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The Babbler March 2009

March 2009 Number 29 Welcome Jonathan C. Eames Features Bengal Florican stands its ground CEPF-RIT March 2009 update Regional news New biodiversity law Khmer national bird on parade New species of snake discovered Largest seizure of illegal wildlife Seven White-rumped vultures dead 2009 Black-faced Spoonbill Census Vietnams smallest species of lizard?

Important Bird Area news Poaching threat to Cat Tien Rarest of the rare Giant Ibis Project updates Ramser in South-East Asia Chu Yang Sin World Wetland Day Multiple-use forest management Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary Publications Reviews Staff news BirdLife International in Indochina is a subregional programme of the BirdLife Secretariat operating in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. It currently has two offices in the region:

In the first edition of the Babbler for 2009 we begin by taking a last look at the major project we have implemented in the Ton Le Sap floodplain over the past two years together with our colleagues at the Forestry Administration and Wildlife Conservation Society. This was to establish integrated conservation and biodiversity areas in order to conserve the Bengal Florican and its grassland home.

This has proved a challenging project, but we have clearly had success. Almost certainly without the project more grassland would have been lost and fewer floricans would now remain if it were not for this project. I would like to thank my colleagues at Fondation Esemble for having the faith and foresight to support this project. It is our intention to continue to support these areas and the ongoing programme of work through the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund.

This issue of the Babbler was compiled and produced by Ananda Van Boeyen, who is one of two staff members who have recently joined us as part of the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development Programme (the other AYAD volunteer bring Melanie Mott who is based at our office in Phnon Penh). Ananda will be producing the Babbler and managing our website, which we have recently re-designed and re-launched at http://birdlifeindochina.org/.

Vietnam Programme Office, N6/2+3, Lane 25, Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Tel: +84(0)43 514890 Cambodia Programme Office, #61B, Street 386, Sangkat Boeung Keng Kang III, Khan Chamkarmon, Phnom Penh. Cambodia.

Tel/Fax: +85523993631 www.birdlifeindochina.org

Jonathan C. Eames, Programme Manager BirdLife International in Indochina The Babbler is the quarterly newsletter of BirdLife International in Indochina. This quarter is complied by Ananda Van Boeyen and edited by Jonathan C. Eames, eames@birdlife.org.vn. The views expressed are those of contributors and are not necessarily those of BirdLife International.

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Features Bengal Florican stands its ground BirdLife International in Indochina, Cambodia Programme, recently concluded a two year project aimed at conserving the Bengal Florican and improving rural livelihoods around the Tonle Sap, the world’s largest floodplain lake.

The Fondation Ensemble project began in January 2007, a joint initiative of BirdLife International, the Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia Program and the Forestry Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Cambodia. Entitled 'Conserving Bengal Floricans and improving rural livelihoods around the Tonle Sap, the world’s largest floodplain lake, Cambodia', the project built on earlier work by these partners to conserve the inundated grasslands of the floodplain. The project's main objective was to maintain the biodiversity values and livelihood significance to local communities of the Tonle Sap inundated grasslands, through the establishment of Integrated Farming and Biodiversity Areas.

Establishing IFBAs The seasonally inundated grasslands in the Tonle Sap inundation zone hold the highest global breeding population of the Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis. It is believed Cambodia holds the largest surviving population, estimated at 700 individuals, with the global total for the species likely to fall in the range 700-900 individuals. Restricted to tiny fragments of grassland scattered across Cambodia, Nepal and India, the world’s rarest bustard, is known to have become increasingly threatened by land conversion for intensive agriculture, particularly from dry-season rice production. The species is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and faces a very high risk of extinction in the medium term future.

In late 2005 Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia Program (WCS), BirdLife and Wildlife Protection Office (WPO) of the Forestry Administration, jointly proposed the establishment of protected grassland areas to be known as Integrated Farming and Biodiversity Areas (IFBAs). IFBAs involve setting aside certain areas of grassland where no dams, channels and large scale dry season rice cultivation schemes are permitted, but traditional use by existing users can continue.

IFBAs aim to protect and manage a large enough area of grassland so that the Bengal Florican and other globally threatened species may recover from their decline towards extinction. Additionally, they serve to maintain the open access system that supports the

Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis, the world’s rarest bustard, is being increasingly threatened by land conversion for intensive agriculture.

Photo credit: Jonathan Eames, BirdLife International.

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livelihoods of the rural poor, and maintain ecological and economic diversity to increase the stability of agro-ecosystem. Through combined efforts, in 2006, four IFBAs were established in Kampong Thom province (Stoung, Veal Srangai, Kouk Preah Trea, and Baray), and in 2007 one in Siem Reap province (Chikraeng).

Building a foundation of knowledge With the IFBAs established, the project first aimed to build a foundation of knowledge to further support saving the critically endangered Bengal Florican, and improving the rural livelihoods of the local communities. Studies on the values of grasslands to local livelihoods and the impacts of dry season rice systems on local livelihoods was conducted in 2007. The report highlighted the high existing livelihood value of the grasslands and farm areas in and around the Stoung IFBAs. Seven major livelihood activities were identified, most notably recession rice, deep water rice, grazing and fishing. Figures showed that the IFBAs and surrounding areas are important for local livelihoods and not, as often said, unused land.

In August 2008 the project extension team conducted a consultation session with four selected key villages near Stoung and Chikraeng IFBAs. The objective was to gain further understanding of which resources within the IFBAs people perceived to be the most valuable, and to learn more about how to best approach communities to integrate resource use with biodiversity conservation.

It was found that people valued the grasslands for fish stocks most, followed closely by having lands available for grazing their livestock. Rice was also considered essential, with wet season rice (grown outside the IFBA, near the villages) being the most popular, then dry season/recession rice, and lastly deepwater rice. Lastly, thatch was considered an important natural resource in the IFBAs, which could be used and sold. It was also found that biodiversity was valued for the potential benefits it could bring though tourism, particularly after villages had heard of examples from other areas where protection of wildlife and natural habitats had lead to successful community operated eco-tourism ventures.

Building support for IFBAs Many activities were implemented to build support for IFBAs. Provincial workshops were held with key decision-makers at several levels. The project initiated local government officials from provincial cabinet, district office and commune councils to consult with local communities who use the IFBAs in Kampong Thom. The consultations led to government officials understanding why communities consider IFBAs important, and want to conserve them. In September and October 2008, several consultations were conducted to establish community committees as well as village representative selection. Local government officials from both provinces were invited to witness the elections of community committee members, held in villages in Prolay commune (Kampong Thom) and Lveang Russei and Spean Thnaot communes (Siem Reap).

Facilitated site visits for key decision makers of IFBAs were also put into practice, receiving recognition by the press. In May 2007 the national press featured the project organising a small ceremony at Chikraeng IFBA, where government officials from Siem Reap province, including a Deputy Provincial Governor where invited to take part in placing the first official signpost demarcating the IFBA. Further visits were organised for government officials in Kampong Thom, also to witness the establishment of signposts along boundaries of IFBAs in the province.

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A notable event was an inspection visit by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Mr. H.E. Chan Sarun. The Minister visited two farmers participating in the CEDC IFBA livelihood project to observed the agricultural innovations in use. The Minister expressed strong satisfaction with the work that was being undertaken.

Raising Awareness of IFBA's Two major rounds of awareness-raising meetings were also conducted, each one followed by an evaluation survey. The meetings successfully raised awareness of the IFBAs and their role. The first round of extension meetings was held during 2007, with people identified as major users of IFBAs invited to attend. The 2007 extension program covered 61 Villages of 14 communes. 1,235 people listened to a selection of topics, such as the Provincial Declaration (Deika), and Land, Forest and Fisheries laws. A questionnaire survey was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the first round of extension work near Baray, Stoung and Chikraeng IFBAs. The survey found that many people now knew of IFBAs, although understanding the objectives of IFBAs still needed improvement.

An extension curriculum was then developed for use in 2008, based on feedback to hold more in-depth village-level meetings. From February to June 2008 extension sessions were held in 71 villages covering the main user populations for all of the five existing IFBAs. A grand total of 3,261 participants, 1,824 of them women attended, a 14% increase in villages visited, and 62% increase in participants from the year before. The second round was more comprehensive and was conducted at village level with only one village being visited at a time. Topics discussed included objectives and regulations of IFBAs, the value of grasslands as a shared natural resource, the rarity of the Bengal Florican population, and the importance of grasslands to its survival and other large waterbirds. The sessions also covered laws that protect wildlife, fisheries and the Tonle Sap floodplain ecosystem. The extension sessions also provided an opportunity for villagers to ask questions, and identify potential volunteers, who later became an integral part of the network of village representatives.

Results from the 2008 survey, which followed the second round of extension sessions, found that people’s awareness of IFBAs had increased substantially since 2007. In all sites the existence of the IFBAs, as well as their location were now known by over 58% to 100% of local people, compared to 2007 results of 30% to 82%. In Baray, awareness had approximately doubled on all key measures.

Understanding the objectives of IFBAs had also improved a great deal since 2007. The exception was Stoung, where fewer people felt that IFBAs were preventing companies from taking land. This result was surprising, as during the time of both surveys, several proposals had been prevented. It is believed that the community may have been more aware of the many rumors that companies were interested in constructing dams inside the IFBA, rather than the project’s success.

Villagers are explained the use and locations of IFBAs during an extension meeting.

Photo credit: BirdLife/CEDAC/WCS. 4

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After the second round of extension was finished the extension team continued to meet with local communities. A particular focus was on meeting with village representatives to build their capacity to independently raise awareness of IFBAs in the future. Collaboration between communities and the project in preventing illegal activities from occurring in the IFBAs was also established.

Awareness raising activities also included the distribution of 16,500 exercise books to school children and adults, containing pictures of Bengal Floricans and information about IFBAs. This proved a very popular and useful way to raise interest in Bengal Floricans and inform people about IFBA's. Another valuable communication tool used during the project was the presence of sign boards along National Road 6 (Kampong Cham, Kampong Thom and Siem Reap). The sign boards explained the conservation values of floricans, urging people not to hunt, buy or sell. Additionally, a total of 72 signposts was put along the boundaries of IFBAs to inform villagers that they are entering an IFBA site, and in 2008 a further 66 signposts were produced.

The project received extensive international news coverage. Stories ran in many newspapers, including the Bangkok Post, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, and the Christian Science Monitor. In addition, a short video featured on the National Geographic website for several months.

Establishing IFBA management structures As a result of the project, two functioning Provincial Commissions now exist in Siem Reap and Kampong Thom. Both commissions have taken significant decisions to prevent damaging developments in the IFBAs. In early 2007 Siem Reap commission successfully asserted its authority and stopped a major development project by a private investor that would have damaged a large part of the IFBA. The successful intervention of the commission featured in a national Khmer newspaper.

To build technical capacity in protected area management, three people working with the Executive Secretariat went on study tour to Tmat Boey village in Preah Vihear province. Here, a community committee had already been successfully established by another WCS project, and had responsibility of most functions set up by the project, including resource management, wildlife protection, farming initiatives, and tourism management. The three IFBA staff learnt first hand how the community committee was established and currently functions, as well as past successes and failures in getting the committee to reach the stage it has today.

Two patrol teams were also established as part of the project and are now active. The patrol teams work to discourage illegal activities (hunting and unsustainable fishing practices) and pass on illegal activities and agricultural development information to the Provincial Commission. In addition to receiving onthe-job training in bird identification, map reading and GPS use, the patrol team participated in a week exchange visit with law enforcement staff of Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area in eastern Cambodia. The team left the visit with increased knowledge in patrol route planning, ways to improve communication and trust with local villagers, and how to increase the flow of illegal activities information.

Demonstrating livelihood improvement activities Training in selected villages was conducted to improve agricultural systems and reduce the immediate pressure on IFBAs from people wanting to convert grasslands into agriculture, threatening the Bengal Florican. Training helped villagers produce more from their existing organic farmland techniques and introduced four new innovations, including, system of rice intensification (SRI), ecological chicken raising (ECR), compost, and home garden.

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Training and exchange visits led farmers to apply the new innovations, increasing their welfare and agricultural productivity. 71 farmers applied SRI, with results from participatory evaluation conducted in November 2008 showing that SRI was more productive than the traditional technique. On average, the yield from SRI plots in 2008 was around 3.4t /ha while yield from normal fields was only 1.5t /ha. 29 farmer families applied Ecological Chicken Raising (ECR) and made substantial improvements by applying the technique. Based on participatory evaluation, farmers who applied ECR increased their income from selling chickens from 400,000 to 950,000 riels per year. 22 farmers made compost for growing vegetables and SRI, increasing quantity of natural fertilizer from four tons in 2007 to six tons in 2008.

Additionally, nine farmers started a home garden, growing vegetables for their own consumption and for sale. Saving schemes were also introduced and have proved to be very popular. The schemes generate capital in the village by enabling revolving micro-credit investments. To date there are 162 members in eight groups, 66 of them women, with savings already totaling $4600, and with $4475 having been borrowed by group members.

Overall, the project proved a success, highlighted by a new Deika with an area of 34,139 ha in Kampong Thom being issued on 17 September, 2008. Additionally, IFBAs were upgraded from a Deika to a ministerial decree (Prakas), after having gained support and agreement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Kampong Thom and Siem Reap provincial offices.

The projects success demonstrates that it is possible for local communities to benefit financially from an integrated approach that combines biodiversity conservation and sustainability with livelihood development. Survival of the endangered florican in Cambodia depends on safe-guarding IBAs from future development and disturbance. If long term success of this project is confirmed, these initiatives should be repeated across all remaining grassland areas.

Farmers exchange visits led farmers to apply SRI and ECR innovations.

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Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund update Four more small grants made for bird conservation in Cambodia In the first quarter of 2009, BirdLife International in Indochina, acting as the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund-Regional Implementation Team (CEPF-RIT) in Indochina, approved four more small grant applications, making the total of funded projects under this small grant programme six to date. All four of the most recently funded conservation projects were in Cambodia, with the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) each receiving two small grants.

The UEA was granted just over US$ 38,000 for two projects, both starting in January this year. The first UEA project 'Conservation Ecology of White-Shouldered Ibis and Local Livelihoods' will help assess the population, status and habitat preferences of the Critically Endangered White-shouldered Ibis Pseudibis davisoni in northern Cambodia. The project will identify threats, and synergies with local community livelihoods, and make recommendations for successful conservation management.

The second UEA project, 'Conservation Ecology of Bengal Florican in Cambodia', will fill key information gaps in Farming and Biodiversity Areas (IFBAs) of the Tonle Sap floodplain, Kampong Thom Province, for conservation management of the Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis. The world's rarest bustard had coexisted well prior to a wave of land-grabbing for dry season rice cultivation in the last few years. This major threat has emerged since the development of the CEPF Ecosystem Profile, and resulted in the uplifting of the Bengal Florican from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered, justifying funding for this imperiled bird. The project will use field research, including satellite tracking, to identify important nesting and non-breeding areas.

WCS will receive nearly US$ 40,000 for two projects. The first project, 'Northern Plains of Cambodia Bird Nest Protection' aims to increase populations of nine globally threatened bird species, particularly waterbirds, including ibises and cranes, in the Northern Plains of Cambodia. The project aims to increase awareness and extend a successful model of providing financial incentives for local people to locate, monitor and protect bird nest sites. A number of large waterbirds are priorities for CEPF in Indochina, and the best remaining populations of most are found in Cambodia. The second WCS project plans to protect and monitor the largest Indochinese populations of three Critically Endangered vulture species, in north and northeastern Cambodia. The project will provide uncontaminated food, protect nests, and work to ban veterinary use of the drug diclofenac, which has proved to be fatally toxic to vultures, causing enormous declines.

Progress with previous small grants The first two small grants made by the BirdLife International in Indochina CEPF-RIT were given to Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) for plant conservation and to the Harrison Institute for bat research. For more information please visit: http://birdlifeindochina.org/cepf/first_grants.

MBG completed the project 'Improving Linkages for Collaborative Research and Conservation of Plants in Indochina' in January 2009. As part of this, CEPF supported 20 junior botanists and students from Vietnam to attend the first international symposium on the Flora of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in December 2008.

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CEPF helped open the avenue for international and trans-boundary cooperation in plant conservation by increasing the representation of participants from Vietnam, particularly from Hanoi where several junior researchers and graduate students are actively involved in writing the Flora of Vietnam.

Part of the Vietnamese delegation at the flora symposium held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, December 2008. Photo credit: Duong Duc Huyen-IEBR.

Feedback to applicants in progress By the end of March 2009, all 71 submitted large grant Letters of Inquiry (LoIs) were reviewed by BirdLife International in Indochina CEPF-RIT and national Technical Review Groups. Two large grant applicants have been invited to submit full proposals to CEPF. The two grants include the IUCN Freshwater Biodiversity Unit's project 'Freshwater biodiversity assessments in the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot: fishes, molluscs, odonates, and plants', and Missouri Botanical Garden's project ‘Assessment of the Status and Distribution of Globally Threatened Plant Species and Capacity Building for Botanical Conservation Planning in the Indochina Region.’

Another round of review will be undertaken when these full proposals are submitted. To date, letters have also been sent by CEPF in response to 20 other LoIs, and by the CEPF-RIT to 10 other small grant LoIs, either asking for significant revisions to submitted LoIs, or rejecting requests owing to ineligibility.

First meeting of the CEPF-RIT National Advisory Group for Cambodia On February 20, 2009, the first meeting of the National Advisory Group for Cambodia was held at the Phnom Penh Hotel, Cambodia. Participants attended from l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, Forestry Administration, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, Cambodian national GEF Focal Point, GEF Small Grants Programme, UNDP, Royal University of Phnom Penh, and Save Cambodia's Wildlife, as well as the Cambodia and Vietnam programmes of BirdLife. John Pilgrim, Manager of CEPF-RIT, presented progress to date and key plans for the coming year, resulting in a useful discussion among the group. Particular concern was expressed by a number of group members 8

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about the limited number of applications from Cambodian civil society organisations, particularly smaller ones. A number of useful suggestions were made by the group to address this issue, which the CEPF-RIT will follow up in the coming months. A similar meeting of the National Advisory Group for Vietnam took place in Hanoi in early April 2009.

Web-page for BirdLife International in Indochina CEPF-RIT upgraded At the end of February, a new version of the Birdlife website was successfully launched. The improved website includes a separate page dedicated to www.cepf.net, including useful information on eligibility for funds, the application process, and project monitoring and evaluation.

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank. A fundamental goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation. For more information please visit www.cepf.net.

Have you visited the new and improved BirdLife in Indochina website?

This website covers conservation news of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam, providing conservation practitioners and bird lovers with data on the status of birds and biodiversity, sites and habitats.

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Regional news New law confirms biodiversity sustainability is a critical issue The new law on biodiversity will take effect as of July 1, 2009, six months after the National Assembly ratified the law. Compiled by over 150 Vietnamese and foreign experts, the law encourages different approaches to investment, the application of scientific advances, and local knowledge.

Referring to 46 international laws, with eight chapters, and 78 articles, the law is said to be complete and sufficient to support biodiversity. Legislators said the new law runs in accordance with international conventions which Vietnam subscribes to, and brings it up-to-date both national and global environmental developments. At present, biodiversity management is stipulated in many laws, including the Law on Forest Protection, Law on Environmental Protection and the Law on Aquatic Protection. The law will unify management of biodiversity.

The newly-approved law offers numerous stimuli, including preferential tax and investment policies, mandates to collect tourism fees, as well as a range of benefits for any individual or institution who takes part in biodiversity conservation. The law gives top priorities to the conservation of specific natural ecosystems and endangered species, imposes a full ban on poaching wildlife, as well as any other action that poses a threat to the eco-system in areas designated for natural conservation. Numerous articles are dedicated to international cooperation in the field, with the Greater Mekong Sub-Region and South China Sea region prioritised for cooperation in bio-diversity conservation. Schemes to protect migratory species and the bio-diversity corridor in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as other countries sharing a common interest in biology also take priority for the country’s international cooperation programmes.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Nguyen Xuan Cuong, said biodiversity preservation is essential in sustainable economic development. “Along with economic development and human life, biodiversity is being impoverished. Preserving biodiversity is an urgent need for Vietnam and the whole world�, he said.

Vietnam ranks among the top 15 countries in the world for its number of animal species, and makes the global top 20 for bird species. The country is also included in the top 30 for the number of plant and amphibian species that are threatened with extinction. Vietnam boasts 126 natural reserves covering a total of 2.5 million ha of land, making up 7.6 percent of the national landmass area. Once the Law on Biodiversity takes effect, the country will need up to VND600 billion ($35.3 million) a year to preserve the area.

Online Source: New bio-diversity law goes through national assembly. (2009). Retrieved March 21, 2009, from, http://english.vietnamnet.vn/tech/2009/03/837262/

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Khmer national bird on parade Over 50,000 people packed Phnom Penh's Olympic Stadium on Wednesday, January 7, to witness the Whiteshouldered Ibis on parade.

The celebration was part of the 30th anniversary of the victory over the Khmer Rouge regime. During the massive celebration, a parade of decorated trucks showed each provincial’s achievements of the past 30 years. Among the decorated trucks was one from Stung Treng Province, which displayed the country’s achievements in protecting the globally Critical Endangered White-shouldered Ibis Pseudibis davisoni, and 3 other species of vultures, which are found in Siem Pang District, of Stung Treng Province.

The truck proudly displaying Cambodia’s achievements in protecting the globally critical endangered white-shouldered ibis.

Photo credit: Kry Masphal.

Under initiative from His Excellency Loy Sophat, Stung Treng Provincial Governor, and His Excellency Chay Vit, Deputy Governor, the Whiteshouldered Ibis truck aimed to demonstrate the highly valuable natural resources in Cambodia, especially Stung Treng province, as in many other countries in the world, the species is already extinct, or there are no recent records of the bird.

The event opened a new page of bird conservation history in Cambodia. The anniversary was the first official public showing of the national bird, of which millions of people watched, and were encouraged to conserve.

The White-shouldered Ibis species has been described as the most threatened large waterbird in SouthEast Asia and qualifies as Critically Endangered, having an extremely small, declining and severely fragmented population. Saving this bird species remains a daunting challenge and will require scientific effort and vigilance for decades to come, to bring the largest remaining populations, in north-eastern Cambodia and along the Mekong channel under effective protection.

Kry Masphal Species Guardian Technical Officer Cambodia Programme

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New species of snake discovered in Cao Bang, Vietnam Russian and Vietnamese scientists have announced the discovery of a new species of snake, which belongs to Protobothrops family, in Trung Khanh National Park in the northern province of Cao Bang.

The new species is named Protobothrops trungkhanhensis. Photo credit: VietnamNet. This snake is only 733mm in length, quite small compared to other Protobothrops species, with small triangle-shaped head and small scales. Nguyen Thien Tao, manager of amphibians and reptiles of the Vietnam Nature Museum, and co-author of the discovery, said this is the fourth species of snake of the Protobothrops family discovered in Vietnam. The three others are Protobothrops cornutus, P.jerdonii and P. mucrosquamatus. This type of snake is an endemic species in Vietnam and has been found only in the Trung Khanh National Park in Cao Bang.

Online Source: VietNamNet Bridge (2009) New species of snake unveiled in Cao Bang, retrieved 09/04/09, from: http:// english.vietnamnet.vn/tech/2009/04/840704/

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Largest-ever seizure of wildlife products in Hanoi On January 10, 2009, police raided a store in the Dong Da district confiscating more than two metric tons of wildlife products, making it the largest seizure of illegally traded wildlife products by the Hanoi Environmental Police.

Some of the tiger bones seized by Hanoi Environmental Police.

Photo credit: Hanoi Environmental Police.

Police began investigating after they stopped a man transporting a set of tiger bones, and 10 kilograms of serow bones and horns by motorbike in the city's Ba Dinh district. The store, belonging to Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam, was the end destination of the wildlife parts, where police discovered another set of tiger bones, six frozen pieces of tiger skin, seven bear paws, 16 bear gall bladders, six porcupine stomachs and 69 bags of bones from various wild animals.

Tam's testimony led to a third and final arrest of a man manufacturing the tiger bone gel found in the warehouse.

Tigers are globally classified as endangered, and trade of their parts is banned by the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species. All tiger range states, including Vietnam, and countries with consumer markets have banned domestic trade in tigers and their parts.

The case underscores the serious threat that illegal trade poses to many of Vietnam’s endangered wildlife populations. Nguyen Dao Ngoc Van, TRAFFIC senior project officer, for the South-East Asia Greater Mekong Programme, said the case is the latest in a string of major seizures, and reflects Hanoi's improved enforcement capacity since the Environmental Police were established as a division of the Hanoi Police Department in 2007. Since their establishment, the Hanoi Environmental Police have handled 100 cases, one of them involving 24 tons of frozen pangolin meat and scales, and others involving a range of wild animals, from leopard cats and civets, to pythons and monitor lizards.

Online Source: Environmental News Service (2009) Hanoi Environmental Police Seize Tons of Illegal Wildlife Parts, retrieved 09/04/09, from: http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2009/2009-01-21-02.asp

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Seven white-rumped vultures found dead in Cambodia Seven White-rumped Vultures were found dead in Cambodia after feeding on the corpse of a poisoned buffalo. Two survivors however were also apart of the group.

An adult and a juvenile White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis that had fed on the poisoned buffalo were sick but alive. The pair was sent to a veterinary clinic in Phnom Penh to be cared for by staff from the Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia Program (WCS) and the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity. The adult responded quickly to treatment and after being tagged for later identification was re-released into the wild. The juvenile vulture is still being treated. Vulture populations across Asia have plummeted. According to Hugo Rainey, WCS Technical Advisor to the Vulture Conservation Project, every bird that is saved is important not only for vulture species, but for the ecosystems that rely on these birds as critical scavengers.

Once considered one of the most abundant birds of prey in the world, the White-rumped Vulture experienced precipitous declines beginning in the 1990s largely due to the anti-inflammatory cattle drug diclofenac. The drug proved effective in cattle but caused renal failure and mortality in any vulture that fed on a cow corpses that retained the drug. Populations of White-rumped Vultures have dropped a staggering 95 percent and have yet to recover. It is estimated that there are currently about 282 vultures in Cambodia, most of them in Stung Treng province. Here, the vulture is being closely monitored, which led to the rescue of the two individuals.

Online Source: Hance, J. (2009) Critically Endangered news.mongabay.com/2009/0318-hance_poisonedvulture.html

Vulture

saved

from

poisoning,

from:

Veterinarian Dr. Priscilla Joyner (right) and Helen Ward (left) examine one of the White-rumped Vultures. Photo credit: Allan Michaud.

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2009 International Black-faced Spoonbill Census The annual International Black-faced Spoonbill Census 2009 (IBFSC 2009) coordinated by the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS) took place from January 9 to 11. A total of 2,041 Globally Endangered Black-faced Spoonbills Platalea minor were recorded during the census, compared to 2,065 in 2008, revealing the first decrease in the number of wintering birds recorded since the 1999 census.

The census is one of the best examples of single-species population monitoring in Asia. The 2008 census was a historical moment for the Black-faced Spoonbill, as the global known population reached 2,000 individuals. The spoonbill number was 1,000 individuals in 2003, taking five years to make the number double. The census revealed Taiwan still holds the largest wintering flock, counting 1,081 birds, an increase of 7% from the previous year (1,030 birds). The biggest decrease came from mainland China and Hainan with 247 birds (20% decrease from 313 birds in 2008) and Deep Bay with 313 birds (9% decrease from 369 birds in 2008). In Vietnam, the event was coordinated by the BirdLife International Vietnam Programme. This year, the census was carried out at two sites in the Red River delta, Xuan Thuy and Thai Thuy. Both sites are Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and have prior records of Black-faced Spoonbill.

On January 10 and 11, the survey team recorded a total of 63 Black-faced Spoonbills, including at least 12 immature birds. Records of three birds with colour rings (bands) were of particular interest. Further investigation revealed that the one bird had been ringed on their breeding grounds in South Korea and the other two in Russia.

"These ringed birds demonstrate the relationship between the Black-faced Spoonbill wintering population in Vietnam and the populations breeding in Korea and Russia," said Nguyen Duc Tu, Wetlands Programme Officer for the Vietnam Programme. “This year, once again, all of the birds recorded were at Xuan Thuy IBA. No Black-faced Spoonbills were recorded from any other historical site in Vietnam in the last ten years,� said Tu. Nguyen Duc Tu Wetlands Programme Officer BirdLife International in Indochina

Black-faced Spoonbill in flight at Xuan Thuy NP. Photo credit: Nguyen Duc Tu/BirdLife.

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Vietnam’s smallest species of lizard discovered?

What may be the smallest species of lizard in Vietnam has been discovered at Nui Chua National Park in Ninh Thuan Province. Photo credit: Vietnamnet.

What may be the smallest species of lizard in Vietnam has been discovered at Nui Chua National Park in Ninh Thuan Province. The new species of lizard was discovered by Ngo Van Tri and Dr. Thomas Ziegler of Cologne Zoo, Germany. The species of lizard was named Dixonius aaronbaueri after 'King of lizards' Professor Aaron Bauer of Villanova University, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. The species, which is orange, has a maximum length of 3.86 cm. This species is only one of five species of lizard with such a unique foot structure, including four in Vietnam and one in Thailand. The species of lizard is threatened by a tourism development project at Nui Chua National Park.

Online Source: VietNamNet Bridge (2009) One more lizard species discovered in Vietnam (online), retrieved 09/04/09, from http://english.vietnamnet.vn/tech/2009/04/839754/

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Important Bird Areas News Poaching threat to Cat Tien National Park Thousands of illegal traps set by locals each month are threatening endangered animals in Cat Tien National Park (CTNP). Forest rangers found more than 20,000 traps last year and at times, up to 5,000 traps were found in a month.

The park is home to 40 species on the IUCN Red List.

Authorities says its location is too close to human dwellings to be safe from poaching, illegal logging, and the encroachment of local communities. Between 2006, and the end of March, 10 wild pig were found trapped and The skeleton remains of a Gaur, trapped and killed. The Gaur is another animal found trapped. Ackilled in Cat Tien National Park. cording to rangers, when hunters find evidence of aniPhoto credit: www.lookatvietnam.com. mals in the area, they place homemade traps along extensive lines, with some comprising up to 300 traps. The animals caught are then sold at communes neighbouring the park, which spans more than 71,350 hectares in Lam Dong Province, and Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc provinces.

Rangers say the setting of traps has become difficult to control along the edge of the park. In March, rangers cooperated with Dong Nai Province police to seize 286 kilos of wild animal meat sold in the provinces of Tan Phu District. They also found 11 locations that were selling wild meat in Cat Tien and Da Teh districts of Lam Phong Province. Forest rangers in the central highlands in February arrested nine gunman hunting endangered animals in two national forests in Lam Dong and Dak Lak provinces.

They found carcasses of a Giant Muntjac Deer, listed on the national Red List of Threatened Species, and Douc Lamgar, also on Vietnam's Red List.

Vietnam banned hunting without a permit in 1975 and has signed several treaties including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Despite this, enforcement of policies is often minimal. A survey in 2006 by WWF and TRAFFIC found that nearly half of Hanoians had used wildlife products as some point in their lives. Another investigation in the same year in HCMC found 15 wild species including deer, snake and turtle on restaurant menus.

Thanh Nien Daily Lam Vien Wednesday, April 15, 2009

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Rarest of the rare The Giant Ibis Thaumatibis gigantea These photographs of the Critically Endangered Giant Ibis were taken by Hugh Wright at Trapeng Kampaeng Thom, about 3 km south of Kheh Kraom village, and 8 km west of Siem Pang in Stung Treng Province, Cambodia. It took Hugh over 25 days of patient hide observations to capture these exciting and unique images. This species has an extremely small, declining population as a result of hunting, disturbance and lowland deforestation. It is likely to continue to decline owing to deforestation and human disturbance.

The Giant Ibis is confined to northern Cambodia, where it is believed to be still fairly widespread but extremely rare, with a few birds surviving in extreme southern Laos, and a record from Yok Don National Park, Vietnam, in 2003.

This Giant Ibis relies on seasonal pools and flooded grasslands, which in the past were created by the now much depleted megafauna. The species appears to be very sensitive to human disturbance, particularly during the dry season when birds are concentrated around available waterholes.

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Project updates Strengthening partnerships for Ramsar in South-East Asia With financial support from the Darwin Initiative and the Ministry of Environment, Japan, from May 2008 to March 2010, BirdLife International Vietnam programme continued to implement the second year of their Strengthening partnerships for Ramsar implementation in South-East Asia project. The project aims to support Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, to enhance capacities in collaboration with civil societies, to implement the Ramsar Convention. In the second year of the project, activities in Vietnam have so far focused on providing administration and technical support.

To prepare for the Vietnam’s Delegation in the Ramsar COP10 in Changwon, Republic of Korea, BirdLife supported the National Ramsar Administrative Authority (RAA) to prepare a National Report for COP10 and held a number of round-table meetings to prepare for the delegation. With financial support from MoE, a senior staff from RAA agency attended the COP and participated in a number of discussions. BirdLife has facilitated the designation of new Ramsar Sites by providing technical support to refine the Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS) for Tram Chim. The RIS is now waiting for submission to relevant ministries followed by the Ramsar Bureau. Due to the reorganisation of the RAA in late 2008 and early 2009, this work will be delayed until the third year of the project. A draft RIS for Ba Be National Park, another candidate site, has been prepared and is now being circulated among wetland expert group. Discussions between key stakeholders (RAA, site managers and BirdLife) led to a consensus to nominate Ba Be as a new Ramsar Site. A work plan was agreed in principle and other round-tables will be held before translation of the RIS and submission to the Ramsar Bureau for technical consultation. A workshop with relevant agencies is being planned for the end of the year, to get official consensus and endorsement for the designation of the site.

A development of a wetland monitoring framework is also underway. A framework was drafted and discussed in a round-table in February and it will be further discussed in the National Workshop. Principles for testing that framework was discussed and agreed with Xuan Thuy National Park (XTNP) Management Board and Corin-Asia/Wetland Alliance (WA), who is now running a community-based project to help conservation in Xuan Thuy. It was agreed that BirdLife and RAA will provide technical support and XTNP and CA/WA will take lead in the on-the-ground activities. In April, Mr. Nguyen Duc Tu, BirdLife Vietnam’s Wetlands Programme Officer, presented the ideas of the national wetland monitoring framework to BirdLife International Secretariat in Cambridge, UK, and worked with the Senior Conservation Officer, BirdLife Asia Division, BirdLife’s International Flyway Officer and Head of Conservation in Cambridge to refine the framework.

A number of awareness materials have been produced during the second year of the project, including a leaflet on IBAs and potential Ramsar Sites in Vietnam, published in Vietnamese. The project also provided technical support to develop a series of awareness materials for Xuan Thuy, including a poster on bird protection, a leaflet on bird watching, and a bird guide published in Vietnamese and English.

Nguyen Duc Tu Wetlands Programme Officer BirdLife International in Indochina

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Seven species caught on Chu Yang Sin camera traps BirdLife International Vietnam Programme recently caught seven species on camera traps set in Chu Yang Sin National Park (CYSNP), Dak Lak Province.

The survey technique is a first for CYSNP. The traps are being used to improve biodiversity information of the national park as part of the Integrating Watershed and Biodiversity Management in Chu Yang Sin National Park project.

During the first week of February eight camera traps were installed in the park, and after only one month upon first assessment, seven species were caught amongst the 40 photographs taken. These species included Sambar Cervus unicolor, Large-antlered Muntjac Muntiacus vuquangensis, Red Muntjac Muntiacus muntjak, Wild pig Sus scrofa, Stump-tailed Macaque Macaca arctoides, Pig-tailed Macaque Macaca nemestrina and Malayan Porcupine Hystrix brachyura.

Globally Endangered Large-antlered Muntjac Muntiacus vuquangensis, caught on camera for the first time.

Photo credit: BirdLife.

Le Trong Trai, Senior Programme Officer, said that the camera traps produced a remarkable result, especially with the Globally Endangered Giant Muntjac being caught by camera trap for the first time in Vietnam. The overall goal of the project is to conserve the biodiversity attributes of Chu Yang Sin in the long term and develop integrated watershed and biodiversity management at a broader scale. The camera trapping hopes to detect animal species whose behaviour is enigmatic, and use the photos for biodiversity publications.

Le Trong Trai Senior Programme Officer Vietnam Programme Birdlife International In Indochina

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Cambodia celebrates World Wetland Day The annual international celebration of World Wetland Day was held at the Ramsar Site Stung Treng on February 7, 2009, acknowledging the importance of wetlands for local people.

Events took place at Osvay Primary School, located in Osvay commune, Thala Borivat district. The objective of the celebration was to encourage locals, particularly children to conserve and protect wetland areas. This year due to time constraints, the event was shifted to a later date, under the theme 'Upstream Downstream, Wetlands Connect us All'. The theme illustrated that wherever we go and live, we need water.

The event was organised by the Department of Wetlands and Coastal Zones, of the General Department of Administration for Nature Conservation and Protection, of the Ministry of Environment (MoE), in cooperation with the Department of Environment (DoE) of Stung Treng Province, with support from Birdlife International Cambodia Programme and other concerned NGOs. Distinguished participants attended from MoE, Birdlife International, Stung Treng DoE, and commune councils.

BirdLife representative, Mr. Bou Vorsak welcomed the 280 students, explaining the importance of the Stung Treng Ramsar site, and its significance to the daily livelihoods of the community. Vorsak explained to the crowd that wetlands provide people with many benefits, including water, fish, vegetables, and sources of medicine. He also added that wetlands allow tourists to see birds and other attractive landscapes.

Following Vorsak’s warm welcome, the children formed a parade, walking through the village, collecting waste along the road, and distributing World Wetland Day posters to local people. The children were then divided into five groups, each group facilitated by a volunteer student, and technical staff from MoE and BirdLife. The bird watching group introduced children to the leisure of bird watching.

Using telescopes and binoculars, the children were asked to describe and name the birds they saw. Using paint brushes, paint pallets, cardboard, and color charts, children in the water painting group were encouraged to draw wetland pictures. As time progressed, more students became interested and joined the painting group, showing off their talent in drawing wetland landscapes. The quiz group gathered under a tree, eagerly waiting for their chance to answer questions from the facilitators. Children were encouraged to answer questions about wetlands, such as their importance in their community. The nature walk group walked along the water edge of the river. The leader of the group talked to students about plant life, aquatic species, and the importance of wetlands. The students were asked to name plant and bird species.

All of the activities aimed to provide the children with information about wetlands and their importance in their community. The children completed the activities with newfound knowledge of what they could do and should not do to protect the environment and conserve wetlands.

News of the celebration was broadcasted on radio FM 93.5 to more than 10 provinces within Cambodia.

Interviews with university students, a commune leader, and representative of MoE and BirdLife International.

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Budding birdwatchers in action. Photo credit: Te Borano and Mam Vuth.

Mr Eng Phearom, Director of Department of Environment Stung Treng province, said that he hoped that the day would improve the understanding of the economic value and benefit of wetlands, and encourage people to protect wetland areas, including floodplain forests, fish, birds and other wildlife.

Stung Treng province is in the north-eastern part of Cambodia. Rich in natural resources, the province has four rivers crossing it, boasts beautiful scenery and provides valuable environment for wildlife and its people. The Stung Treng Ramsar site is in two districts, Stung Treng and Thala Borivat, where approximately 15,000 people reside. The site is located in the northern part of the Mekong River, extending about 5 kilometers from Stung Treng town to the Cambodia Laos border, and covers 14,600 hectares.

The area supports significant populations of many threatened species, including 25 to 30 Whiteshouldered Ibis Pseudibis davisoni, which is estimated to be 13 percent of total world population of about 230.

Te Borano and Mam Vuth World Wetland Day volunteers Pannasastra University of Cambodia

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Multiple-use forest management in Lam Dong Province The current protected area network in Vietnam is too small to effectively conserve biodiversity in the long-term. Moreover, forest outside of Special Use Forests, such as production forests, hold significant levels of biodiversity. The Trust Fund for Forestry (TFF) has funded a project entitled Piloting an Approach to Multiple-use Forest management in Lam Dong Province which aims to address this gap by implementing effective biodiversity conservation outside of protected areas through piloting multiple-use forest management techniques, across a range of forest management units.

Using the principles of multiple-use management requires skills in identification, planning and management of forest of high conservation value (FHCV). Staff from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) and relevant Forest Management Units (FMUs) must learn these skills to effectively manage forests.

With the support of BirdLife, the Multi-sectoral Working Group of Lam Dong province produced a set of criteria for identifying FHCV. The set of criteria covers five categories of FHCV for Lam Dong province, including forest of high value for biodiversity, forest of high landscape value, forest of high protection value, forest of high direct use value, and forest of high value for communities.

BirdLife also designed several sets of training materials. The training materials covered guidelines for identification of FHCV, application of participatory rural appraisal to identification, planning and management of FHCV, application of GIS to identification and planning of FHCV, guidelines for management of FHCV, monitoring framework for FHCV, and guidelines for monitoring.

Based on the training materials, BirdLife conducted its first FHCV training course, from 30 November to 12 December, 2008, in Da Lat, Lam Dong province. Eighty-five staff from Lam Dong FMUs attended the course.

The training was a success, as demonstrated by the high quality reports prepared by the trainees. The results of their analysis were consistent with the actual status observed in the field by Do Tuoc and Ha Van Tue. The second training course covered monitoring of FHCV, and was conducted from 17 to 29 March. Twentytwo staff members of six FMUs completed the course with brand new monitoring skills in FHCV. BirdLife is now reviewing existing documents for preparation of a field survey plan, beginning in the next quarter.

Tran Van Hung Community-based Conservation Programme Officer BirdLife International in Indochina

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MacArthur Foundation support for Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary BirdLife International, Cambodia Programme in collaboration with General Department of Administration for Nature Conservation and Protection (GDANCP) were busy in 2008, improving the infrastructure of Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary (LWS). With funding support from MacAthur Foundation, the work was part of the 'Completing protected areas systems in priority landscapes in Cambodia and Vietnam' project.

The monitoring and law enforcement team in LWS consists of 30 rangers, divided into five groups, each group consisting of six members. One group is based at the headquarters, while the other four are based in Sre Chrey, Sre Angkrong, Sre Mongkol and Seda sub stations respectively. Based on the results of an initial needs assessment, it was found that the lack of infrastructure was hindering the implementation of the rangers conservation activities. As a result, the project aimed to support and strengthen the conservation management of the Sanctuary by improving its infrastructure.

Since LWS was official recognised as an national protected area in 1993, the ranger team in Sre Chrey sub station have not had a suitable office, but rather use a local house as an office, and for meetings. The rangers expressed that an office was a priority need, and would help them conduct their duties more effectively.

The project has therefore built a 6 x7.5 metre office, fully equipped with a kitchen and bathroom. The wooden building with zinc roof offers a place for rangers to store confiscated equipment and documents. It also provides a permanent mailing address for staff to receive illegal activities information, and communicate with commune stakeholders.

Built in 2003, the Sanctuary headquarters also serves as an office, as well as accommodation for the rangers. The head quarters has had inadequate bathroom and kitchen facilities since its construction. As part of the project, a 3x8 metre kitchen, and bathroom was installed.

Additionally, it was also discovered that while LWS has clearly marked boundaries demarcated on map, the Sanctuary has few boundary posts for villagers to recognise. This posed a problem, as villagers did not clearly know the boundary, causing land encroachment threats.

The Sre Chrey ranger team and their new office.

Photo credit: BirdLife Cambodia Programme.

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To solve this issue, the project supported the LWS management team to build four new boundary posts at priority points near the village town. Meetings with villagers and commune councils were held to make them aware of the posts, and to ask for community support to maintain the new infrastructure.

After seeing the new posts, a number of villagers informed the project that they previously had no knowledge that sanctuary boundaries even existed.

To support awareness activities, two large signboards were erected in the commune town, located near the Sanctuary. The signboards illustrated the size of LWS, prohibited activities, natural resources of LWS, and encourage communities to conserve the Sanctuary. With the new improvements, the management team of LWS believe that the rangers will now be able to effectively implement their conservation activities. Additionally, as a result of new boundary posts and signboards, it is hoped that with their new found knowledge, villagers will actively participate in conserving the Sanctuary.

By Seng Leang and Bou Vorsak BirdLife International Cambodia Programme

South-East Asian nations share Ramsar experiences Thailand recently hosted a round table and study tour for government and civil society organisations from Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam, to share their experience with Ramsar implementation. The visit was organised by BirdLife International and hosted by the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (Thailand’s Ramsar Administrative Authority RAA) and the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST). BirdLife chose Thailand for the round table and study tour because of the country's strong commitment to Ramsar implementation. Thailand boasts good progress in the designation of Ramsar Sites, and has a very active programme of wetland conservation, by local and national government departments. The round table discussed and agreed on priorities for implementing the Ramsar Strategic Plan 2009-2015, and the Ramsar Programme of Communications, Education, Participation and Awareness (CEPA) tool, used to support the implementation of the Convention.

The round table explored ways of ensuring sustainability in the implementation of the Convention at national level, including sustainable financing and putting in place institutional structures, such as national focal points, and national wetland committees. Participants from each country talked about their plans to designate new Ramsar Sites. Current priorities include Tram Chim in the Mekong Delta (the most important wintering site for Sarus Crane Grus antigone in Vietnam), Preak Toal (a huge waterbird colony in Cambodia), and key sites in the Inner Gulf of Thailand.

For the study tour, delegates were taken to the Inner Gulf of Thailand, south of Bangkok, where BCTS has been advancing in wetland conservation, working with local groups and communities, and encouraging Ramsar Site designation. Delegates talked to local groups about attitudes to Ramsar designation and similar issues facing them. Day two of the study tour took them to the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, which is now managed as a Ramsar site, and has a challenging history that delegates gained valuable lessons from. The tour learnt that communication between conservationists and the local community is very important, and that constant work with the local community helps to change attitudes.

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"The main reason for the round table and study tour was to create a full, shared understanding of the new strategic plan, and of CEPA, as well as to develop programmes of work between BirdLife partners and the RAAs in the participating countries", said Simba Chan, Senior Conservation Officer of BirdLife Asia Division. "We wanted the other countries to benefit from Thailand’s experience in gaining support and communicating the benefits of Ramsar designation, which has enabled the country to designate 11 Ramsar sites," said Simba.

The round table and study tour is part of a wider project to strengthen partnerships for Ramsar implementation in South-East Asia, sponsored by the UK Government's Darwin Initiative, the Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund, and the Ministry of Environment (Government of Japan). South-East Asia's wetlands are very important for biodiversity, national economies and the wellbeing of human communities. Historically, wetlands have been viewed as unproductive areas, having been converted to other land-uses. Many important wetlands in the region still remain unprotected and are under threat.

Thailand study tour. Photo credit: Simba Chan, BirdLife International.

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BirdLife monitor areas of conservation concern Initiated in 2007, the Environmental Operation Center's Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Initiative (EOC BCI) is about to finish its first phase. BirdLife International in Indochina has a very specific role within the Biodiversity Monitoring framework. Birdlife's role is to collate data from 22 indicators, to assess the state, pressure and response on biodiversity in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). The 22 indicators are from a wide variety, and include monitoring key populations of conservation concern, such as tigers and elephants. The six sites are located in Mondulkiri province (North-east Cambodia), Cardamom and Elephant Mountains (South-west Cambodia), Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve (Yunnan, China), Tenasserim (Thailand), Ngoc Linh-Xe Sap (Vietnam), and Dong Hua Sao-Xe Pian in Laos.

After completing the baseline in 2007, for the first time trend data on the indicators became available in 2008, for many of the 22 indicators over the six sites. From 2007 to 2008, 28% of indicators increased, 44% worsened, while 26% stayed unchanged. This indicates a general decrease, and much more work needs to be done to halt the loss of biodiversity in the GMS. In detail, the BCI pilot site in Laos revealed no changes due to lack of data, Mondulkiri worsened in most indicators, the Cardamom Mountains and Tenasserim (Thailand) mainly improved, and the Chinese pilot site in Xishuangbanna improved and worsened in equal numbers of indicators.

The result showed that Pennisetum polystachion and Chromolaen odorata are the most widespread invasive alien plant species in Central Cardamoms Protected Forest, both of which cover around 300 m² or 50% of the total plot area. In the Eastern Plains BCI Pilot Site, Chromolaen odorata was found the most dominant alien plant species covering 900 m² or about 45% of the total plot area.

Wildlife restaurant surveys were done at both BCI Pilot Sites in December 2008. In the Cardamoms and Elephant Mountains, seven (12%) out of 58 restaurants openly served bush meat, and nine (20%) out of 46 restaurants in Eastern Plains also had done so.

Further data is currently being collected by BirdLife. The current spread of invasive alien plants species and water pollution is being monitored in most of the BCI sites. Results are pending but indicate a high potential of spread for invasive alien plant species. A deterioration in all sites have been monitored so far. A second set on trend data from 2008 to 2009 will be published December this year.

Vanna Nuon National Monitoring Expert BirdLife Cambodia Programme

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Publications Renner, S. C., Rasmussen P. C., Rappole J. H. and Myint, A. (2009). Discovery of Cyornis [banyumas] magnirostris breeding in northern Kachin State (Burma/Myanmar) and taxonomic implications for the Cyornis group. (J Ornithol 150, In Press).

The Large Blue Flycatcher Cyornis magnirostris breeding in northern Kachin State.

In September 2005, during fieldwork in Putao District, North Burma/Myanmar, we collected two flycatchers (an adult male and a juvenile female) that we tentatively determined as Cyornis banyumas in the field and later determined to be magnirostris.

These are the first records of this taxon from anywhere in northern Burma/Myanmar, but given that these were taken during the migration period, we could not ascertain whether they were in transit from the only historically known breeding grounds of the taxon in Sikkim, or whether they were on their breeding grounds.

However, during further fieldwork in the same areas in in June and July 2006, we found the species to be locally among the most common understory passerines. We netted several adult and juvenile magnirostris there, conclusively demonstrating for the first time that the taxon breeds in Burma/Myanmar.

The little-known taxon Cyornis magnirostris has long been treated as a race of the widespread Hill Blue Flycatcher C. banyumas, with which it was thought to be allopatric during the breeding season. On the basis of morphology, we show that magnirostris should be considered a full species, endemic as a breeder to northeastern India and the border area to Kachin State. C. banyumas and C. magnirostris are among others nice examples, that the knowledge about the birds in Burma is still somewhat rudimentary and taxonomy of almost all clades need revision.

To read full report please visit: http://springerlink.com/content/4136577t571p2l58/ Swen Renner BirdLife Vietnam Programme Conservation Advisor Collar, N. J. and Eames, J. C. (2008) Head colour and sex-size dimorphism in Pseudibis papillosa and P. davisoni, BirdingASIA, 10, P36 - 40.

For many years Indian Black Ibis Pseudibis papillosa and White-shouldered Ibis P. davisoni were considered one species, under the name Black Ibis P. papillosa. The union of the two taxa was proposed by Holyoak (1970). Holyoak, who was followed among others by Hancock et al. (1992), recognised that the key difference between the two taxa lies in crown and upper neck. It was stated P. papillosa has a patch of red tubercules on the back of the crown which is missing in P. davisoni, which has a pale band (white or pale blue) lower on the nape. This was presumably garnered from technical descriptions in the nineteenth-century literature, whose dryness may have understated the evidence (not helped by the fact that 28

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the respective colours fade almost entirely in museum skins). Holyoak concluded that “the differences between them seem small enough for it to be best, in view of their allopatry, to treat them as forms of one species.�

However, as the illustration (if not the text) in Matheu and del Hoyo (1992) suggested, and as increasing numbers of photographs from the wild reveal, the differences are not so small in life. Both possess unfeathered blackish heads as far as a line from the upper throat to the upper hindneck. But while the adult Pseudibis papillosa possesses a narrow, bright red mid-crown becoming broader on hindcrown and nape, the adult P. davisoni possesses a (variable) pale blue bare middle hindcrown and nape down to the top of the upper hindneck, spreading round and becoming bold white under the ear-coverts to the upper throat, forming a complete collar on the upper neck, broadest at the back, narrowest at the front.

SĂśzer and van der Heijden (1997) found a striking variety of crown patterns and colours in the remnant populations along the Mahakkam and Ratah rivers on Borneo. Variations there included birds with (a) a cobalt blue crown and nape (these comprised a large proportion, particularly along one river), (b) an all bluish-white head apart from a dark mask, (c) a broad white nape-patch, (d) a broad white patch from mid-crown to nape, and (e) a crown as in the now more familiar Indochinese birds, and there is also a suggestion that there is a variably intense facial mask in these types. This intriguing circumstance deserves investigation, particularly the blue-crowned birds, in which the head pattern mirrors that of papillosa.

For a copy of the full report please email ananda@birdlife.org.vn

White-shouldered Ibis Pseudibis davisoni really is a good species. Photo credit: J C Eames.

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Reviews Davidson, P. (2009) A photographic guide to Birds of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, London, New Holland Publishers, 144 pages.

This book presents hundreds of good quality photographs of birds from the Indochina region. The text is well written and highlights key identification features of each species, as well as briefly describing each species range.

However, any book which only presents a subset of species occurring in a region, and shows only one plumage of each species featured, cannot be used to confidently identify any but the most distinctive of species. Nonetheless, being so lightweight on the pocket and purse, this book will be a useful addition to the library of any birder interested in the region, and it may help inspire a new generation to care about the special avifauna of Indochina.

Simon Mahood Conservation Advisor BirdLife International in Indochina

Baumuller, H. (2009) Prospects and drivers for agricultural change in the Mekong region: The case of sugar, rice and rubber, WWF GMP agriculture report, 22 pages.

Agriculture is one of the most important economic sectors across the Greater Mekong. The region's suitability for a wide range of crops, increased trade and investment linked to regional integration, and the development of infrastructure have contributed to significant agricultural growth in recent years.

However, the region is far from uniform agriculturally. Vietnam and Thailand are major global exporters of commodities like rice, sugarcane, and coffee. Lao PDR and Cambodia, on the other hand, rely heavily on agricultural production for subsistence and local markets.

More than two-thirds of their populations depend upon agriculture for a significant portion of their livelihoods.

Agriculture has made a genuine contribution to economic growth and poverty reduction across the Mekong region, but this has come with significant costs to the environment. Widespread forest conversion, biodiversity loss, and water pollution and over-extraction have directly resulted from agricultural expansion. In Cambodia and Lao PDR, a recent surge of land concessions for agricultural plantations has added to pressure on both natural ecosystems and the rural communities who depend upon them.

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In 2008, WWF completed a set of studies that examined threats and opportunities related to agriculture (focusing on three key crops: sugarcane, rice, and rubber) for the four lower Mekong countries. They have just released a regional synthesis report that includes key findings from these studies, areas of emerging concern, as well as recommendations for governments, regional institutions, and others.

Hopefully the report can inform discussions over how best to manage future agricultural growth across the Greater Mekong region. The following abstract was taken from the report.

To read full report please visit: http://assets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_gmp_agriculture_report.pdf Bezuijen, M. R., R. Timmins and, T. Seng, editors. (2008) Biological surveys of the Mekong River between Kratie and Stung Treng Towns, northeast Cambodia, 2006-2007, WWF Greater Mekong Cambodia Country Programme, Cambodia Fisheries Administration and Cambodia Forestry Administration, Phnom Penh. 233 pages.

Cambodia, like many other nations in the Mekong Basin, now face a major challenge to balance biodiversity conservation with the needs of its growing population. The importance in maintaining the Mekong's resources for biodiversity, for national food security, and development is well recognised by the Royal Government of Cambodia and is reflected in the targets of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2002) and Cambodia's Millennium Development Goals.

To achieve these goals, a critical first step is to document the Mekong's biodiversity and natural resources. Baseline research assists national and provincial government agencies to review the impact of proposed river developments and to identify wetland conservation priorities.

This report describes the results of the first systematic biological surveys of a 130 km section of the Mekong River in northeast Cambodia. Surveys were undertaken over a nine month period between November 2006 and August 2007, in a collaborative initiative between the Fisheries and Forestry Administrations and the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Surveys were conducted by a team comprising of government personnel and international specialists, and focused on the riverine habitats within the Mekong River channel and some adjacent floodplains, to document vegetation and flora, birds, large mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish. Findings include the presence of one undescribed taxon, 24 other new records for the Cambodian flora and fauna, intact riverine habitats, and some of the largest breeding populations in the Mekong River Basin or globally for a range of threatened taxa.

The report includes ranking criteria and recommendations to identify and conserve taxa of highest management priority within the study area. The report documents many threats, including rapid human settlement of islands and riverbanks, increasing fishing, intensive wildlife hunting, and rapid clearance of the remaining natural forests. Without management it is proposed that many of the biodiversity values documented in the area will decline or be lost within the next 10 years. The following abstract was taken from the report.

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2008) Vietnam's Booming Furniture Industry and Timber Smuggling in the Mekong Region, Environmental Investigation Agency & Telapax, 24 pages.

Over the last decade, governments around the world have made a raft of pronouncements regarding the seriousness of illegal logging and their determination to tackle it. Yet the stark reality is 'business as usual' for the organised syndicates looting the remaining precious tropical forests for a quick profit. This report contains new information from field investigations carried out by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and its partner Telapak. It exposes how the rapid growth of Vietnam's wood processing industry is threatening some of the last intact forests in the Mekong region, especially those in neighbouring Laos.

Since the mid-1990s, Vietnam has taken steps to conserve its remaining forests, whilst at the same time hugely expanding its wooden furniture production industry. Furniture exports from the country were US$ 2.4 billion in 2007, a startling ten-fold increase since 2000. It is unfortunately inevitable that due to the lack of controls on the global timber trade, illegal timber constitutes a significant component of the imported raw materials supplying Vietnam's furniture factories. Vietnam has an unenviable track record when it comes to dealing in stolen timber. In the late 1990s it was caught importing illegal timber from neighbouring Cambodia. New evidence from EIA/Telapak reveals that Vietnam is now exploiting the forests of neighbouring Laos to obtain valuable hardwoods for its outdoor furniture industry. This trade is in direct contravention of laws in Laos banning the export of logs and sawn timber. During 2007 EIA/Telapak investigators visited numerous furniture factories and found the majority to be using logs from Laos. In the Vietnamese port of Vinh, EIA/Telapak witnessed piles of huge logs from Laos awaiting sale. At the border crossing of Naphao, 45 trucks laden with logs were seen lining up on the Laos side waiting to cross into Vietnam.

EIA/Telapak estimate that at least 500,000 cubic metres of logs move from Laos to Vietnam every year. It is not just Vietnam which is exploiting its neighbour. Traders from Thailand and Singapore are also cashing in. The cost of such unfettered greed is borne by poor rural communities in Laos who are dependent on the forests for their traditional livelihoods. They gain virtually no income from this trade, instead the money goes to corrupt officials in Laos and businesses in Vietnam and Thailand.

The ultimate responsibility for this dire state of affairs rests with the consumer markets which import wood products made from stolen timber. To some extent the dynamic growth of Vietnam's furniture industry is driven by the demand of end markets such as the European Union and US. The report suggests that until these states clean up their act and shut their markets to wood products made from illegal timber, the loss of precious tropical forests will continue unabated. The following abstract was taken from the report.

For a copy of the full report please email ananda@birdlife.org.vn

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Lammertink, M., Prawiradilaga, M. D., Setiorini, U., Zaw Naing. T., Duckworth, W. J., Menken, J. B. S. ‘Global population decline of the Great Slaty Woodpecker Mulleripicus pulverulentus’ in Biological Conservation, 142 (2009), pp. 166-179 The Great Slaty Woodpecker Mulleripicus pulverulentus of South and South-East Asia, the third largest woodpecker species in the world, is currently in the IUCN Red List category of Least Concern. This woodpecker is associated with old-growth forests. The rapid reductions in forest cover and old-growth area in Southeast Asia has urged examination of its global population trends.

This paper reports on the population densities, tree diameter use by the woodpecker, and logging disturbance at 21 transects in four regions across the range of the species: west Borneo, Lingga Island (Riau Archipelago, Indonesia), Tenasserim (Myanmar), and west-central Myanmar. Transect survey effort was 937 km. Elsevier assessed rates of deforestation and loss of old-growth forest in the range of the species from expert review reports. By combining population density and forest cover data sets they calculated the global population trend of the species.

Findings include a preference for large diameter trees by foraging and nesting Great Slaty Woodpeckers, and a reduction of the frequency of such trees in logged forests. Across the four study regions, between old-growth forests and logged forests, densities of Great Slaty Woodpeckers were reduced by 80–94%.

Although Great Slaty Woodpeckers occur in 15 countries, ca. 70% of the global population occurs in just four countries (Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Malaysia), three of which have high annual rates of deforestation and loss of old-growth forest. Population calculations showed that over the past century at least 90% of the global population of the Great Slaty Woodpecker has been lost. At present 26,000– 550,000 individuals remain. The current global decline rate of ca. 59% ± SD 17% in three generations justifies IUCN Vulnerable or Endangered status. Contributing factors to the steep decline rate of the species are a long generation time of 5.9–8.2 years and an association with old-growth, lower elevation forests. The Great Slaty Woodpecker case adds an Asian example to a global pattern of specialized woodpeckers that are associated with old or natural forests.

To read full report please visit: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science

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Kekule, B. (2008) Wild Rivers: A Photographic Odyssey in Thailand, Bruce Kekule Published, 319 pages.

A culmination of over 12 years' work and including a selection of more than 300 photographs, Bruce Kekule's Wild Rivers is truly a photographic odyssey. From the front cover, graced by the Asian tapir, an animal so rare it is considered a living fossil, one feels that this will be a truly special read. Kekule's 20 years' experience as a wildlife photographer, trekking again and again through Thailand's jungles, is invaluable to his epic undertaking, this his third book.

The focus of this book is on five rivers, Phetchaburi, Huai Kha Khaeng, Mae Klong, Khwae Noi, and Mae Ping, as they still have wildlife along their banks. Kekule comments that many rivers have no wildlife left, as a result of humans being relentless in their expansion and development plans.

Having lived in Thailand for over 40 years, the rivers and the surrounding jungles are some of Kekule’s favourite places in the country. From the opening pages of Wild Rivers, it is clear that Kekule not only seeks to share the natural beauty of Thailand's rivers with the reader, but also to inform and educate about these quickly disappearing “national treasures�, as he calls them. As Kekule states in his foreword, "without water, there would be no life."

The book begins with a history of Thailand's formation, and the importance of Thailand's rivers, what Kekule calls "the lifeblood of the nation ... [as] plants, animals and humans carry out [their] daily lives dependant on water." Kekule's extensive experience is evident in the clarity, sharpness and vivid colours which define all of his photographs. But what makes Kekule's shots truly spectacular is that the animals he captures on film are truly in their natural habitat, almost unaware of his presence. Equally as riveting as the photographs which fill the book is the narration from Kekule himself, about his adventures while writing the book. Entitled "notes from the field", he tells of his encounters with rare creatures such as the king cobra. These stories are both endearing and amazing. He recalls how he "felt extremely happy at helping to save this beautiful bird of prey from dying," upon finding an "owl going into shock from hypothermia."

Kekule seems to have had more than his fair share of luck. He concedes that he has been luckier than most other wildlife photographers, in coming upon rare animals such as the Asian tapir. But he believes that it is more than luck or coincidence. Kekule believes strongly in the "spirits of the forest", whom he believes guide and help him. He writes how he pays his "respects to the spirits ... always before eating."

The most gripping and urgent message of Wild Rivers is found in the penultimate section of the book, entitled "Wildlife in Peril: Dangers threatening the natural world." Kekule writes about how Thailand's ecosystems are being progressively destroyed by poachers, hunters, the black market and the traditional Asian medicine trade. He also writes how education and aid for hill-tribe people and villagers is necessary, as middlemen "flash money at the people who are mostly poor and easily persuaded to break the law in order to feed this voracious [black market] trade." Kekule outlines a step-by-step plan for the government, for "taking care of the natural resources" of Thailand, which includes suggestions about budgets and addressing grassroots problems.

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Kekule's love of Thailand as a nation, and as the setting for his wildlife photography adventures, is evident in every page of Wild Rivers. He hopes that his books will serve as part of education, which must be implemented in Thai schools to change the mentality towards wildlife and nature, and promote their conservation rather than destruction. The stunning beauty of Kekule's book and its important message can certainly not go unnoticed, if only because of the great artistry it showcases. But perhaps the reader can also take away Kekule's message that "all humans have a right to exist, but unfortunately, not at the expense of the natural world."

Panyaporn Pruksakit www.bangkokpost.com Monday, November 10, 2008

Do you know of a publication that the Babbler can review? Or would you like to contribute to reviews? Please forward any suggestions or contributions to: ananda@birdlife.org.vn.

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New Staff The first quarter of 2009 has already been quite eventful for our staff. Melanie recently became engaged to her partner, Andrew Greene, and Simon married Sarah Brook, ushering a new era of collaboration between BirdLife and WWF. We wish both couples every future happiness. During the first quarter we will also joined by Nguyen Van Quang and Tran Minh Khue, and we warmly welcome them both to the team.

There has been significant comings and goings at the BirdLife Global Secretariat. Mike Rands stands down as Chief Executive Officer and Macro Lambertini took over 1 March. We would like to thank Mike for his support and wish him all the best in his new role as Executive Director at the Cambridge Conservation Initiative. Macro is also well known to us and we look forward to working more closely together in the coming years. Stephen Rumsey also decided to step down as BirdLife Treasurer and we look forward to working with Stephen and the rest of the Permian team to secure important sites for conservation in the future.

Nguyen Van Quang Quang joined BirdLife Vietnam Programme February 2009, as Indochina Climate Change Researcher and National Monitoring Expert. Quang has a MSc Degree on Ecology from Hiroshima University, Japan. While doing his thesis research, Quang gained practical experience in environmental monitoring, especially in building environmental indicators, field monitoring and database development. His research interests are climate change, habitat conservation, landscape ecology, environmental policy, and GIS application in environment and natural conservation. Quang's hobbies are to listening to music, playing badminton, picnics, and visiting national parks and natural protected areas. Through Birdlife Indochina projects, Quang is looking forward to contributing to environment protection, and bird and biodiversity conservation.

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Tran Minh Khue Before joining Birdlife in March 2009, Khue worked as an Education Promotion Officer for the British Council of Vietnam. Khue has over 10 years office experience, working for different projects and with strong skills in administration partnership. Khue will provide administration and communication support to the BirdLife Vietnam office. Additionally, Khue will be responsible for supporting the management and maintenance of the BirdLife International in Indochina website. Conservation is her new area for Khue, for which she is very interested, and looks forward to learning new skills from her colleagues at Birdlife. Khue enjoys listening to music, traveling, going out and chatting with friends.

Ananda Van Boeyen Ananda joined the BirdLife team in March 2009 as an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development. Ananda will be working as a communications officer, working with local communication staff to raise the public profile of BirdLife with a focus on providing remote support to awareness raising activities for Chu Yang Sin National Park. Ananda has a degree in Communications from the University of Newcastle, Australia, majoring in public relations and marketing. Throughout her studies and career she has worked for not for profit organisations in the areas of event management, communications and fundraising.

Ananda is looking forward to making sustainable developments at Birdlife and further developing her communication skills, particularly in the areas of wildlife conservation, which is one of her strongest passions in life. In her spare time Ananda enjoys reading, spending time with friends and family, and planning her next destination to work and travel.

Congratulations to Melanie and Andrew. This picture was taken at Cardamom Mountains, Koh Kong province, Cambodia, where Andrew proposed to Melanie. The newly engaged couple spent the week kayaking, swimming, and camping.

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Congratulations to Simon and Sarah

Simon Mahood married Sarah Brook in the afternoon sunshine near the village of Nikoklis, in the hills of Cyprus, on March 21, 2009. Fifty of their friends and relatives attended the wedding and spent time in Cyprus with them.

Three species of warbler, one endemic, could be heard singing during the ceremony. Afterwards, they spent a two relaxing weeks in Bali, eastern Java and Komodo.

Do you have something to babble about?

The Babbler is nearing its 30th edition. For over 9 years the Babbler has been informing wildlife warriors of all the latest birding and conservation news from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. The Babbler wants to know what you want. If you have any comments and suggestions on how to improve the Babbler please let us know. What do you want to see more or less off? Is there something that the Babbler has missed?

The Babbler would also like to invite all readers to contribute. If you have come across any news, articles, or publications, that you believe is of interest please let us know. Or you may want to make comment on a previous story published in the Babbler.

For suggestions, contributions, or comments, please contact Ananda on: ananda@birdlife.org.vn

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