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BirdLife International in Indochina

The Babbler BirdLife International in Indochina

December 2002 Volume 1, Issue 4

Inside this Issue

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Welcome Regional news Spotlight organisation Rarest of the rare Project updates Profile Reviews Recently published Staff news

From the archives Feedback

BirdLife International in indochina #11, Lane 167, Tay Son Hanoi, Vietnam Tel/Fax: (84 4) 851 7217 Email: birdlife@birdlife.netnam.vn www.birdlifevietnam.com

The honest state of biodiversity In this fourth issue of The Babbler we are delighted to announce the publication of the Directory of Important Bird Areas: key sites for conservation in Vietnam. This is the first of three IBA directories we will be publishing towards the end of this year and early in the New Year as part of the Danida funded project entitled Improved

Conservation Planning through Institutional Strengthening in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. One of the major purposes of an IBA directory is to empower decision makers so that they make informed and rational choices about where to conserve biodiversity. In comparison with conserving sites, priority setting is the easy part of conservation, for that which follows. In this issue Minh Phuong reports on progress in establishing the first IBA Site Support Group for Vietnam at Hanam Island in coastal Quang Ninh province.

Our major feature in this issue is provided by our colleagues at WCS, which reveals the challenges IBA conservation will face in securing the conservation of Giant Ibis and a whole suite of threatened large birds and mammals in the dry forest landscape of northern Cambodia. The abridged and abstracted version of a paper first presented by Dr John MacKinnon, EU codirector of the Asean Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation, at the annual meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology last summer, presents another view that in the eyes of many, we are not only fighting a rear-guard action with our attempts to conserve biodiversity, but that we are losing the struggle and as conservationists, will not admit it. James Mellon’s photograph of a magnificent bull Kouprey from our new From the archives section is a salutary reminder of what the dry forests of Cambodia have already lost. Swift and pragmatic action, with a dose of realism will be needed if the Giant Ibis is not to go the same way.

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Regional news

Cambodia’s northern plains - heartland of the Giant Ibis Seasonally-inundated meandows and permanent pools form a patchwork within deciduous dipterocarp forest and support a rich variety of grasses, from fire-dependent species to marshland specialists. On the richer alluvial soils, tall, mature dipterocarps form the core of the more species-rich semi-evergreen forests.

Cambodia’s northern plains are one of the largest remaining intact blocks of a unique landscape that once spread across southern Indochina. The plains comprise a complex mosaic of habitats dominated by deciduous dipterocarp forest.

The northern plains are of exceptional global importance for biodiversity conservation and were formerly the home of the greatest aggregation of large mammals outside of East Africa’s savannas. Today, the large mammals are severely reduced in mumbers, althrough the landscape is still intact. Populations of at least 32 mammals, reptiles and birds on the IUCN 2000 Red List occur, including the near-mythical Giant Ibis Thaumatibis gigantea, a bird rarely recorded during the last 100 years, and possibly the legendary Kouprey Bos sauveli, symbol of the Cambodian nation (see From the archives).

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Past and present wildlife surveys Cambodia has only recently emerged from three decades of conflict and horrific atrocities.

From the late 1960s onward, the northern plains were a stronghold for anti-government factions, most notably the Khmer Rouge, for whom it was a stronghold until 1998. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS, then the New York Zoological Society) supported a major wildlife survey of the area in the 1950s, with then the Department of Forestry. Only three years ago did it become safe to return, and a joint team from the Ministry of Environment (MoE), the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), and WCS re-entered the area in November 2000 to begin preliminary wildlife surveys.

Since then, joint surveys between BirdLife International in Indochina, WCS, MAFF and MoE have also been undertaken as part of a Danida funded project which will produce an IBA Directory for Cambodia. Early results suggest that, whilst populations of some species (particularly large mammals) were evidently much reduced, an unparalled assemblage of globally threatened and nearthreatened species still thrives.

The endangered White-winged Duck Cairina scutulata occurs along forest-shaded streambeds. Photo: Pete Davidson

Heartland of the Giant Ibis and other threatened birds One of the most significant finds was a sizable population of the critically endangered Giant Ibis, centred on Chhep district, Preah Vihear province. Since November 2000, ongoing ground surveys by MAFF/MoE/WCS, supplemented in September 2001 by aerial surveys carried out by the International Crane Foundation

(ICF), have recorded a minimum of ca. 50, and potentially up to 90 individuals, with substantial areas of suitable habitat yet to be visited.

Other globally threatened birds found in the northern plains include the critically endangered Slender-billed Gyps tenuirostris and White-rumped G. bengalensis Vultures and the near threatened Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus. All three have undergone massive declines across Indochina, apparently linked to the declines in large mammal mumbers and persecution.

Their remnant populations are now centred on Cambodia’s northern and northeastern plains. The endangered White-winged Duck Cairina scutulata occurs in at least two river systems, Greater Adjutant Leptoptilos dubius (Endangered) occurs in small numbers, and Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus (Vulnerable) is still widespread and relatively numerous. The vulnerable Sarus Crane Grus antigone breeds in the open flooded grasslands during the wet season (June-October). The vulnerable Green Peafowl Pavo muticus is locally distributed, but in places is not uncommon.

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The near-threatened Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus is widespread in small mumbers, and Woolly-necked Stock Ciconia episcopus, a regionally threatened species, is still relatively common.

The vulnerable Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga regularly “over-winters” (some may linger through the rainy season too), and Grey-headed Fish Eagle Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus and White-rumped Falcon Polihierax insignis (both near-threatened) occur at low densities. A few Manchurian Reed Warblers Acrocephalus tangorum (Vulnerable) winter in sedge and Sesbania scrub stands around pools, and small numbers of Asian Golden Weavers Ploceus hypoxanthus can be found amongst mixed flocks of Baya P. philippinus and Streaked Weavers P. manyar.

One species that hasn’t yet been recorded in the northern plains, despite the presence of apparently suitable habitat, is the critically endangered White-shouldered Ibis Pseudibis davisoni.

It has undergone a more dramatic decline than the Giant Ibis (it was formerly described as common or very common), and is undoubtedly one of the most pressing conservation concerns in the region. Fortunately, a survey in May 2002, of western Siem Pang district, Stung Treng province, to the east of the northern plains, located the only known significant population of this species in mainland South-East Asia. This survey was conducted by BirdLife International in Indochina, MAFF, MoE and WCS, as part of the Danida funded project Improved Conservation Planning through Institutional Strengthening in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

Regionally threatened birds and deciduous dipterocarp forest specialists The northern plains also supports an impressive and diverse deciduous dipterocarp bird community.

At least 16 woodpecker species occur. Redbreasted Psittacula alexandri and Blossom-headed P. roseata Parakeets are widespread and common, and Alexanderine Parakeet P. eupatria (now extremely rare across much of South-East Asia) remains locally common. Nocturnal birds include Oriental Scops Owl Otus sunia, Indian Caprimulgus asiaticus and Savana C. affinis Nightjars, Spotted Owlet Athene brama, Brown Strix leptogrammica and Spotted S. seloputo Wood Owls, and, in copses of semi-everygreen forest, Javan Frogmouth Batrachostomus javensis. Yellowfooted Green Pigeon Treron phoenicoptera, another deciduous dipterocarp forest specialist, is locally common, as is Green Imperial Pigeon Ducula aenea.

Eurasian Thick-knee Burhinus oedicnemus occurs sparsely in agricultural fringe habitats and raptors are well represented (16 species have been identified to date).

Mammals

The Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus is near threatened and probably the rarest stork in Indochina. It shares key feeding sites with Giant Ibis Thaumatibis gigantea, but eats mainly fish and amphibians rather than probing in the mud. Photo: Pete Davidson.

The plains are crucial to large mammal conservation in the region. Many formerly widespread species are now restricted to a few localities, of which the northern and north-eastern plains are the largest, with the greatest potential for conservation.

Examples include Eld’s Deer Cervus eldii (represented here by the Indochinese subspecies siamensis, previously considered to be close to extinction), Banteng Bos javanicus, Tiger Panthera tigris, Asian Elephant Elephas maximus and Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrina. Recent surveys have discovered Wroughton’s Freetailed Bat Otomops wroughtoni, a critically endangered species,

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previously known only from a single cave in western India.

Pileated Gibbons Hylobates pileatus still sing in the tracts of evergreen forest, Asiatic Jackal Canis aureus is common, Dhole Cuon alpinus is widespread but less common, whilst Jungle Cat Felis chaus also occurs. Other globally threatened resident mammals include Pygmy Loris Nycticebus pygmaeus, Pig-tailed Macaque Macaca nemestrina, Gaur Bos gaurus, Southern Serow Naemorhedus sumatraensis and East Asian Porcupine Hystrix brachyura.

Like the large waterbirds, many of these species concentrate at a few key localities during infertile or dry periods, and disperse widely across the foodplains when water enriches the soil.

The northern plains are possibly the only area in the world where Kouprey still exist.

This charismatic wild cattle species has been extirpated from its former range spanning southern Laos, eastern Thailand and southern Vietnam. The only recent reports come from the forests of the northern plains, and any surviving populations would have important ramifications for Cambodia’s conservation efforts, for their symbolic value to the nation and for their national and international conservation profile (see From the archives).

Threats and root causes The area has avoided large-scale destruction due to its insecurity and consequent inaccessibility.

Few people live there, but already development has begun and there are localised problems with uncleared landmines. Provincial development plans outline road construction, the opening of international border posts, and the resettlement in outlying rural areas of returning refugees and former soldiers. Although some of the semi-everygreen forest areas are being heavily exploited, deciduous dipterocarp timber is of little value to commercial forestry. However,

Future conservation prospects The landscape is clearly of global biodiversity importance, yet it is still relatively poorly understood. WCS has recently initiated an extensive effort to gather essential data on both human and wildlife use of the landscape, and to The India Nightjar Caprimulgus asiaticus is a common locate, map and ground-nesting species in open deciduous dipterocarp analyse the threats to woodlands; this bird had sited its nest close to a critical resource sites frequently used trail. Photo: Pete Davidson. for the key wildlife -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------species.

Crucially, the project also aims there are plans for future mining to ensure that the landscape and its and large-scale agricultural critical areas are represented in development. provincial and national land use planning processes, and that The single greatest threat to most sufficient resources are committed of the large mammals, and other to the area to promote long-term animals, is hunting, both sustainability.

Through the professionally to supply the appropriate management of international demand for wildlife localised key sites, a far greater trophies and traditional medicine, area with differing human-use and opportunistically to serve patterns can be managed for the internal or local markets. effective conservation of this Subsistence hunting appears unique landscape and its wildlife. mainly to focus on a few commoner species, a factor that Four areas within the northern should assist efforts to reduce the plains have recently been loss of key species through identified as Important Bird Areas community involvement.

(IBAs): Chhep, O Skach, the Upper Stung Sen river and the Upper Chikreng river. These are among the 41 IBAs in Cambodia recently identified as part of a joint project between BirdLife International in Indochina, WCS, MAFF and MoE. These IBAs are a foundation for future conservation efforts in the northern plains, in the form of local stakeholder support groups, a pilot of which has recently been successfully established at the Upper Stung Sen River IBA.

A dam and fish-trap erected by local people at a pool favoured as a regular feeding site by four Giant Ibises and several Woolly-necked Storks. Photo: Pete Davidson.

Peter Davidson, Colin Poole and Joe Walston Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia Programme P.O Box 1620, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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Vietnamese pheasants Lophura hatinhensis bred at Chester Zoo Roger Wilkinson, North of England Zoological Society, Chester Zoo, England.

Chester Zoo has been working with Vietnamese pheasants Lophura hatinhensis since February 1999 when, through the auspices of the World Pheasant (WPA), Chester received a young pair of captive-bred birds that were the progeny of birds loaned by Hanoi Zoo. These birds form part of a managed conservation breeding programme with breeding and pairing recommendations made by the WPA studbook keeper. The male was received from Antwerp Zoo, Belgium, and the hen from the private collection of Michel Klat in England.

Breeding behaviour commenced in March 2000 when four eggs were found on the aviary floor; but rather than laid in one nest these were scattered throughout the aviary. This is not unusual in inexperienced pheasants and the eggs were gathered and taken for artificial incubation.

Although these eggs were fertile only one hatched and then with human assistance but the weak chick died shortly afterwards.

The hen proved to be a prolific layer but further clutches (one of five eggs, and two of four eggs) all died in early incubation. Eggs of the later clutches were laid together at a defined nest site and although different incubation techniques were used including placing the eggs under a broody bantam no chicks were hatched. In early May the female hatinhensis was discouraged from laying further eggs and at the same time given the opportunity to practice brooding behaviour by replacing her latest clutch of eggs with two fertile eggs of a golden pheasant Chrysolophus pictus. These failed to hatch and this saw the end of breeding activities in 2000.

In August 2000 the male Vietnamese pheasant was sadly found dead. This was as sudden as it was unexpected and post mortem investigations indicated kidney failure. In agreement with the studbook keeper it was later arranged that a new male should be received in 2001 from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Jersey Zoo. In March 2001 the hen Vietnamese pheasant at Chester Zoo began egg-laying whilst still on her own. Three eggs were laid on alternate days on 16, 18 and 20 March then eleven more laid between 25 March and 14 April after which time she began to sit the eggs left with her. Eggs were usually laid on alternate but occasionally found on consecutive days but as not all laying dates were recorded over this period the clutch size within this series was not easily definable. The new male was received from Jersey on 19 April and introduced to the hen two

Vietnamese Pheasant Lophura hatinhensis.

Photo: Roger Wilkinson. days later after the infertile eggs had been removed from the nest site.

The first clutch of four eggs laid after the male was introduced were removed for artificial incubation and although all fertile none hatched. The last egg of the season was laid on 13 May and taken for artificial incubation the following day. This egg hatched under a foster bantam on 9 June and the chick was successfully reared by its foster parent.

This young Vietnamese Pheasant has proved to be hen and was sent on loan to Belfast Zoo, Northern Ireland, in June 2002.

At Chester Zoo in 2002 disturbance of the breeding pair of Vietnamese pheasants was kept to a minimum to encourage natural breeding behaviour.

A first egg was laid on 17 March and the hen completed her clutch of six eggs and incubated these. Three of the six eggs proved infertile, one died during incubation and two hatched on 21 April. Both chicks have been successfully reared by their parents and now well grown have proved to be a cock and a hen. We hope that future studies and observations from birds in the ex-situ breeding programme for the Vietnamese Pheasant may further contribute to the knowledge of this threatened endemic.

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Avenues of Futility in Conservation

By John MacKinnon EU Co-director The ARCBC

Honest State of Biodiversity The world is in a terrible state. The situation is worse than most ecologists’ worst nightmares. Our forests are disappearing, the sea is polluted, the atmosphere is damaged, global fisheries are crashing, plant and animal species are going extinct all around us, deserts are spreading and global temperatures are rising. The biosphere is literally collapsing ecologically and world leaders are completely unconcerned and unwilling to do anything to help e.g. Kyoto Protocol.

Where are we going wrong?

Conservationists have been totally ineffective. We have failed to prove our argument. We fail because we completely underestimate the scale of the problems and doggedly pursue a totally flawed logic and methodology. Conservation is rife with false beliefs and repeated mistakes such as the common misconception that raising living standards of local communities will effectively reduce natural resource exploitation within protected areas, when in reality, every step of the development ladder is accompanied by an overall increase in resource use levels. We try to deal with the symptoms of biodiversity loss such as habitat loss and over-harvesting and completely ignore the underlying causes, such as unfair international trade instruments, lack of transparency in resource allocation, corruption and poor governance.

We also consistently fail to learn from our mistakes and to forge powerful alliances with any forces big enough to make any real difference. Until conservationists learn the language and methods of finance such as environmental accounting etc, a lack of appreciation of the real values of biodiversity and ecosystem service values by governments and industry will continue.

Until governments accept these values, the financial feedbacks necessary to protect the world’s environment will not exist.

Early this year, the General Department of Post and Telecommunications (GDPT) issued a set of stamps entitled “Birds (Timaliidae family)”. The stamps show several resident bird species which occur in Vietnam. These species are well known for their beautiful songs and colourful plumage. In general, they inhabit evergreen forest and forest edge habitat, secondary forest and live on a variety of insects. Among the species illustrated are several species recently discovered in Vietnam by ornithologists belonging to BirdLife International, the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources and the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute.

How do we change course?

We need to forget all our preconceptions and start seeing the world as it really is. Politicians should be forced to recognise the serious state of global biodiversity and the economic consequences of failing to act. We need to recognise that there are real enemies out there and identify and counter the individuals, corporations, systems and policies that are taking the planet down the slope. Alliances should be forged to combat those enemies, and the public and NGOs should be armed with data to lobby against destructive programmes and policies. We need to get more devious, wily and secretive in the way we move towards our goals. We also need to dismantle the stranglehold of powerful multinationals and unfair trade agreements that force developing countries to follow unsustainable development paths.

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"One of two White-shouldered Ibis that were recently on display at the Royal Foret Department in Bangkok. Their provenance and date of collection is unknown but are thought to originate from Cambodia. It is possible that they are two of four birds currently being held at the Sarus Crane Breeding Centre near Bang Pra Reservoir in Chonburi province. There is currently another White-shouldered Ibis in captivity at Bang Sai Aveng near Ayutthaya."

Source: John Parr White-shouldered Ibis (left). Photo: John Parr.

Wild Bird Federation of Taiwan visits the BirdLife In November 2002, the newly appointed president and several senior members of the Wild Bird Federation of Taiwan (WBFT), the BirdLife Partner in Taiwan, visited BirdLife International in Indochina, the first official visit by one of BirdLife’s regional partners to its representative office in Hanoi. The purpose of the WBFT’s trip was to learn of latest developments concerning the IBA programme in Vietnam, share experiences and explore possibilities for future collaboration.

All keen bird enthusiasts, the WBFT delegation also took the opportunity to join staff at BirdLife birdwatching at Xuan Thuy Nature Reserve. The trip proved a great success and we look forward to having the WBFT visit us again in the future.

Dr. Charles C. Cheng, President of Wild Bird Federation of Taiwan and Mr. Jack Tordoff, Coordinator of IBA Programme. Photo: N. Sage.

Environment Reception at British Ambassadors residence On 20 November 2002, H.E Warwick Morris and Mrs P. Morris, British Ambassador to Vietnam, kindly held an Environment Reception at the official residence. This is now an annual event in the conservation calender where NGOs and their supporters can get together to catch-up and exchange views. This was the biggest event yet and a fine evening after so much recent rain ensured a good turn-out. Thank you Warwick and Pam. Photo (left): H.E. Warwick Morris and Ms. Vu Thi Minh Phuong at the BirdLife’s display at the Environment Reception. Photo: Nathan Sage.

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Spotlight organisation Bird Enthusiasts and nature conservation association (BENCA) Bird Enthusiasts and Nature Conservation Association (BENCA) is a local NGO formed by those who value and wish to protect the forests, mountains, land and water which exist in the natural state in the human environment and the biologically diverse flora and fauna which are part of this environment.

Objectives • • •

•

• •

To promote conservation awareness of birds, wildlife and their habitats among the Myanmar people.

To collaborate more intensively with international organisations in conservation of birds and their habitats.

To provide up to date information on avifauna, wildlife and their habitats to local authorities and international organisations to promote the more View from the summit of Mount Victoria of montane evergreen effective management. forest in Natmataung National Park in Chin State, Myanmar.

To provide information to the Nature and Photo: J.C. Eames.

Wildlife Conservation Division of -------------------------------------------------------------Myanmar’s Ministry of Forestry for establishment of protected areas and their effective management.

• To name all birds found in the country in the To conserve birds and their habitats, especially Myanmar language because only 20% of the total Myanmar endemic and globally threatened species. bird species are currently named.

To promote birdwatching and nature tours.

Contact address. Building No.1. First Floor left. Aye Yeik Mon Lane (1) Yadanar Mon Housing Complex, 3rd Quarter. Hlaing Township. Yangon.

Rarest of the rare Pink-headed Duck Rhodonessa caryophyllacea This duck is probably extinct, but until the last known areas of its former range are surveyed this cannot be confirmed. Any remaining population is likely to be tiny. It therefore qualifies as Critical.

Identification 60 cm. Graceful, longnecked duck. Males have deep pink head and neck, blackish-brown centre

Last seen in the wild in 1949, the Pink-headed Duck surely still exists on a grassland jheel somewhere in northern Myanmar?

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of throat, foreneck and most of remaining plumage. Rosy-pinkish bill. In flight, pale brownish-buff secondaries, narrow, whitish leading edge to wing-coverts and pale pink underwing. Females have duller and browner body, pale greyish-pink head and upper neck with brownish wash on crown and hindceck and duller bill. Juvenile has duller brown body than female, with fine, whitish feather fringes. Voice Males utter weak whistle, females a low quack. Hints Search remote, overgrown wetlands in north-east India and northern Myanmar.

Range and Population Pink-headed Duck was locally distributed in the wetlands of India, Bangladesh and Myanmar, and occurred rarely in Nepal, with most records from north-east India and adjacent Bangladesh. It was always considered uncommon or rare and was last seen in the wild in 1949, surviving until around the same time in captivity. Recent “sightings” and positive leads from a series of questionnaires about its possible continued existence in north-east India were the result of confusion with Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina. Hope remains that it may be rediscovered in remote wetlands in northern Myanmar. Its extinction cannot be confirmed until this part of its former range has been surveyed.

Ecology It is shy and secretive, inhabiting secluded and overgrown still water pools, marshes and swamps in lowland forest and tall grasslands, particularly areas subject to seasonal inundation and, in winter, also lagoons adjoining large rivers. Outside the breeding season it was usually encountered in small groups and occasionally flocks of 30-40. Some, and possibly all, populations undertook local seasonal movements, resulting in scattered historical records as far afield as Punjab, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.

Threats Its decline resulted from a combination of hunting and habitat loss. As a sedentary species, its suffered year-round persecution during a period (the late 19th and early 20th centuries) when hunting levels in India were high. Clearance of forest and drainage of wetlands for agricultural land has destroyed much of its habitat. It is likely that egg collection and disturbance also contributed to its decline.

Conservation Throughout the 1950s there were attempts to clarify its status, culminating in a literature and museum specimen review. It was subsequently searched for in some key areas. Since 1956, it has been legally protected.

Project updates

Translation project funded by ARCBC In September 2002, the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC) – A joint cooperation project between ASEAN and the European Union provided a grant in support of translation, printing and distribution of a book entitled “Bird Survey Techniques”. The grant will allow BirdLife International in Indochina to reproduce Khmer and Vietnamese language versions of the book, helping to promote the study of birds in these countries. BirdLife would like to express its thanks to the ARCBC for its support.

Conservation Monitoring at Xuan Thuy Nature Reserve With continued support from Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund (KNCF), BirdLife International has begun implementation of the second phase of the project entitled Conservation Monitoring at Xuan Thuy Nature Reserve. Project outputs will include a manual on conservation monitoring of wetland sites which will be produced during the current project phase.

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IBA Site Support Group up-andrunning on Hanam Island Kenh Trap Important Bird Area (IBA) Support Group on Ha Nam island is now up and running. Kenh Trap is Vietnam's first IBA support group: a group of stakeholders who develop local solutions to locally identified environmental problems. The establishment of the IBA support group was prompted by the results of a recent survey, which identified Ha Nam island in Yen Hung district as the most important site for bird conservation in the coastal zone of Quang Ninh province.

During October 2002, with financial support from Danida, BirdLife International in Indochina, the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR) and Quang Ninh Department of Science, Technology and the Environment (DOSTE) collaborated to run a training course to build the capacity of IBA support group members to monitor bird populations, habitats and threats. The training course was attended by about 30 members of the IBA support group, including representatives of the District People’s Committee (DPC), the Forest Protection Department (FPD), police and all shrimp pond owners in the Kenh Trap area. During the training, all participants were invited to participate in discussions concerning key conservation issues on Ha Nam island and were encouraged to think of solutions.

The training course proved to be a considerable success, and, in the future, Kenh Trap IBA Support Group can become an example for Quang Ninh province and Vietnam as a whole of how local communities can take responsibility for managing their own environment for the long-term benefit of both people and biodiversity.

The IBA support group released confiscated birds.

FPD took an active part during the training course Photo: Minh Phuong.

Although the training course took place at a very busy time for all shrimp pond owners, they still attended the training course every day. The participants were very enthusiastic about the course, and strongly supported the idea of protecting their own environment by themselves.

One of the participants, the 72 year old Mr. Don, said "I am very happy to attend this training course, which has helped me to understand the value of the environment. Thank you BirdLife for bringing such a great opportunity to the local peoples of Ha Nam, and for making me aware that all of us have a very important role to play in environmental protection. I will tell all my children what I have learnt today, and I strongly believe we, the people of Ha Nam, can do something to protect our rich natural heritage."

"We now understand the values of and threats to this area. We will not allow any hunter to come to our shrimp ponds, and it is our responsibility to educate other people to stop using nets to catch birds," another participant said. "The proplem is that nobody, except the members of the IBA Support Group, knows that hunting birds and using mistnets are illegal activities.

I hope the regulations will be finalised soon, which will help local people to understand what they should or shouldn’t do in order to protect our environment."

In the one month since the establishment of Kenh Trap IBA Support Group, nearly 400 waterbirds have been confiscated and released from hunters, including watercocks, common coots, and ducks. In the future, BirdLife, IEBR and Quang Ninh DOSTE hope to work closer with the FPD and DPC in order to build on the initial successes of the IBA support group, and make it a model for stakeholder participation in conservation in Vietnam.

Photo: Minh Phuong.

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PARC project In October and November 2002, a team of biologists from BirdLife International carried out a biodiversity survey at Ba Be National Park and Na Hang Nature Reserve on behalf of the Creating Protected Areas for Natural Resource Conservation using Lanscape Ecology (PARC) project currently being implemented at these two sites and Yok Don National Park

Lesser Bamboo Bat Tyloncteris pachypus. A single female of T .pachypus was recorded foraging in lowland forest during the BirdLife survey, representing a new species record for Na Hang Nature Reserve. Tropical forests containing areas of bamboo provide important habitat for the species, which possesses several adaptive features enabling it to roost inside the hollow stems of bamboo plants.

Basecamp at Na Hang (right) Fieldwork operated from semi-mobile basecamps located in selected areas of the core zone of Na Hang Nature Reserve and Ba Be National Park.

Forested river (left) A stretch of forested river in the Ban Bung sector of Na Hang Nature Reserve. Special emphasis was placed upon investigating forest streams, in the hope of recording the elusive Whiteeared Night Heron Gorsachius magnificus. Until its recent rediscovery in adjacent forest areas in 2001, the species was thought to be possibly extinct in Vietnam.

-------------------------------------------------------All photographs in this page by J.C. Eames.

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Profile Mai Xuan Trung Xuan Thuy Nature Reserve Following his graduation in 1995 from the Agricultural Economic Department in Hanoi Agricultural University, Trung joined the management board of Xuan Thuy Nature Reserve. Xuan Thuy N.R is located in Nam Dinh province. As well as being the only designated Ramsar site in Vietnam, Xuan Thuy N.R. is the most important staging and wintering area for migratory waterbirds in the coastal zone of Red River Delta. Since joining the site’s management team, Trung has become a key member of its technical department and is one of the most active rangers at Xuan Thuy Nature Reserve.

As part of his work with Xuan Thuy N.R., Trung has attended a wide range of training courses organised by several conservation organizations and projects. In 1997, he attended a one-month course in biodiversity training at Cuc Phuong National Park. The following year, Trung participated in a six-month training course entitled ‘Approaches in natural resource management, environment impact assessment and ecology and development’, and several other short courses relating to biodiversity conservation and fisheries management. A keen ornithologist, Trung takes every opportunity to join bird-watching events organised by BirdLife, and not surprisingly, has become the leading bird guide for tourists visiting Xuan Thuy.

Since 2001, Trung has also been a member of the Xuan Thuy Nature Reserve and BirdLife International collaborative project entitled Conservation monitoring at Xuan Thuy Nature Reserve, funded by the Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund. As part of his contribution to the project, Trung has implemented numerous field surveys at the nature reserve and remained at the forefront of efforts to monitor bird populations and threats to the avifauna of the site. As a result of this work, Trung has gained invaluable experience in the study of Vietnamese avifauna under the tutelage of BirdLife staff.

Trung is one of the most ardent rangers in Vietnam and is determined to devote his life to wildlife conservation.

REVIEWs A collection of birds from the Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia, including a new subspecies of Arborophila cambodiana

by Eames, J.C., Steinheimer, F.D. and Ros Bansok (2002).

Forktail 18: 67-86.

This paper provides a full and detailed account of the ornithological results of the first comprehensive exploration of the Cardamom Mountains in Cambodia in 2000, undertaken as part of wider efforts organised by Flora and Fauna International to determine the biological importance of the region at the request of

the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

During the survey a total of 166 bird species were recorded either by trapping or direct observation, including two threatened species (Chestnut-headed Partridge Arborophila cambodiana and Green Peafowl Pavo muticus) and 15 species new for Cambodia. Most significantly, the paper describes a new subspecies of Chestnutheaded Partridge, named Arborophila c. chandamonyi, in honour of Chandamonyi Meas, a Cambodian ornithologist who tragically died during the fieldwork.

Although analysis shows that the Camdamom Mountains supports a depauperate avifauna compared with the Da Lat Plateau Endemic Bird Area (EBA) in Vietnam, the confirmed occurrence of two restricted-range species means that ThailandCambodia Mountains Secondary Area (s085) now meets the minimum criteria for an EBA and that the area should be considered to be of elevated conservation concern. However, within an Indochinese context the Cardamom Mountains cannot be considered to be a major center of bird endemism.

Neil Furey The Babbler - December, 2002

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The avifauna of Hong Kong by G J Carey, M L Chalmers, D A Diskin, P R Kennerley, P J Leader, M R Leven, R W Lewthwaite, D S Melville, M Turnbull and L Young. Hong Kong Birdwatching Society, Hong Kong, 2001. 563pp, £44.50 (Hbk.). ISBN 962-7508-02-0.

The value of bird records in birdwatchers’ notebooks is proving increasingly useful for the monitoring of bird population trends and distributions and even the impact of climate change. The avifauna of Hong Kong, produced in the tradition of high-quality annual bird reports of recent years from the Hong Kong Birdwatching Society (the BirdLife affiliate organisation in Hong Kong), analyses 41 years’ worth of bird records and surveys. It includes the first comprehensive breeding bird survey carried out in Hong Kong and a detailed analysis of the status and distribution of each species in Hong Kong, comparisons being made with data collated as long ago as 1861. Also included is a review of 20 years’ worth of waterbird count data, an assessment of the wild bird trade in Hong Kong and a summary of data from a long-term ringing programme. The report is an essential reference to the status and distribution of the birds in this part of China.

Marco Lambertini Guide to the Birds of SouthEast Asia (Robson 2000), and launch this volume to compete with the earlier work. This new guide cuts and pastes those species occurring in Thailand and differs from its predecessor by the inclusion of distribution maps with shortened text captions (It also adds a family key on the front end-paper, which is suspiciously reminiscent of Lekagul and Round).

A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand by Craig Robson, 2002. Bangkok. Asia Books Co. Ltd. ISBN 1843300583.

This new guide enters a market where an excellent modern bird field guide (Lekagul and Round 1999) already exists. So one assumes that it was advances in modern publishing techniques alone that convinced New Holland and Asia Books, that it would be in their economic interests to cannibalize the recent A Field

A good field guide is a tool-kit that facilitates correct and rapid identifications in the field by a layperson.

In several important respects this new title meets this challenge better than its parent volume because it is a smaller, more portable tome, and most importantly, because it treats significantly fewer species, there are generally includes fewer illustrations per plate.

The inclusion of maps should enable this volume to compete with Lekagul and Round (1999). Sadly though, the maps are just too small to be of much use. They would have been

better reproduced twice the size. I recognize that this could not have been done without reducing the accompanying text, but it would have also given the page more colour!

My favorite map is that of Crow-billed Drongo, which looks like the flag of Columbia, or is it Romania?

Could perhaps the plumage descriptions even have been eliminated altogether?

A radical and heretical suggestion to some perhaps? One must also really question the utility of small maps when bird distributions in Thailand are so poorly known (Although not so in comparison with distributions in neighboring countries).

The author acknowledges as much, by stating they are based on known distributions. The first field guide to the birds of South-East Asia, (King et al.

1975), regionally subdivided Indochina, and this system therefore overcame our lack of range-knowledge.

This was followed in Robson (2000) and for the time being, is my favored approach.

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Even though, on average, the number of species or illustrations per plate is much reduced in this volume, a number of plates are still rather crowded. For example, plate 56 incorporates no less than 32 illustrations. A shame too that 15 illustrations of nightjars, a group where wing and tail patterns are so distinctive, were squeezed into only half a page.

In many places poor plate layouts mean that some families (again, including nightjars) are spread over two or more pages. Plate 3, takes

the prize for the worse layout.

The poor old Great Argus and Green Peafowl, just squeeze onto the plate.

The taxonomy of this book follows its parent volume and therefore further institutionalizes the taxonomic changes introduced in that work. I would prefer to see the case for these presented in the scientific press.

Thus, unsubstantiated “splits� like Black-browed Fulvetta Alcippe grotei slips, almost unnoticed, in. Although the validity of

Siamese Partridge Arborophila diversa has been recently challenged in the literature, the author chooses to include it again in this work. It was unfortunate too that the chance was missed to include a species account for the newly described Mekong Wagtail, which, after all, was first collected in Thailand. Overall, a pleasant and nicely produced book, that should appeal to those with their sights firmly set on Thailand.

Jonathan Eames

Raptor migration at Hoang Lien Nature Reserve, northern Vietnam by Tordoff, A.W (2002), Forktail 18: 45-48.

This paper presents a detailed and concise account of raptor migrations witnessed at Hoang Lien Nature Reserve in autumn 1997, during a 12-month survey carried out by the environmental conservation NGO Frontier-Vietnam. Over a 13-day period, a total of 1,884 raptors were recorded including over 1,400 Amur Falcons Falco amurensis and 110 Grey-faced Buzzards Butastur indicus. Aside from the scale of migration, the first of its kind to be recorded in Vietnam, another notable factor of the phenomenon was the rarity of some of the species involved in northern Vietnam. These include 16 Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga, and a remarkable record of four Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus, representing the first record of the species from northern Indochina in recent times. The discovery of a previously unknown raptor migration of this size demonstrates the relative scarcity of basic information on the avifauna of Vietnam and highlights the need for further research.

Neil Furey Green Forest (Rung Xanh) Student Activity Book by ENV (2002) Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) announces the release of their fifth edition of the student activity book, Rung Xanh (Green Forest), thanks to the collective efforts and contributions from a range of national and international organisation such as Cuc Phuong National Park, Frontier-Vietnam,.. and BirdLife International. The current issue of Green Forest focuses on the wildlife trade, including an overview of hunting and trends in the trade, uses and values, enforcement efforts, and how students can help protect wildlife.

As always, Green Forest also includes a variety of activities, games, cartoons, and stories about nature and the environment, in addition to letters and other contributions by students.

In addtion to providing a meaningful and enjoyable way for students to learn about key issues relating to nature and the environment, Green Forest also serves as a forum through which students can exchange their ideas and contribute to efforts to raise awareness amongst their peers about the need to protect their environment. Green Forest is distributed free to participating community-based environmental education programmes throught Vietnam.

ENV would like to encourage other school children and environmental education programmes in Vietnam to contribute to the next issues of Green Forest. Please contact Trinh Le Nguyen for more details. Tel: 856 1759 or email: env@fpt.vn Minh Phuong The Babbler - December, 2002

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BirdLife International in Indochina

Illustrated Identification Guide to Insects Protected by the CITES and Wildlife Conservation Law of Taiwan, R.O.C by Shen-Horn Yen and Ping-Shih Yang (2002).

This beautifully illustrated book provides a excellent identification guide to all of Taiwan’s insects listed in appendices I, II and III of the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and those protected by Taiwan’s Wildlife Conservation Law (WCL).

Partially stimulated by the lack of information available in English to foreign entomologists and insect collectors working in Taiwan since enactment of its WCL, the main intention of the guide is to enhance knowledge in identifying protected species and to provide up to date information regarding their conservation and legal status within the country. Previously published in

Chinese, high quality photographs grace each of the species accounts, which also provide summary information on distinguishing features, taxonomy, distributions, threats and ecology. Towards the rear of the book, the complete text of the WCL is given, together with a checklist of protected species and a list of national organisations relevant to entomology. This book should be considered an essential reference guide for all concerned with entomology in Taiwan and it is hoped that it will do much to promote the cause of insect conservation within the country, as well as stimulating amateur interest in the subject.

Neil Furey

Vietnam Environment Monitor 2002 by World Bank (2002). 42pp This document aims to

provide a systematic and coherent analysis of environmental data for Vietnam, covering green, blue and brown issues, whilst

presenting a snapshot of key environmental trends in the country. A stated intention is to provide stakeholders of key environmental changes as they occur in an easy to understand format.

Staff from the National Environmental Agency, the World Bank and Danida prepared the document.

The overall aim of producing such a document is to be welcomed. The report could go much further than it actually does. As one might expect, it is very neutral in its language and is rarely critical of inadequacies, or shortcomings in achieving policy goals. It would have been considerably strengthened had it not relied on government statistics

alone as a source of data.

However, it was good to see a BirdLife source being quoted!

Had it also taken the opportunity to utilize the experitize within the NGO community in Vietnam, it could have been a much better document and be perceived to be more accurate and impartial.

The green section contains a number of careless errors (“100 bird species are endemic”) and some of the tables included, such as kilogrammes of wildlife confiscated are not particularly useful. It would be worthwhile producing such a document on a regular basis, and draw-on in-country expertise to do so.

Jonathan Eames

Conservation Bird Biodiversity General Principles and their Application. Ken Norris and Deborah J. Pain. Cambridge University Press, 2002. 340 pp. ISBN 0-521-78949-4 The Earth’s biodiversity currently faces an extinction crisis that is unprecedented. Conservationists attempt to intervene in the extinction process either locally by protecting or restoring important species and habitats, or at national and international levels by influencing key policies and promoting debate. Reliable information is the foundation upon which these efforts are based, which places research at the heart of biodiversity conservation. The role of research in such conservation is diverse. It includes understanding why biodiversity is important, defining “units” of biodiversity, prioritysetting for species and sites, managing endangered and declining populations, understanding large-scale processes, making

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BirdLife International in Indochina predictions about the future and interfacing with training, education, public awareness and policy initiatives. Using example form a wide range of bird conservation work worldwide, researchers consider the principles underlying these issues, and illustrate how these principles have been applied to address actual conservation problems for students, practitioners and researchers in conservation biology.

The most important skill is in good project design and management that delivers effective conservation action. Technical skills, infrastructure and resources then support project implementation. As scientists, we need to teach people how to ask the ‘right’ question and how to design a project capable of answering that question.

This need is global, but is urgent particularly in those countries ‘rich’ in biodiversity conservation problems yet ‘poor’ in terms of the resources nessesary for dealing with these. The book itself is organised into a series of chapters each dealing with a particular conservation problem or issue. Chapters are written by specialists, and include practical examples of actual projects plus an extensive review of the scientific literature. The chapters are designed to be challenging and sometimes provocative to stimulate readers to think about unresolved problems.

Minh Phuong

Recently published Directory of Important Bird Areas in Vietnam The global Important Bird Area (IBA) programme is coordinated by BirdLife International, and aims to identify and protect a network of critical sites for the world’s birds. The IBA programme began in Europe in 1985, and was adopted as a global initiative by BirdLife International at the 1994 World Conference. The IBA programme has proved to be a very costeffective and flexible way of identifying and promoting coherent and organized action for priority sites for birds and biodiversity at the regional, national and local levels. To date IBAs have been identified for all countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and inventories are underway in Asia and the Americas and planned for the Pacific. Based on the work done to date, it is expected that the programme will identify approximately 14,000 IBAs worldwide. In Vietnam, the IBA programme is being coordinated by BirdLife International in Indochina, in collaboration with the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources of the National Centre for Natural Science and Technology, and with financial support from Danida.

After two years of field research and review of all published and unpublished literature on birds in Vietnam, the Directory of Important Bird Areas in Vietnam will be launched this January, 2003. This document will present information on sites of international importance for bird conservation in an accessible form, for use by scientists, site managers, decision makers and donors. The objectives of the Directory are to:

•

• • •

• Present data on internationally important sites for the conservation of birds and other biodiversity in a standardised and clear format.

• Assist Vietnam to meet its obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance by, in the first case, identifying candidate sites for inclusion within a representative system of protected areas, and, in the second case, identifying candidate sites for nomination as Ramsar sites.

Inform decision makers at local, national and international levels of the biodiversity values of sites, to identify threats to biodiversity, and to recommend appropriate steps that can be taken to ensure their conservation.

Identify clear priorities for conservation action, and to encourage government agencies, donors and NGOs to address them.

Provide a centralised source of information for use in education, training and environmental awareness.

Provide information on key sites for birds and biodiversity in a format that can be used by birdwatchers and thereby support the development of ecotourism in Vietnam.

Hardcopy versions of the directory will be published in both English and Vietnamese. For further information, contact Ms. Vu Thi Minh Phuong at phuong@birdlife.netnam.vn

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Staff news Welcome to Le Trong Trai We are pleased to welcome Le Trong Trai, who recently joined BirdLife as Senior Programme Officer. Trai is curently leading a multi-disciplinary team who are conducting baseline biodiversity survey in forest areas adjacent to Ba Be National Park and Na Hang Nature Reserve as part of the PARC project.

Le Trong Trai was formerly the senior project officer on the collaborative BirdLife – Forest Inventory and Planning Institute (FIPI) project Expanding the Protected Areas Network in Vietnam for the 21st Century.

This European Union-funded project provided support for the implementation of the Government of Vietnam's policy commitment to expand the national network of protected areas. Prior to this, he was project officer on the project entitled: The Conservation of Biodiversity in the Annamese Lowlands and the Da Lat Plateau, Vietnam, which was also funded by the European Union.

Le Trong Trai (left) and Nathan Sage (right)

Trai's work has concentrated on biodiversity surveys and monitoring the wildlife resources of Vietnam. He is now recognised as one of Vietnam's leading field ecologists. He has discovered an undescribed taxon of muntjac and re-discovered Roosevelt's Muntjac.

He was also involved in the discovery of two new species of birds – the Black-crowned Barwing and the Golden-winged Laughingthrush. He has published extensively on the fauna of Vietnam. He also has extensive experience of protected areas planning, and production of feasibility studies and investment plans for the establishment of protected areas in Vietnam. Trai recently co- authored Vietnam's first Vietnamese-language bird field guide Chim Viet Nam. Trai has a B.Sc. in Biology and has worked at FIPI since 1981.

Since joining the BirdLife team in Spring 2002, Nathan has led several key initiatives, including the development of a medium-sized UNDP-GEF proposal entitled Making the Link: the connection and sustainable management of Kon Ka Kinh and Kon Cha Rang Nature Reserves in Gia Lai province and an interim project review of the Danida-funded project Improved Conservation Planning through institutional strengthening in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Nathan has also moved forward the World Bank/GEF proposal for Establishment of Chu Yang Sin National Park and developed new proposals for support to IBA site support groups in Vietnam and Cambodia, institutional strengthening of BENCA (a local NGO in Myanmar), and an a second edition Sourcebook of Protected Areas of Vietnam.

Trai has extensive field survey experience which will enable him to make a major contribution to the development of the BirdLife International in Indochina.

Luckily for us, Nathan will remain an active partner in conservation when he assumes his new post as Country Representative for US-AEP in Hanoi.

Nathan will be in charge of developing environmental strategies and partnerships between the Governments of Vietnam and the United States of America, multilateral, bilateral and nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector that advance US-AEP objectives. This work includes operationalising the US-AEP strategy in policy, urban development, civil society and industrial development as well as the development of “green and blue” initiatives.

Goodbye to Nathan Sage Nathan Sage, who has been busy cultivating donors and developing proposals for BirdLife’s expanding programme, is moving across town to work at the US-Asia Environmental Partnership (US-AEP), a programme of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

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From the archives

This remarkable, undated photograph from James Mellon shows a “Sunday hunter� from Phnom Penh posing with an adult bull kouprey: he is said to have shot several over the years. This photograph was published in the November 1970 issue of Animals Magazine in a feature about the rarest animal in the world. James Mellon saw two kouprey and numerous sets of trucks in what was koulen-promtep rescue north of Chhep. This area forms part of an IBA but there have been no hints that kouprey survive in the area.

Feedback I was most interested to see the account in World Birdwatch of your fine work in SE Asia, an area close to my heart as I was born in Darjeeling, spent my childhood in north Bihar and, in the Army, served in India, Burma and Malaya. In particular, as sponsor in "Threatened Birds..", in memory of my father, I was de-lighted to see your optimistic remarks about my favourite bird of all time: the Pink-headed Duck. As a boy in the '20's', before I was whisked away to school in England, I can still remember the thrill of seeing a group or, very occasionally, a pair with ducklings swimming majestically across a reed-edged lake-they rarely joined the huge gatherings of many species of duck on the larger jheels. I suppose I must be among an ever-decreasing number of 'westerners' to have seen the magnificent Rhodonessa in the wild.

I'm glad you have used the famous Gronvold painting (in my view the only artist to have achieved the correct 'jiz'!) which also appears in "Salim Ali's India" where he quotes that the last authentic sighting was by C.M.Inglis in the Darbhanga district of Bihar in June 1935! Do you know where and by whom the 1949 record was made? My father tried desperately but, alas, unsuccessfully to obtain a live pair for Peter Scott in the late '30's and maybe early '40's. I am now 82 and would dearly love to hear that this wonderful bird had been rediscovered before I die so, if you have time, I would much appreciate any positive news you may get in the future.

With very best wishes from Mr. Geoffrey Munns Compiled and edited by Vu Thi Minh Phuong, Communications Officer For more information, contact: phuong@birdlife.netnam.vn; Tel/Fax: ++844 851 7217 Website: http//www.birdlifevietnam.com (English) or http//www.birdlifevietnam.org (Vietnamese) The Babbler - December, 2002