringa guttifer 2006 IUCN Red List Category (as evaluated by BirdLife International - the official Red List Authority for birds for IUCN): Endangered Justification This species is listed as Endangered because it has a very small, declining population as a result of the development of coastal wetlands throughout its range, principally for industry, infrastructure projects and aquaculture.

Family/Sub-family Scolopacidae Species name author (Nordmann, 1835) Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993) Identification 29-32 cm. Medium-sized sandpiper with slightly upturned, bicoloured bill and shortish yellow legs.

Breeding adults are boldly marked, with whitish spots and spangling on blackish upperside, heavily streaked head and upper neck, broad blackish crescentic spots on lower neck and breast and darker lores. In flight, shows all-white uppertail-coverts and rather uniform greyish tail. Toes do not extend beyond tail tip. Juvenile is browner above than non-breeding adult, has whitish notching on scapular and tertial fringes, pale buff wing-covert fringes and faintly brown-washed breast with faint dark streaks at sides. Similar spp. Common Greenshank T. nebularia has longer, greener legs, longer neck, less obviously bicoloured bill, and more obviously streaked crown, nape and breast-sides.

Voice Call is distinctive kwork or gwaak.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

500 - 1,000

decreasing

244,000 km2

No

Range & population Tringa guttifer breeds in eastern Russia along the south-western and northern coasts of the Sea of Okhotsk and on Sakhalin Island. Its non-breeding range is not fully understood, but significant numbers have been recorded in South Korea, mainland China, Hong Kong (China), and Taiwan (China) on passage, and in Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia in winter. It has also been recorded on passage or in winter in Japan, North Korea, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (which may prove to be an important part of its wintering range), Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia. There are unconfirmed records from Nepal and Guam (to US). It probably has a population of 500-1,000 individuals.

Ecology Its breeding habitat is a combination of sparse larch Larix forest for nesting, wet coastal meadows interspersed with piles of driftwood, and coastal mudflats which are used by the adults for feeding. Wintering birds usually frequent estuaries, coastal mudflats and lowland swamps, and sometimes damp meadows, saltpans and ricefields.

Threats The key threats are the development of coastal wetlands throughout Asia for industry, infrastructure and aquaculture, and the degradation of its breeding habitat in Russia by grazing reindeer. Pollution in coastal wetlands, hunting and human disturbance are further threats.

Conservation measures proposed Conduct surveys to the south-west of Okhotsk and between the Ul'beya river and Cape Onatsevich (Russia). Research its status and conservation at potentially important wintering grounds in the Irrawaddy delta (Myanmar). Establish further protected areas in its breeding grounds, at least at Konstantin Bay in Khabarovsk (Russia). Draft management plans for coastal wetlands to promote their conservation. Ban the hunting of all shorebirds in its breeding grounds. Provide full legal protection.

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Project updates Vulture Restaurants Across Cambodia Supplementary feeding of vultures at so-called vulture restaurants has been undertaken since 2004 in Cambodia within the framework of the Cambodia Vulture Conservation Project which involves a coalition of agencies comprising the Forestry Administration (FA) of the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Department of Nature Conservation and Protection (DNCP) of the Ministry of Environment and several INGOs namely BirdLife International (including support from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), BirdLife in the UK), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). The monthly vulture restaurants have been set-up across the range of Gyps vultures in Cambodia in western Siem Pang IBA, Stung Treng province; Cheap Protected Forest, Preah Vihear province; Srepok Wilderness Area, Mondulkiri province; Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary, Ratanakiri province; and Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary, Mondulkiri province. More than 238 vultures, the largest single record for Indochina during the last 15 years, were recorded during the second national census in 2006. The three species of vultures recorded are the White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis, Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris (both Critically Endangered), and Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus (Near-threatened but increasingly considered Critically Endangered).

Census

Date

Vulture Species

First Census

10 July 2004

WRV 88

Second Census

26 July 2004 10 May 2006

90 149

25 27

42 58

24 May 2006

83

31

32

160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

SBV 34

RHV 40

WRV May 10 2004

July 26 2004

First Census

May 10 2006

May 24 2006

Second Census

SBV RHV

Vulture restaurants provide the birds with a regular, uncontaminated and safe source of food because it is believed that food scarcity is the single greatest limiting factor effecting vulture populations in Cambodia. The food provided is also a bait luring vultures to the restaurant site where they may be monitored. The restaurants may also lure vultures back to an area where they may no longer regularly occur and may also provide food for other scavenging raptors. The restaurant provides the birds with important nutrients (vultures require 300g food/day, and one cow has approximately sufficient meat to sustain one vulture per year) especially calcium because one of many factors causing the decline of vultures is calcium scarcity. Research has shown that nestlings at some colonies suffer from abnormalities of skeletal development caused by a lack of calcium in their diet. In areas of Africa where bone-crushing hyaenas have been eradicated, the parent vultures are no longer able to find the calcium-rich bone fragments, created by the hyenas feeding habits, to feed their fast growing young. The restaurants have also triggered opportunities for implementation of education, awareness and conservation activities.

Kry Masphal and Bou Vorsak, BirdLife International Cambodia Programme

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Community Development Committees in Western Siem Pang

The selection of community development committee members in Lakay Mem Mai village, Siem Pang district, Stung Treng province.

Photo: Mem Mai, SSG member.

Villages in western Siem Pang, Stung Treng province, Cambodia are not well developed.

Most villagers are still poor and their educational level is low. In an attempt to empower local people to make more decisions themselves on issues that affect their lives, BirdLife and Wildlife Protection Office (WPO) staff recently initiated a process to establish Commune Development Committees at five villages. These are at Porng Kreal, Kheh Kraom, Kheh Svay, Phabang and Lakay.

BirdLife and WPO hope that these committees will provide a discussion forum for local communities and enable them to communicate more effectively with their local Commune Development Councils. As reported elsewhere in this issue of The Babbler, livelihoods of villagers in Siem Pang are threatened by land concessions, which if granted would deny local people access to natural resources.

These activities form part of the ongoing DGIS TMF funded project in western Siem Pang.

Prach Pich Phirun – BirdLife International Cambodia Programme

BirdLife and DNCP Hold National Ramsar Working‐Group Meeting in Phnom Penh With support from the Ministry of Environment of Japan, BirdLife International Cambodia Programme in collaboration with Department of Nature Conservation and Protection (DNCP), Ministry of Environment, conducted a national Ramsar working group meeting on 2nd March 2007 in Phnom Penh. The main objective of this meeting was to bring together the civil society groups and government agencies who are working to manage wetlands in Cambodia in order to develop a work plan in advance of the meeting of the parties to the Ramsar Convention in the Republic of Korea in 2008.

The meeting was presided over by Mr. Chay Samith, Director of DNCP, together with the active participation of other 27 representatives from NGO partners, local and international organizations and relevant government agencies active or responsible for Ramsar matters. These included all three Cambodian Ramsar sites directors, representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture Forestries and Fisheries and Ministry of Industry.

After Mr. Bou Vorsak, Acting Cambodia Progam Manager for the BirdLife Cambodia Programme finished his presentation on Important Bird Areas and Potential Ramsar Sites in Cambodia, Mr. Sok Vong, Director of the Wetland Office, DNCP, requested members of the meeting to consider the BirdLife shadow list of Ramsar sites and nominate their preferred areas for designation under the Ramsar Convention. Many different opinions were expressed, reflecting institutional conflicts on certain matters relating to site management. The delegates failed to recommend any sites citing insufficient information on the sites as the main reason. The participants decided to have a further meeting to discuss these matters and reach consensus.

Later on 28th March 2007 in Bangkok the output of the Cambodian national meeting was presented at a regional meeting, with the participation of representatives of Ramsar Administration Authorities of Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, and civil society groups, which were represented by BirdLife country programmes and their partners.

Bou Vorsak– BirdLife International Cambodia Programme

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Boeung Prek Lapouv Sarus Crane Conservation Area Reduced: Formal Designation Closer Following the second full session of the working group to consider the draft sub-decree for the establishment of Boeung Prek Lapouv Sarus Crane Conservation Area (BPLSCCA) on 26 October 2007 at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), the draft sub-decree was forwarded to the Council of Ministers on 7 December 2006. Two separate meetings to consider the decree were held in the Council of Ministers with the Council of Jurists and Economic, Social and Cultural Observation Unit on 10 January 2007 and again on 16 January 2007 to review and revise the text before submitting it for an inter-ministerial meeting.

The inter-ministerial meeting was held on 7 February 2007 in the Council of Ministers and chaired by H.E. Bun Uy, Secretary of State. The occasion of the meeting provided the opportunity to H.E. Lim Sokun, Secretary of State for MAFF to address the objectives of BPLSCCA. H.E. Srey Ben, the Governor of Takeo Province expressed his opinions regarding the reserve establishment. He claimed (incorrectly) that; 1. There were houses and paddyfields within the proposed core area boundary and that the BirdLife/Forestry Administration (FA) Site-support Group had set reserve boundary posts.

Pertaining to these points, H.E. Bun Uy felt compelled to establish a committee with components from the Council of Ministers and relevant ministries including Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ministry of Land Management, Urbanization and Construction and Ministry of Environment to consider these claims and report back to the standing committee. The committee led by Mr. Men Phymean, Director of the Wildlife Protection Office of FA conducted a mission to the site on 15 February 2007 in order to verify and discuss the points raised by the Takeo Governor in collaboration with the authorities of Takeo province, Borei Chulsa and Koh Andeth Districts, Kampong Krosang Commune, The Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, and relevant provincial Departments of Agriculture, Land Management, Urbanization, Construction and Cadastre, Water Resources and Meteorology; Environment. The team found no houses or paddyfields within the proposed core zone (as was already known to BirdLife and FA) and that the demarcation posts mentioned marked the boundary of the inundated forest which had been placed in June 2006 by the Takeo Fisheries Office in collaboration with the local authorities and not BirdLife/FA. The inter-ministerial meeting will resume following another mission in March to meet H.E. the Governor of Takeo and local authorities to discuss a revised boundary for BPLSCCA reducing the core zone as requested by the Governor to accommodate projected agricultural land demands and population growth. The proposed reserve area is now reduced from 10,787 ha to 9,407 ha and the core zone from 1,694 ha to 1,174 ha. It is also proposed to move the reserve boundary away from the international border area as Cambodia and Vietnam have yet to reach a final decision on this issue.

Old Boeung Prek Lapouv Sarus Crane Conservation

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New Boeung Prek Lapouv Sarus Crane Conservation Area

The committee and relevant Takeo provincial agencies discuss reserve establishment proposals during a field mission. Photo: Seng Kim Hout

Seng Kim Hout– BirdLife International Cambodia Programme

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First Slender‐billed Vulture Nest in Cambodia

The discovery of South-East Asia’s only known Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris breeding colony has highlighted further Cambodia’s role as a stronghold for Asia’s plummeting vulture populations.

Cambodian conservationists found five nests in the Seasan Important Bird Area (IBA) whilst undertaking surveys of birds near the Mekong river in Cambodia’s Stung Treng Province.

“We discovered the nest on top of a hill where two other vulture species were also found,” said Song Chansocheat, of the Ministry of Environment/WCS Cambodia Programme.

“Amazingly, there were also a host of other globally threatened species of birds and primates. It’s a very special place.”

“It’s an important discovery, particularly because it’s the first of its kind in South-East Asia.” said Jonathan C. Eames, Programme Manager for BirdLife International in Indochina.

Slender-billed Vulture was once common in parts of South and South-East Asia but in recent years the population has declined sharply, some estimates suggesting by as much as 99%. Veterinary use of Diclofenac, a drug used to treat cattle, has been the driving force behind the dramatic vulture declines seen in South Asia. However, use of the drug, now being phased out across the region, appears non-existent in Cambodia. As a result the Kingdom is now an important stronghold for vultures– as long as conservation work can ensure that populations are adequately protected.

“Even without the shadow of Diclofenac, vultures in Cambodia share other threats like persecution and particularly, a lack of adequate food sources in the wild – itself a symptom of Asia’s disappearing megafauna [large prey].” said Bou Vorsak, Acting Programme Manager at the BirdLife Cambodia Programme. “Vulture conservation is therefore dependent on finding out which areas are important to vultures and taking steps, with local communities and provincial governments, to ensure they are adequately conserved.”

The Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris nesting site is the first to be discovered in South-East Asia.

Photo: WCS Cambodia Programme

“It’s an important discovery, particularly because it’s the first of its kind in South-East Asia.” —Jonathan C. Eames , Programme Manager for BirdLife International in Indochina The Cambodia Vulture Conservation Programme has been working to promote scientific research, with efforts on-theground to protect sites and to raise awareness of vultures as important aspects of Asian biodiversity. One of the most significant outcomes has been the use of ‘vulture restaurants’ – purposely placed dead livestock – as a means of attracting vultures to allow project staff to survey and monitor populations. The exercise is also an important opportunity to provide supplementary food for the vultures, which appears to be the main limiting factor on vulture populations.

“It’s entirely possible that the supplementary food sources of the nearby vulture restaurants have directly boosted the reproductive success of Slender-billed Vultures at this new nest site.” commented Vorsak.

The Cambodia Vulture Conservation Project, is a collaborative project of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Environment, BirdLife International Cambodia Programme, the Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia Programme, and the Worldwide Fund for Nature Cambodia Programme. The project has been supported by the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund and the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK).

BirdLife International, February 15, 2007

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Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve Established with BirdLife and MacArthur Foundation Support BirdLife International in Indochina has been implementing a project entitled “Completing Protected Areas Systems in Priority Landscapes in Cambodia and Vietnam” funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The project started on 1st March 2006 and will end on 28th February 2009. It aims to support and strengthen mandated authorities at Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary (Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri provinces, Cambodia) and Bac Huong Hoa Proposed Nature Reserve (Quang Tri province, Vietnam) to establish and manage representative protected areas that fill gaps in existing conservation coverage within priority landscapes and, thereby, contribute to their wider conservation.

The project is implemented with two objectives (1) to establish Bac Huong Hoa as a nature reserve and (2) to strengthen conservation management at Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve and Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary.

In the framework of the project, BirdLife has supported Quang Tri Provincial Forest Protection Department (FPD) to develop a proposal to establish Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development appraised this proposal in October 2006. On 5th December 2006, the Ministry issued a letter, No. 3251 BNN-LN to agree in principle on the establishment of this nature reserve. On 14 March 2007, Quang Tri Provincial People’s Committee issued decision No. 479/QD-UBND on the establishment of Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve and approved the investment plan for Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve. The above-mentioned project will support the establishment of this new protected area, by strengthening the capacity of Quang Tri FPD to manage it effectively and by continuing to promote innovative management approaches involving local communities.

Ngo Van Tuan, Programme Officer of BirdLife International in Indochina

BirdLife Launches ADB BCCI Regional Biodiversity Monitoring Project BirdLife International in Indochina recently hosted an inception meeting for a new project to initiate a local-stakeholderbased monitoring programme for the Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Initiative (BCCI). This project is part of an Asian Development Bank (ADB) regional technical assistance programme for promoting establishment of sound environmental management systems and institutions that mainstream environmental management and biodiversity conservation in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). The project is cofinanced by ADB, the Governments of the Netherlands and Sweden, and the Poverty Reduction Cooperation Fund (PRF). This project will run until the end of 2009, although it is a pilot and has considerable potential for continuation into the future.

The project aims to develop a framework for site-level monitoring of biodiversity and threats in the GMS economic corridors, and test it in the BCI pilot sites. Pilot sites exist in the following landscapes: Cardamom and Elephant Mountains (Cambodia), Eastern Plains Dry Forests - Mondulkiri (Cambodia), Dong Hua Sao – Xepian Biodiversity Corridor in the Tri-border Forests (Laos), Western Forest Complex – Kaeng Krachan (Thailand), Ngoc Linh – Xe Xap in the Central Annamites (Vietnam) and Xishuangbanna Biodiversity Corridor in the Mekong headwaters landscape in Yunnan (China). The project is expected to develop a site-level monitoring framework for the GMS economic corridors, pilot basic site-level monitoring within the GMS economic corridors, pilot detailed site-level monitoring at the BCI pilot sites, and collate, analyse and provide monitoring data to the GMS 'Environment Operations Centre' (EOC)1.

This first three-day meeting comprised representatives from the BirdLife International Asia Division, BirdLife International in Indochina, Bird Conservation Society Thailand (BCST), and the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS), and was also attended on the first day by representatives from the GMS EOC and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. Further meetings will aim to bring in all other relevant stakeholders, in order to initiate implementation of the project. BirdLife hopes that by engaging its partners at national and local levels, including national NGOs, grassroots conservation groups, individual researchers and local birdwatching groups, it will successfully develop and pilot a framework for site-level monitoring of biodiversity and threats in GMS Economic Corridors. Results from such monitoring have immense potential to help decision-makers make informed decisions that minimise the effects of economic development on biodiversity.

Dang Nguyen Hong Hanh – BirdLife International Vietnam Programme 1

Recognising the environmental challenges faced by the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) in promoting sustainable economic growth and development, the GMS Working Group on Environment (WGE) requested the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to initiate a 'Core Environment Programme' (CEP). In May 2005, the GMS Environment Ministers' Meeting in Shanghai endorsed the launch of the CEP and its flagship component, the Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Initiative (BCI). This meeting also endorsed the establishment, by early 2006, of an 'Environment Operations Centre' (EOC) to support its implementation.

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Mega Transect Counts Vultures Across Myanmar

In December 2006 BirdLife and BANCA launched a new vulture research project entitled Prediction and management of potential declines in Gyps species vultures in Myanmar. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB, the BirdLife Partner in the United Kingdom) funds this project. The team, lead by Nay Myo Shwe with Thura Win Htun and Samyo Zaw, supervised by Dr Htin Hla, has an ambitious programme to conduct a mega-transect across Myanmar’s Kachin and Shan States, Saigaing Division and Chin State before mid-2007. In addition to conducting vulture restaurants the team are collecting information on locations of vulture nesting colonies, vulture deaths and investigating the use of Diclofenac. Following trainings in Kachin State during December 2006 (reported in Babbler 20) the team began their transect in eastern Kachin State, crossing into Shan State later in the month. By 9 February they had conducted ten restaurants and their results are posted below.

Sites

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total

Red-headed Vulture Sacrogyps calvus 2 (1AM,1AF) 1 (1AM) 3

White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis 27 13 5 (5J) 60 (52A, 8J) 5 (4A, 1J) 110

Species Slender-billed Vulture G. teniurostris 20 8 9 (5A, 4J) 7 (5A, 2J) 2 (1A, 1J) 46

Total Himalayan Griffon Vulture G. himalayensis 10 6 19 (19 J) 49 (49 J) 1 (1J) 8 (8J) 93

57 27 19 65 68 16 252

M = Male, F = Female, A = Adult, J = Juvenile

The total number of vultures recorded was 252 birds belonging to four species. The most commonly recorded species was White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis (110) that was recorded at 50% of restaurants. The Himalayan Griffon Vulture G. himalayensis was the next most frequently recorded species (93), which was recorded at 60% of restaurants. A total of 46 Slender-billed Vulture G.

teniurostris were recorded at 50% of restaurants.

The least recorded species was Red-headed Vulture Sacrogyps calvus (3) recorded at 20% of restaurants. Vultures were recorded at 60% of restaurants with 68 being the highest number of birds recorded.

No reliable reports of nesting colonies were received nor was use of Diclofenac confirmed.

The three most commonly recorded species of vulture during the survey. From Left to right; Himalayan Griffon Vulture Gyps himalayensis, White-rumped Vulture G. bengalensis and Slender-billed Vulture G. teniurostris. Photo: J C Eames

J C Eames, Programme Manager, BirdLife International in Indochina

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Return to Imawbun For the third successive field season and for the final time as part of the Darwin Initiative funded project, a joint BirdLife/Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA)/Berlin Museum ornithological team returned to continue their study of the avifauna of Mount Imawbun in north-east Kachin State during January and February.

Previous studies by the team had collected data from camps located at 2,000, 2,700 and 3,000 m. This year the team worked from camps at 500 m, 1,500 m and 3,000 m.

The 2007 field team saw the welcome return of Dr Frank Steinheimer of the Nature Kunde Museum Berlin, and Scientific Associate of The Natural History Museum. The team included old hands Kopan and Gideon of BANCA and Maung Nu from the Natmataung National Park, in addition to Jonathan C Eames, Programme Manager, BirdLife International in Indochina.

Work this year focused on the lower elevation forests which occur in the steep-sided valley bottoms. The team had hoped to find the Snowy-throated Babbler Stachyris ogelie and the recently described Naungmun Scimitar Babbler Jabouilleia naungmungensis but no accessible primary forest remains at this elevation only second growth which may be too dry or lack the under-story required by these species. At 1,500 m the team again found themselves in bamboo and second growth, as a result of a long history of shifting cultivation in the valleys. Whilst trapping here was more productive, no exciting discoveries were made. At the high camp at 3,000 m bird diversity is much reduced and having trapped at this elevation in 2006, no further netting was undertaken this year. Rather, the team concentrated on searching for signs of pheasants. Although Tragopan Tragopan spp. and Blood Pheasant Ithaginis cruentus droppings were found in places, there were no signs of Sclater’s Monal Lophophorus sclateri. The dryness of the forest at this time of year may force pheasants to forage lower down in gullies that retain some moisture.

More interesting species observed during the expedition included a flock of 13 male Rufous-necked Hornbills Aceros nipalensis, Ibisbill Ibidorhyncha struthersii, Yellow-rumped Honeyguide Indicator xanthonotus, Beautiful Nuthatch Sitta formosa, Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria, Long-billed Wren-Babbler Rimator malacoptilus, the newly split Grey-bellied Wren Babbler Spelaeornis reptatus and a flock of ten Scarlet Finches Haematospiza sipahi.

Unlike past years’ few mammals were recorded. The tracks of Black Bear were found daily at 3,000 m, often consisting of what appeared to be mother and cub traveling together. Grey Goral Nemorhaedus goral and Red Panda Ailurus fulgens were recorded but sadly in the form of recently hunted individuals.

In contrast to previous years’ there were no calamities and the trip was rather unexceptional and uneventful. Anticyclonic conditions prevailed until the full moon towards the end of the period. At 3,000 m up to 15 cm of snow covered the ground, drifting to 1 m in places. Night time temperatures dropped to – 5 o Celsius, which challenged the teams’ winter clothing!

Photos: J C Eames Ibisbill Ibidorhyncha struthersii remain locally common on gravel shoals along the larger rivers (left)

Dr Frank Steinheimer makes friends with a Mountain Scops Owl Otus spilocephalus (right)

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The first documented record of Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria (right)

The recently split Grey-bellied Wren Babbler Spelaeornis reptatus (left)

A tree of Scarlet Finches Haematospiza sipahi (right)

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Mountain Scops Owl Otus spilocephalus was a frequently trapped species (right)

A group of Lisu the worst for wear after a celebration to inaugurate a new house in the valley (left)

The 2007 expedition saw the welcome return of master cook Nyunt Khin (right)

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Imawbun shows its north-west face (above, left) Few signs of pheasants were found on the higher slopes this year (above, right)

The only Red Panda Ailurus fulgens recorded on the 2007 expedition fell to a Lisu hunter (left) Expedition team back in Mytkyina (above)

J C Eames, Programme Manager, BirdLife International in Indochina

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Spotlight organization

Culture and Environment Preservation Association (CEPA) was founded in 1995, by a group of four socially aware and activist university graduate students, committed to the issues of Natural Resources Management. CEPA has now ten years of experience in working on these critical issues of environmental protection, particularly in the fields of rural communities and fisheries.

CEPA realizes and believes that the problems of natural resource management and the environment are first and foremost the most important problems facing the country and are in need of immediate and permanent solutions.

Initially, few NGOs were interested in this type of work. We established the "Culture and Environment Preservation Association" in order to address these critical issues.

CEPA is a non-profit organisation and not related to any political party in Cambodia. CEPA was registered on April 10, 1996 and is officially recognized by the Ministry of Interior of Royal Government of Cambodia.

Vision An independent society that preserves its culture and protects its environment while collaborating with partners, government agencies, researchers and international communities to meet its needs without compromising its abilities to meet the needs of future generation in terms of their environmental, social and economic stability and security.

Mission 1. To work with all sectors- with the grassroots and with the Government to promote and increase the people’s economic, social and cultural rights and to foster a commitment to the protection of its culture and environment through research, information exchange, knowledge acquisition and enlightened activism.

2. To improve the livelihood opportunity of the people in the community and promote equality and equity of women and men to ensure the preservation of traditional culture, the promotion of social justice and sustainable livelihood.

3. To empower the people in the communities to have equality and equity and right to use and manage the natural resources; and 4. To push networking as means to communicate to members of society their social, economic and environmental rights for increasing social understanding and indigenous culture preservation.

Programs Sustainable Livelihood Program Advocacy for Sustainable Water Resources Management Program Human Resources Development Program --------------------------------------------------Culture and Environment Preservation Association Office: #40E, St.352, S.k Boeung Keng Kang I, K.h 7 Makara, Phnom Penh, Cambodia P.O Box: 1486, CCC Box: 357 Tel: 00855-23 720062 Tel/Fax: 855-23 369176 E-mail: cepa@cepa-cambodia.org http://www.cepa-cambodia.org

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Book reviews Butterflies of Vietnam – Volume 2 Alexander L. Monastyrskii (2007). Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre. 126 pages, 31 plates For the first time, with this outstanding new book, we will have a coherent description of the swallowtails of Vietnam – one of those areas of the world, perhaps through quirks of human history more than geography that until now, has been deprived of a good account of its butterfly fauna. The author is to be thanked and congratulated on this authoritative and accessible overview, on which will do so much to stimulate a new generation of entomologists to learn more, hopefully much more, about these beautiful butterflies – the Papilionidae, the flagship group for insect conservation.

Dick Vane-Wright, The Natural History Museum London, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, Canterbury

Butterflies of Thailand Pisuth Ek-Amnuay - Bangkok: Baan Lae Suan (2006). 849 p, 388 plates (Fascinating insects Volume 2) The book is the first comprehensive illustrated compilation for diurnal Lepidoptera (Rhopalocera) of Thailand updated after some previous fundamental works by B. Lekagul, Bro. Amnuay Pinratana and J.N. Eliot which were published at the end of 20th century. The current work includes information on 1.291 butterfly species, belonging to 10th families. Over 160 species are mentioned from the country for the first time though some new taxa recorded need to be confirmed. The valuable data represented concerns the scientific and common names, wingspan, brief description, foodplants, distribution and rarity. Most species and subspecies are illustrated in 388 plates showing sexual dimorphism, sub-specific differences at natural size. The current list includes 11 taxa belonging to four families that the author has proposed as being new for science. The author notes that some taxa have been excluded from the faunistic list during current revision but it is unclear which particularly they are.

Obviously, the book has an important educational value. Numerous colour photographs represent butterfly life history, some main morphological features of the imagos and immature stages, maps on species distribution and collecting localities.

It is understandable that such multifarious information cannot be made easily accessible without the assistance of many other scientists, collectors and scientific establishments. Mentioning them the author demonstrates a rather wide network of participants which, in fact, have been engaged in preparation of this guide.

The book is an example of the excellent polygraphic quality however it can be made more compact with improving the layout containing an enormous amount of blank space. Nevertheless, that does not detract from his merit in producing such a necessary and useful work once more demonstrating the high diversity and uniqueness of such fascinating group of insects as butterflies. Undoubtedly, this book will promote further interest and study butterflies in the region.

Dr. Alexander L. Monastyrskii, Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre

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The Forest Heritage of Thailand: The Flora and Fauna of Tropical Forests PTT Exploration and Production Public Company (2006). ISBN: 974-94245-7-3. 240 pages It is widely known that large areas of Thailand’s once prosperous forests have been dramatically reduced due to logging activities of the past.

Although the Royal Forest Department has declared the remaining forests as national paraks, wildlife sanctuaries, non-hunting areas, and forest parks, many of these protected areas are isolated from one another. Only a few of the larger preserved forests can truly support biodiversity, namely Khao Yai National Park, Kaeng Krachan National Park, Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife sanctuary, and Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary. The discontinuity of forest complexes not only affects the distribution of flora but also negatively influences wildlife, especially large animals that require vast territories in which to forage. When forests are cut off, populations of wild animals are forced to live in restricted areas, which leads to inbreeding, genetic depravity and the risk of extinction. This publication provides readers with detailed information and maps of important forest complexes in Thailand. It aims to create a greater public awareness to help conserve wildlife and Thai forests for years to come.

PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited The National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department

The Marine Heritage of Thailand: Kingdom of Infinite Biodiversity PTT Exploration and Production Public Company (2006). ISBN: 974-403-354-1. 240 pages This beautifully illustrated book highlights the varied ecological environments and species that inhabit the coral reefs, mangrove forests, and rocky and muddy beaches of the Marine National Parks of Thailand. It also describes in plain words why it is vital that we all help in the protection and preservation of our marine environment. The book aims to help create and foster a better appreciation of the marine beauty of Thailand’s Marine National Parks as well as underscore their importance in the larger marine ecological system.

PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited The National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department

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Staff news Vietnam Programme Do Bao Quyen, Dang Nguyen Hong Hanh and Ngo Van Tuan have all recently left BirdLife and we wish them every success in the future.

Myanmar Programme Thura Win Htun

Thura Win Htun joined BirdLife at the beginning of 2007 working on the Myanmar vulture project. More recently he has switched to work on the Gurney’s Pitta research project in Tanaintharyi Division.

Asia Division Jack Tordoff At the end of 2006, Jack returned to the Cambridge Secretariat to take up the position of Programme Coordinator with the Rio Tinto-BirdLife International Programme. In this position, Jack is now helping to manage BirdLife's strategic partnership with Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest and most influential mining companies. This bilateral partnership has seen Rio Tinto and BirdLife International engage in partnership activities that deliver benefits to both conservation and business. His work involves promoting biodiversity awareness at mine sites around the Rio Tinto Group, developing strategic relationships between BirdLife Partner organisations and Rio Tinto businesses, and developing and managing biodiversity projects in countries such as Madagascar and Guinea. This position will allow Jack to maintain his interest in working in Asia, as he explores new partnership opportunities in India, Mongolia and elsewhere.

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From the Archives

Despite the fact that this is the 21st edition of The Babbler, we have never before published a photograph of Jean Delacour, the founding father of Indochinese ornithology. This photograph, reproduced from his autobiography, The Living Air was taken in Hue in 1924. Left to right the group comprises Le (no full name provided), Willoughby P Lowe (Ornithologist from the British Museum), Jean Delacour, Pierre Jabouille (Resident Superior of Annam), an unnamed 2nd Lieutenant and Thuong (no full name provided).

From Delacour's first expedition he trained three Vietnamese as ornithologists and preparators, all from what was then Annam. These he names as Ut, Thuong and Toan. In gratitude for their services after 1932 they were appointed as "military mandarins." They all worked once more for Delacour upon his return to Vietnam in 1938. In addition, Delacour had a Head Boy by the name of Nguyen Van Nhi who accompanied him widely on his travels including to Madagascar and who, according to Delacour, was a skilled taxidermist and keeper of live birds and mammals. In his biography, Delacour recounts an anecdote when Nhi, whilst drinking with locals in Madagascar as part of Bastille Day celebrations (14th July) was beaten and returned to camp with a large gash on his head which was, "bleeding profusely." Delacour goes on, "We were, however, alarmed to hear that his (Nhi's) favorite topic of conversation was a description of the superior way of life in Indochina compared with the lowly one of Madagascar." It seems his drinking companions took issue with this view!

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Portfolio

This painting entitled Thanh Hoang (tutelary spirit in English. In Vietnamese a synonym for Tiger) by Walton Ford, was reproduced in his 2002 book entitled Walton Ford: Tigers of Wrath, Horses of Instruction by Steven Katz and Dodie Kazanjian.

Tigers, as dominant, fearsome, nocturnal carnivores, are the animals most commonly associated with soul transfer. In areas where man-eating is a serious problem, people commonly believe that the soul of a person eaten by a tiger becomes a soul of the tiger. Among the hill tribes of Vietnam, says Henry Baudesson (who spent years in uplands of Indochina conducting topographical and geodetic surveys for the French colonial service), the attacks of the tiger are so frequent, ruthless, and calculated that villagers naturally ascribe them to the direct instigation and assistance of a supernatural power. From J.A. McNeely and P.S. Wachtel, The Soul of Tiger, New York, Doubleday, 1988 Looks like the only place remaining one may now be attacked by a tiger is in a farm! Ed.

The Babbler 21 – April 2007