The Babbler 44

The BabblerNumber 44 (October-December) 2012

Illustration copyright 2012 by Stephen D. Nash IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group. Used with permission

CONTENTSTogether as one for nature and people

Vietnam Programme Office Room 211-212, D1 building, Van Phuc Diplomatic Compound;298 Kim Ma street, Ba Dinh district,Hanoi, VietnamP.O. Box 896 Dinh Le, Hanoi, VietnamTel: +84-4-3 514 8904

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

www.birdlifeindochina.org

• Comment

• Features New home for two Critically Endangered LangursLaos approves Xayaburi ‘mega’ dam on Mekong

•RegionalNews Vietnam: National Action Plan on Climate Change ApprovedPrimates in perilExperts oppose Vietnam’s legalisation of wildlife tradeTiger farming in Nghe An Province, VietnamSouth Africa and Vietnam sign deal to save rhino?Extraordinary new species discoveries in the Greater MekongFirst Photo Evidence of Snub-Nosed Monkey Species in China

• IBANews Dam threat to Cat Tien National Park

•Rarestoftherare Cat Ba langur Trachypithecus poliocephalus poliocephalus

• ProjectUpdates CEPF-Regional Implementation Team updates

• Publication Resource use and livelihood change in Cambodia’s dry forests; implications for conservation An assessment of the vulnerability of the Proposed Western Siem Pang Protected Forest to climate change, with recommendations for adaptation and monitoring

• Personality Ame Trandem: Advocating for a Free-Flowing Mekong

• Fromthearchives

The BabblerNumber 44 (October-December) 2012

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The Babbler 44 (Oct - Dec) 2012

http://www.birdlifeindochina.org

The really good news for this past quarter was the successful translocation of two female Cat Ba Langurs onto a larger island at Cat Ba with a viable langur population. Those females now have the opportunity to breed and make a contribution to the species recovery. Members of the

project team soon observed copulation, although they couldn’t be certain of the origin of the lucky female involved! I applaud and congratulate the meticulous planning and impeccable execution by Rick Passaro and his dedicated team from the Cat Ba Langur Conservation Project. I also congratulate Dr. Martina Raffel the Project Leader at the Allwetter Zoo Munster. We hope this will be the first of more successful translocations of non-viable and isolated outlying groups of langurs. Without further translocations the long-term prognosis for the survival of the species remains bleak.

It is customary at the end of a year to reflect and consider who perhaps made the greatest contribution to conservation in 2012. My vote for man of the year goes to Prince Manyathi a magistrate at Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court, Johannesburg, who sentenced Thai national Chumlong Lemtongthai to a 40-year sentence for illegally exporting rhino horn, jail time usually associated with capital crimes like murder and rape. Prince Manyathi said in his judgment that he wanted to pass a sentence that was a “shout to the community and the Asian bloc that these actions will not be tolerated” in South Africa. Good job Sir! Let’s hope sentences of this magnitude become routine. Wouldn’t it be nice to see some convictions in a Vietnamese courtroom too?

After two years of negotiation the Governments of South Africa and Vietnam finally concluded an agreement to try and tackle the appalling trade in rhino horn from South Africa into Vietnam. Well, that’s what we all hope the agreement is about. I wonder how specific the agreement as and whether rhino horn trade is even specifically referred to given that the Vietnam CITES Focal Point denies that Vietnam is an importing country? The latest rhino poaching statistics show 633 rhino have been killed in South Africa since the start of 2012. At the Kruger National Park alone, 395 rhino were lost to poachers. How many of those rhino could have been saved if this agreement had been concluded a year earlier? Why did such an agreement take two years to conclude?

It came as no surprise that Laos, host of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) announced it would proceed with the Xayaburi Dam. Laos claims that it is acting within the framework of the Mekong River Commission. The Governments of Cambodia and Vietnam disagree. Perhaps it’s time for the international donors of the MRC to discontinue bankrolling such a dysfunctional organization?

Jonathan C. Eames OBEBirdLife International

Comment

The Babbler is the quarterly newsletter of BirdLife International in Indochina. The Babbler is compiled by Tran Thi Thanh Huong and edited by Jonathan C. Eames. The views expressed are those of contributors and are not necessarily those of BirdLife International.

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Feature

The Cat Ba langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus poliocephalus), also known as Golden-headed langur, is

endemic to the island of Cat Ba in Northern Vietnam. By the year 2000, poaching had reduced this species to only 53 individuals in several isolated sub-populations and the Cat Ba langur became listed by the IUCN, the World Conservation Union, as one of the world’s most endangered primate species.

Towards the end of 2000, the Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations (ZGAP) and Münster Zoo (Germany) formed a cooperative partnership with Vietnamese conservation agencies, and the “Cat Ba Langur Conservation Project” was initiated.

Since then, langur poaching has been brought under control and in 2003, for the first time in decades, the population of the Cat Ba langur increased.

On 11 November 2012 the Cat Ba Langur Conservation Project successfully translocated two female Cat Ba langurs from the nearby islet of Dong Cong to the strictly protected zone of Cat Ba National Park known as “the sanctuary”. Nearly ten years in planning and development this represents a milestone for the project as well as an enormous leap forward for the conservation of the Cat Ba langur.

These two females became stranded on Dong Cong in 2000 when the mangrove forests they used as a natural bridge to the main island of Cat Ba were cleared to make way for shrimp farms. The original group was composed of one male and two females but then one of the females gave birth and the male became the last known case of Cat Ba langur poaching in 2001. The oldest female disappeared in the summer of 2012, presumed dead of natural causes.

The preparations and logistics leading up to this delicate and complicated procedure were many and varied. In order to allow the animals to habituate to all the necessary changes and alterations, one of their commonly used sleeping caves was prepared very slowly throughout the year as the trapping site. This precaution appeared unnecessary however, as the langurs looked on several times while work was on-going as well as nonchalantly grooming themselves just prior to being trapped inside the cave.

Once everything was in place “cave watch” teams began physically monitoring the cave every evening beginning 2 November. Our patience was finally rewarded on 10 November when the call came that the langurs had been successfully and safely trapped inside the cave just prior to six o’clock in the evening. Now everything sprung into action. All boats, participants and observers were mustered at the previously

agreed upon location at 03h00 the following morning for the trip out to the cave. The first leg was by speedboat, then a short pirogue ride across a shrimp pond and then the hike into the valley to the cave site itself.

We arrived at the cave under cover of darkness as planned and found all to be quiet.

The veterinarians stealthily laid out their equipment and supplies while others slipped into climbing harnesses and attached ropes for utmost safety in climbing the fifteen meters to the cave using a previously installed system of bamboo and rope ladders.

New home for two Critically Endangered Langurs

Moving langurs down. Photo: Jörg Adler The langurs were transported by a speed boat to the release site. Photo: Jörg Adler

The langurs in the release cage sporting their new neckwear. Photo: Jörg Adler

The langurs outside the cave just prior to being locked inside. Photo: Jörg Adler

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Upon entering the cave it was discovered with some trepidation that the monkeys had lodged themselves into a heretofore unknown crevice about four meters up into the cave chimney. Although this made immobilization something of a particular challenge for our poor veterinarian, all things considered the entire operation went relatively well.

Once anaesthetised, the langurs were lowered one by one from the cave in a basket secured on both the top and bottom by ropes. Once on the ground, the animals’ health was immediately monitored, biological samples, measurements and identification photos were taken and both animals were fitted with radio collars complete with GPS capability for future monitoring. Once all veterinary and health procedures were completed they were then transported out of

the forest and across the pond in the pirogues to the waiting speedboats for the two and a half hour journey around the island to the release sites.

Two release cages measuring 6m x 2m x 3m had already been assembled several months beforehand. The cage chosen for the release was the one farthest from where a group of langurs had been sighted earlier that morning by the Cat Ba National Park rangers who had been placed on alert the night before. Once released into the cage from the transport boxes and their health verified by the veterinarians it was decided it would be best to release them immediately rather than keeping them in the cage overnight.

Once the door was opened it took a bit of time but they finally complied and out they leapt! Gone!

While of course we are enormously happy with the successful completion of this incredibly intricate and complicated procedure there is still much more work to be done if the future of the Cat Ba langur is to be truly secured. There remains yet another isolated non-breeding group of females that simply must be brought into contact with the males that reside within the confines and the relative safety and security of the sanctuary. It is our sincere hope that this procedure can be executed sooner rather than later.

Follow the project on Facebook www.facebook.com/catbalangur?fref=ts or www.catbalangur.org -----------Source: Rick Passaro, Manager, Cat Ba Langur Conservation Project

Laos approves Xayaburi ‘mega’ dam on Mekong

November 6, 2012 - Laos has given the go-ahead to build a massive dam on the lower Mekong river,

despite opposition from neighbouring countries and environmentalists.

A formal ceremony marking the start of full construction at Xayaburi would be held on Wednesday, the government said. Countries downstream from the $3.5 billion (£2.2 billion) dam fear it will affect fish stocks and the livelihoods of millions.

The announcement came as leaders from Asia and Europe began a two-day meeting in the Laos capital, Vientiane.

Landlocked Laos is one of South-east Asia’s poorest countries and its strategy for development is based on generating electricity from its rivers and selling the power to its neighbours, says the BBC’s Jonah Fisher in Bangkok.

Xayaburi is being built by a Thai company with Thai money - and almost all of the electricity has been pre-sold to Thailand, our correspondent says. Countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam point to a report last year that said the project should be delayed while more research was done on the dam’s environmental impact. Up to now, Laos had promised not to press ahead while those concerns remained.

Four dams already exist in the narrow gorges of the Upper Mekong in China but until now there have been none on the slower-moving lower reaches of the river, our correspondent says.

Laos deputy energy minister Viraphonh Virawong said work on the Xayaburi dam itself would begin this week, and hoped it would be the first of many. “I am very confident that we will not have any adverse impacts on the Mekong river,” Mr Viraphonh told the BBC. “But any development will have changes. We have to balance between the benefits and the costs.”Mr Viraphonh said he believed that concerns about fish migration and sediment flow had been addressed thanks to modifications to the original dam design costing more than $100 million.

Sediment will be allowed out of the bottom of the dam periodically through a flap and lifts, and ladders will help the fish travel upstream.

“We can sense that Vietnam and Cambodia now understand how we have addressed their concerns. We did address this properly with openness and put all our engineers at their disposal. We are convinced we are developing a very good dam,” Mr Viraphonh said.

Feature

Cat Ba langurs, the rarest primate species in Vietnam

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There was no immediate reaction from Cambodia or Vietnam, whose prime ministers are in Laos for this week’s Asia-Europe summit. Under the terms of a long-standing agreement on the Mekong, there must be consultation between countries on any development on the river.

The US State Department issued a statement expressing concern, despite its recognition of the “important role” dams play in economic growth.

“The extent and severity of impacts from the Xayaburi dam on an ecosystem that provides food security and livelihoods for millions are still unknown,” it said.

Environmental campaign group International Rivers said Laos’ promise to cooperate with neighbouring countries had never been genuine.

“The project has always continued on schedule and was never actually delayed,” the group’s Southeast Asia policy coordinator, Kirk Herbertson, told the BBC. “Construction on the project is continuing now because the wet season has ended, not because the environmental studies are completed.”

He said experts agreed it was doubtful that fish passages could work on the Mekong and “on the sediments issue, Laos is also jumping to conclusions”.

“Laos is playing roulette with the Mekong, and trying to pass its studies off as legitimate science.” ----------- By Jonah Fisher, BBC News, Bangkok

Days After Xayaburi Gets Green Light, Pöyry Flaunts Project’s Corruption

The Mekong River near the Xayaburi Dam site. The dam will raise water levels along 102 km of the river, flooding many villages and agricultural land. Photo by Kirk Herbertson/ International Rivers/www.flickr.com

regional news

On November 9, only four days after Laos announced the official start of construction on the Xayaburi Dam, Finnish company Pöyry announced that it has taken on

a central role in the project. According to the company’s press release, “Pöyry will support the Government of Laos and the project owner Xayaburi Power Company Limited during the 8-year implementation period by reviewing the design and supervising the construction of the project.”

In doing so, Pöyry publicly shows for the first time how it has benefited financially from its controversial 2011 study that downplayed the project’s environmental and social impacts.Regardless of whether you believe that this dam can be built in a sustainable way, it is clear that the diplomatic negotiations have been ugly. Call it what you prefer – corruption, unethical behaviour, or intentional disregard for the rules of good faith cooperation between nations. Either case warrants an intervention from the governments that have stood on the sidelines throughout this conflict.

Pöyry’s central role in pushing the dam forwardPöyry, if you recall, conducted the study that Laos has used to argue that the Xayaburi Dam will not have transboundary impacts. In May 2011, Laos hired Pöyry to evaluate the project’s compliance with the requirements of the Mekong River Commission (MRC), shortly after Cambodia and Vietnam first raised concerns about the project’s downstream impacts and requested that a transboundary environmental impact assessment be carried out. The MRC is the diplomatic body that is supposed to promote joint cooperation in use of the shared Mekong River.

Pöyry determined that the project was “principally in compliance” with the MRC’s standards for dam-building, despite identifying over 40 additional studies that are still needed to understand the project’s impacts. In cases where the project was unlikely to meet the MRC’s requirements (for example for fish passages or dam safety), Pöyry simply omitted any mention of those requirements. Pöyry also

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recommended that construction continue while these studies were carried out. Scientists widely criticized the study, given the significant risk that many of the project’s impacts cannot be mitigated by the unproven technologies that Pöyry proposes to use.

In June 2011, Pöyry also provided legal advice to Laos that the project could proceed despite opposition from neighbouring countries. Laos explicitly cited Pöyry when informing developer Ch. Karnchang and the Thai government that the MRC “prior consultation” was completed. In contrast, the official MRC position at the time was that the Mekong governments had “agreed that a decision on the prior consultation process…be tabled for consideration at the ministerial level, as they could not come to a common conclusion on how to proceed with the project.” Afterwards, without informing neighbouring countries, the Lao government allowed construction on the project to continue. Pöyry remained involved in the project.

From the beginning, Pöyry‘s credibility was in question because of its close business ties to Ch. Karnchang, the company it was asked to evaluate. Pöyry also had a strong financial incentive to skew its 2011 study in order to provide the Lao government with a positive review – doing so brought the company several years’ worth of additional revenue.

After Cambodia and Vietnam criticized Pöyry‘s work

in late 2011, the Laos government hired Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR) to provide a peer review of Pöyry’s work related to sediments. CNR suggested several changes to Pöyry’s sediments model and did not review Pöyry’s fisheries model. In August 2012, CNR issued a press statement clarifying that it had only presented a “conceptual” model of the dam and that further studies were still needed, in contrast to Pöyry’s view that construction should continue.

Laos relies on Pöyry to lobby neighbouring countriesAfter International Rivers discovered in June 2012 that construction activities were well underway, the Laos government invited a delegation of foreign governments to visit the dam site in July. (At the time, the Lao government referred to all activities as “preliminary work” and repeatedly promised that construction would not start until neighbouring countries’ concerns were addressed.) Pöyry led the July 2012 visit, making presentations that portrayed the project as environmentally responsible. The Lao government – in cooperation with the state-run Vientiane Times – lobbied hard to present the Pöyry and CNR studies as proof that neighbouring countries’ concerns with the transboundary impacts had been addressed.

Meanwhile, Laos refused to conduct studies on the Xayaburi Dam’s transboundary impacts. At most, only a few months’ worth of baseline data were collected to ground-truth Pöyry’s promises. The project’s original environmental impact assessment only examined what would happen 10 kilometres downstream from the site, which severely limited the amount of data on which Pöyry based its models.

Is silence the same as approval?By November 2012, the Laos government appears to have successfully convinced the Cambodian and Vietnamese governments to buy into the Pöyry and CNR studies. Both countries continued to call for further studies on the

Xayaburi Dam’s impacts, but no longer called for these studies to take place before construction began as scientists had recommended. Both governments may have felt that Laos’ continued construction made the project inevitable by this point, and that a strong intervention jeopardized the countries’ close economic ties. Indeed, by this point almost all discussions have been taking place outside the MRC framework and there was little leverage left provided by the 1995 Mekong Agreement between the countries.For the past several years, donor governments such as Australia, Finland, Germany, and the United States have financially kept the MRC afloat. The commission is supposed to serve as the key framework for promoting cooperation around use of the Mekong River, the region’s largest shared natural resource. On Pöyry’s advice (and to its financial benefit), the Xayaburi process has moved far outside the MRC. No government has criticized Laos’ recent decision to proceed with the project, except for the United States. Nor has any government criticized the way that Laos and Pöyry have undermined the MRC. People throughout the region are outraged. The tolerance for corruption around the Mekong dams, it seems, is quite high.

The Xayaburi Dam has become a stark example of why governments need to strengthen oversight of the overseas activities of their companies. Finland in particular should not allow its companies to exploit the authoritarian nature of governments such as the one in Laos. This is not the same as saying that Laos and Pöyry cannot build dams – rather, it is saying that they must play by the rules to do so ----------Source: Kirk Herbertson, www.internationalrivers.org

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http://www.mrcmekong.org/news-and-events/news/lower-mekong-countries-take-prior-consultation-on-xayaburi-project-to-ministerial-level/





http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/xayaburi-11082012190642.html



Vietnam: National Action Plan on Climate Change Approved

October 15, 2012 - Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung recently signed Decision 1474/QD-TTg approving the National Action Plan on Climate

Change in the 2012-2020 period. The plan defines targets and tasks by 2020, including the improvement of capacity of climate supervision and early warning of natural disasters; food and water security guarantee; response to climate change, anti-flooding in big cities; consolidation of dykes and water reservoirs; green house gas mitigation, development of low-carbon economy; and improvement of mechanisms and policies on climate change. All economic sectors, scientific and socio-political organisations, non-governmental organisations are encouraged to partake in climate change adaptation. Under the plan, the model of community-based adaptation to climate change will also be piloted, aiming to raise public awareness on climate change, improve human resources and scientific and technological development, enhance climate change impact assessments to define drastic actions and effective solutions for calculable climate change, as well as boost international cooperation and utilise all resources to cope with the issue. The plan will cover a list of 65 programs and projects in the 2012-2015 period ----------Source: Do Ngoc, Vietnam Business Forum

regional news

Land purchase as a tool for habitat and wildlife conservation has always been a key focus for both World Land Trust (WLT) and IUCN National Committee

of the Netherlands (IUCN NL) ‘Small Grants for the Purchase of Nature Programme’. Land purchase is a fairly common instrument for securing land in Latin America, where legislation makes it relatively easy for NGOs to purchase land outright, for management as a private protected area. It is widely recognised that using this instrument in Asia is much more difficult, and other strategies need to be developed to protect and secure threatened ecosystem. This symposium was organised to discuss this requirement, bringing together 17 conservation managers from 12 countries in Asia, to enable an exchange of knowledge on developing and managing projects that involve securing land for biodiversity conservation.

The symposium provided valuable insight into the alternatives to land purchase, available within the Asian context. It showed that a proper preparatory process, flexibility and most of all, patience, are key to successfully

securing land for conservation. In turn, we learned that education of donors is desperately needed, especially to differentiate these types of projects from more straight-forward land ownership case studies from the Latin American context. Donors should be prepared for longer term projects, and accept that flexibility and adaptive management is necessary. Often it is not the model that determines if a project is successful or not, it is the capacity and determination of the people on the ground.Lastly, when comparing this symposium to the five events previously organized by WLT and IUCN NL, it showed that Latin American NGO’s are a few steps ahead when it comes to developing mechanisms for sustainable funding of reserve management costs, and highlighted the potential benefit of knowledge exchange between NGOs from both continents regarding this issue. Read the full workshop summary here --------Source: IUCN and World Land Trust

* The symposium was held at: Swire Marine Training Centre, Singapore (with site visit to Endau Rompin National Park, Malaysia)23rd September – 28th September 2012

Symposium* on “Securing Land for Conservation in Asia: Opportunities, Pitfalls and Alternatives”

Grant for Southeast Asia from the Fondation Nicholas Hulot nature et homme

The « South Solidarity » mechanism of the Foundation Nicolas Hulot is oriented towards projects run by civil society organisations or NGOs in Africa, Latin America,

Southeast Asia and Caribbean. These projects must reconcile environmental preservation with the wellbeing of human societies, and allow beneficiaries to stand-alone.

The financial allocation can be up to 15 000 Euros per year for a maximum of 2 years. It is achieved by co-financing the project and or through the disposal of a Volunteer for

International Solidarity.

The next jury will be held in November 2013. The submission deadline is set to 1, June 2013. Read the general terms and conditions here and Application Form here ---------Source: www.fondation-nicolas-hulot.org

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https://formulaires.fondation-nicolas-hulot.org/eng/soutiens?

regional news

Critically endangered royal turtle back home

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam October 5, 2012 – A critically endangered “royal turtle” is sent home in Cambodia

today after an almost 30-year stay in Vietnam. The large mangrove terrapin (Batagur affinis) was first discovered by staff from Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) in October 2010, at the Suoi Tien Cultural Resort on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City. According to Mr. Dinh Van Vui, CEO of Suoi Tien Cultural Tourism Ltd., the turtle has been kept here since the 1980s.

ENV spent nearly two years working with Mr. Vui, CITES Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City authorities, and counterparts from the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries, to secure the turtle’s return. “Cambodians value this species as part of their culture, referring to it as the ‘royal turtle’ because at one time Cambodia’s king declared the turtle to be protected by a royal decree and strictly prohibited its hunting.” said Tran Viet Hung, Vice Director of ENV.

However, wild populations of the species in Cambodia have declined remarkably over the past few decades, and today are found mainly in the Sre Ambel River system in the southern coastal region. Last year, only three females were confirmed to have nested on the sandy riverbanks in this region, a stable but dangerously small fraction of a once-robust local population. The Batagur was handed over to the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture-Fisheries-Forestry, then transferred to the Batagur Conservation Project in the Sre Ambel River system in Cambodia, where it will be introduced into a conservation breeding program in an effort to boost the drastically low populations and increase the genetic diversity of this species -------- News and photo source: ENV

Distance sampling reveals Cambodia’s Eastern Plains Landscape supports the largest global population of the Endangered banteng Bos javanicus

The banteng Bos javanicus is a globally threatened species of wild cattle restricted to South-East Asia. The authors report the first robust estimate

of banteng density and population size from anywhere in the species’ global range, using distance-based line transect sampling within two protected areas, Mondulkiri Protected Forest and Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary, which form part of the Eastern Plains Landscape, Cambodia. The authors conducted 110 line transects multiple times during the dry seasons of 2009–2010 and 2010–2011. In a total survey effort of 1,310 km there were 63 encounters with banteng. The mean estimate of the population across the 3,406 km2 study area is 3,200 (95% confidence interval 1,980–5,170). This suggests that the protected area

complex of the Eastern Plains Landscape supports the majority of the global population of banteng. Stronger protection, both in the form of increased anti- hunting and poaching patrols and integrated land-use planning to prevent habitat loss within protected areas, is essential for securing wild cattle populations in the Eastern Plains Landscape. Read the full short communication here ---------- Source: Thomas N. E. Gray, Sovanna Prum, Chanrattana Pin and Channa Phan (2012). Distance sampling reveals Cambodia’s Eastern Plains Landscape supports the largest global population of the Endangered banteng Bos javanicus. Oryx, 46, pp 563 566 doi:10.1017/S0030605312000567

Primates in peril

The world’s 25 most endangered primates have been revealed in a new report released on 15 October 2012 at the UN’s Convention on

Biological Diversity COP11. Primates in Peril: The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates, 2012–2014 has been compiled by the Primate Specialist Group of IUCN’s Species Survival Commission (SSC) and the International Primatological Society (IPS), in collaboration with Conservation International (CI) and the Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation (BCSF).

The list features nine primate species from Asia, six from Madagascar, five from Africa and five from the Neotropics. In terms of individual countries, Madagascar tops the list with six of the 25 most endangered species. Vietnam has five, Indonesia three, Brazil two, and China, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, the

Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Peru, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Venezuela each have one.

Several species have been removed from the list — now in its seventh edition — because of improved status, among them India’s Lion-Tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus) and Madagascar’s Greater Bamboo Lemur (Prolemur simus), which appeared on the first six lists, but has now been taken off thanks to the great increase of interest generated by its appearance as a top 25 species. Read the full report here ------------Source: www. iucn.org

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regional news

Experts oppose Vietnam’s legalisation of wildlife trade

October 4, 2012 - Hanoi, Vietnam - In a recently issued circular, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

announced that from November 11, they will legalise the commercial trade in 160 wildlife non-threatened species, a move that has met with strong opposition among wildlife experts.

The ministry says the move is a part of their efforts to bring the commercial trade of wildlife under government management and to facilitate wildlife export by farms but has received different reactions.

Jack Tordoff, a wild bird expert told Nguoi Lao Dong that exploitation and farming of wild animals for commercial purposes will cause some problems in enforcing laws because “it is very difficult to differentiate caged and wild animals.”

In agreement with Tordoff, Simon Mahood, another wildlife expert, has voiced his concerns that legalising the hunting of deer, wild boar, and civet would mean legalising hunting in a large area of forest, which will threaten the living environment or even lives of rare mammals like Saola.

Although the circular bans the commercial exploitation of wild animals in national parks and nature conservation centres, Dao Duy Nhien, director of Vu Quang National Park in the central province of Ha Tinh, finds it quite difficult to manage and protect the park’s biodiversity due to poor self-awareness of people in the area.

“People with poor self-awareness catch any animals they find, so the legalisation will affect many species listed as endangered and threatened by the government. For that reason, I do not support the circular,” Nhien pointed out.

Meanwhile, Tran Van Thanh, interim director of Yok Don National Park in the central highlands province of Dak Lak, told Nguoi Lao Dong that there are small populations of some animals listed in the list of legal trade and hunting due to illegal hunting. So the legalisation will remarkably reduce the number of wild animals as well as cause difficulty in forest management and protection.

“The legalisation of wildlife hunting should be clear and hunting pregnant animals should be banned,” Thanh suggested.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prof. Nguyen Xuan Dang, from the Institute of Ecology and Natural Resources, supported the circular as he told Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper that the legalisation of wildlife trade is necessary because it would help the government to handle violations committed in the exploitation and farming of not endangered wild animals.

But Dang warned that the new regulation should be closely examined and supervised because without supervision, “legal hunters” will take advantage of catching rare species because “they are allowed to hunt wild animals in the forest” ---------Source: Tuoi Tre News

Vietnam: Doubts raised over wildlife exploitation law

October 22, 2012 - The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recently issued

Circular 47/2012 dated 25 September 2012 legalising the commercial exploitation of 160 common wild animals. Vietnam News reporters Quynh Anh and Hang Nguyen spoke to stake-holders about its potential impacts.

Do Quang Tung, deputy director of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Fauna and Flora Management Authority of Vietnam

I think it is necessary to explain terms used in the circular to avoid misunderstanding. The exploitation of wild animals of common species includes hunting, catching, trapping, and shooting wild animals and/or taking their eggs and/or larva out of their natural habitat.If wild animals are exploited, farmed, or traded for profit, we define these

as “for commercial purposes”. If these activities are carried out for exchange among zoological gardens, non-profit exhibitions, scientific research, diplomatic relations, or exchanging among parties to CITES, we define these as “for non-commercial purposes”.

Vietnam has about 1,600 wild species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. However, only about 100 are endangered and some of them are on CITES’ appendix naming endangered species. This means only the 100 species have been protected from illegal exploitation while the remaining 1,500 have been left without hardly any protection. This has created many difficulties in monitoring exploitation of wildlife.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development issued the circular as an attempt to tighten the control of wildlife exploitation. It introduces, for the first time, a list of 160 wild species that can be exploited by organisations and individuals for commercial purposes. However, people should not think that the legalisation of commercial exploitation of such species might pose a threat to them because hunters will have to undergo strict procedures. They will be required to obtain a licence from the local Agriculture and Rural Development Departments. And they will have to

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submit assessment reports on the areas where the animals live.The reports must show the current situation of the wild species, including population numbers, the ratio of males to females, methods of capture, the quantities of the animals they plan to hunt.

The licences will only be effective for 30 days. If further exploitation is wanted, another licence will have to be obtained. There will be two types of licences, one for commercial purposes and another for non-commercial.The authorities have made it a time-consuming and complicated procedure to acquire a licence for commercial purposes. Wild animals living in nature reserves and national parks will be exempt from any commercial exploitation.Therefore, I don’t think it will be easy to take advantage of the new circular to catch rare wild animals. The new circular is necessary to bring the rampant exploitation of wild species under control.

It also creates a chance for people who want to farm wild animals to register the origin of their animals. With clear origin, it may be easier to monitor the transporting, trading, and exporting of wild animals.

Nguyen Hoang Phuong, Policy and Legislative Programme Coordinator, Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV)

ENV welcomes the circular, but is deeply concerned about its feasibility. The new regulation is delicate because if not enforced strictly, it will result in a big loss in diversity.

Many international and domestic experts have voiced similar concerns that the circular may have on the nation’s biodiversity. For example, it requires hunters to submit a species status-assessment report made by institutes specialising in forestry or biology. However, depending on the capacity, each institute may come up with different figures, which means there could be

remarkable room for errors. Local authorities will grant licences based on this information, but what if the assessments are wrong? We have not had an effective mechanism to verify the accuracy of such figures yet.

The assessors might be accountable under other laws, but the species they have wrongly assessed will have already been

decimated or even made extinct. In addition, the circular does not define how long the report will be in operation. This is a big error because the size of a species’ population might significantly vary from year to year.Legalising the exploitation of natural predators in the absence of effective control might result in massive harvest losses. For example, if many snakes are caught, there might be few left to prey on the mice which would then eat all the grain. The harvest losses might even outnumber the profit from selling snakes. The exploitation of wild species might cause a big disruption in the entire ecosystem.

The identification of wild animals of either common species or rare species is a daunting task even for experts, let alone forest rangers and hunters. It seems impossible if these animals have already been skinned, roasted or butchered when all identification signs, including the skin colour, stripes, claws and body shapes are lost.

Regarding the practice of snares, it is possible that some animals not listed in the circular may become trapped, even those which are classified as rare or endangered species. What happens then? The circular provides no hint. Speaking of farming, tracing the legal origin of wild animals is no mean feat even with rare species such as bears and tigers. It it will be a tough challenge to verify the origin of the 160 species listed in the circular.

This is why we think it would have been better if the list had

only listed wild animals whose biological characteristics are distinctive.

We recommend that the monitoring of law enforcement should not only be carried by competent agencies but also with the participation of civilian society and local communities.

We also think there is an urgent need to fix the inconsistencies among relevant laws dealing with illegal wildlife exploitation and adjust the punishment level. Seven years in jail for a crime that may drive a species to the edge of extinction is too lenient.

Van Ngoc Thinh, director of World Wildlife Fund Vietnam’s Biodiversity Conservation Programme

The circular would have been better if the compiler had conducted a risk-assessment survey with the participation of experts. I think it contains many risks when it comes to conserving biodiversity.

And I doubt it will work in reality because firstly, it does not give concrete details about how hunting should be carried out. But this information is extremely important given that our hunters still have quite limited understanding about species. In most of the cases, they will catch any animal that is within their reach without the slightest concern about its weight, gender or species.

Unfortunately, the circular does not provide any instruction on this. However, if hunting does not follow ecological rules, it will gradually disrupt the ecosystem. For example, you should not hunt all the female animals in a herd, but I do not think they know about that or even care.

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regional news

Vietnam: agarwood collectors accuse officials of misappropriation

On October 22, hundreds of agarwood collectors from the provinces of Quang Nam, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa Provinces gathered to demand the authorities of Khanh Son District,

Khanh Hoa Province to make public the investigation results of local officials who had confiscated their agarwood and promised to share money to them but they did not realise the promise. Thai Tung and Bui Van Khanh, residents of Khanh Son district said on the night of September 26, over 300 people searched for agar wood in Gop Nga forest, in Khanh Son district. Some police officers, including Ha, Kien, Trung and some others, allowed these people to search in this area, with the sharing rate of 50/50.

These people collected around 1.5kg of agarwood but the above police officers took the wood without making seizure minutes.

On October 8, some people in Khanh Son District representing 56 agarwood collectors to write a petition to the People’s Committee of Khanh Son District and Khanh Son District police, asking them to handle the case. Not yet receiving a response from the authorities, people grouped up to ask for the local government to clarify the matter.

Tran Manh Dung, Chairman of Khanh Son District, said: “The

authorities invited representatives of this group of people to enter the office to present their petition. We made it clear for them that the matter will be handled in accordance with law and request them not to gather in big groups.”

Dung said that related to this case, 11 military officers who had received VND220 million ($10,000) from a wood collector returned the money and they will be handled according to law. Related to the district police, four officers returned more than VND1 billion ($50,000).

In related news, while people are rushing into Gop Nga woods in Khanh Son District to look for agarwood, hundreds of others are flocking to the Hon Ba Nature Reserve (adjacent to Khanh Son District) to seek agarwood, despite the ban from the local government.

Hon Ba Nature Reserve covers more than 20,900 hectares, about 60 km from Nha Trang City, including several mountains, with an elevation of over 1,500 meters. It is located in the territory of four districts: Khanh Vinh, Khanh Son, Cam Lam and Dien Khanh of Khanh Hoa Province --------- Source: By Khue Vu, Vietnam Net, October 24, 2012

Secondly, the list is not accompanied with an effective tool to monitor what hunters actually hunt in the wild. The paradox here is that 160 species now available for commercial exploitation have their largest population either in special forests or in national parks.Although the hunting practices are not allowed in these two places in most cases, I bet this will not deter hunters. As the forests are so vast, it is not really hard for them to avoid forest rangers. If questioned about the animals hunted, they can claim they caught them in approved areas.

This could give hunters an excuse for illegal activities. Before the introduction of this circular, hunting of any species was illegal.And who is going to monitor the hunting anyway? Do not tell me forest rangers, who are already burdened with the excruciating task of protecting the trees. It seems too much to ask for them to look after the wildlife as well. But without monitoring, it is hard to believe hunters will abide by the rules based on what has happened to Vietnam’s wild life so far ---------Source: Vietnam News

20 Vietnamese arrested in Southeast Aceh for illegal possession of timber

August 26, 2012 - Indonesia - Southeast Aceh District police arrested 21 persons (1 Indonesian and 20 Vietnamese) for having in their possession 9 kg of a rare type of wood locally

known as Kayu Alim (agarwood) originating from Gunung Leuser National Park (TNGL) in Ketambe area.

According to the local Police Chief, Trisno Rianto, the Indonesian suspect is a guide to the site of the timber. He is also suspected of coordinating the illegal logging of aloeswood in the national park

area. The police chief added that six of the suspects will be charged with illegal logging and 15 others with the violation of immigration procedures --------- Source: www.leuserfoundation.org

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In Do Thanh commune, Yen Thanh District, Nghe An Province, many families now breed tigers commercially.

“We are farmers. We do not know what to do to earn money so we have to dare to breed tigers. On average, each household has a pair of tigers,” C said.

This man stressed that only rich families could afford to raise tigers because this job needs big capital, knowledge of tigers and especially “relationships” with local officials, to be able to breed tigers without being “detected.”

According to C’s brother, named H., those who have money can buy a pair of tigers while others can borrow bank loans and raise tigers together. Therefore, they have the concept “raising one and a half tiger” because two families together raise three tigers.

‘’In this commune, my family has the highest number of tigers (four). I have partners, so I bought four baby tigers, totalling nearly VND800 million ($40,000),” H said.

Profit from tiger farming is huge, H. added. However, the profit depends on the growth of tigers. The bigger they are, the more profit the breeder earns. Those who have good understanding of and experience in raising tigers usually earn more profit.

‘’Deducting breeding costs, we can earn profit of several hundreds of million VND (US$ tens of thousands) from a tiger,” H. said.

According to him, tiger farming has become a “movement” in Do Thanh for two years. “We mainly buy breeding tigers from Ha Tinh province, especially in Huong Son district. To buy baby tigers, we have to make orders and wait for a period of time,” H. said.

“A to Z protection”I asked H. ‘’More than a dozen of households breed tigers but the commune authorities do not know about it?’’

“Don’t be worried about it! We have had “protection” from A to Z,” H. answered.

‘’Do the commune government know about tiger farming?” I asked.

‘’Certainly! They know it but they ignore because this is business. They said they don’t care about business. Just not bring social evils to this commune, not involving in drug trafficking; it’s okay,’’ H. said.

H. said when they sold tigers, the buyer usually asked them to take care of tiger delivery. The price of tigers depends on the agreement between the two sides on the number of tigers and where they were delivered.

Our conversation with tiger breeders ended by our promises to find the buyer of tigers, rhino horns, Russian bear bile, frozen baby tigers for H.

“We can supply these products any time. You do not have to worry about transportation,’’ H. said firmly.

Some time after our visit to Do Thanh, one of us got a phone call from H. He said his family just bought a baby tiger, but it died. The tiger was 5 kilograms in weight and was frozen. The price of a living baby tiger is nearly VND200 million ($10,000), but it is only VND20 million ($1,000) for the dead tiger.

While writing these articles, we kept wondering why illegal tiger farmer took place for a long time but it was not discovered?

According to C and H, it is obvious that the local authorities already knew but turned a blind eye to them.

And one more thing, the origin of the tigers, as disclosed by C, is from Laos. Baby tigers were transported from Laos to Huong Son District, Ha Tinh Province, to sell to Vietnamese breeders. Huong Son has long been considered one of the hotspots of wildlife trade.

The public has the right to raise the question “whether there is a ring to shield illegal tiger farming in Nghe An?”

All information and images in these articles are for the authorities in Nghe An Province, the Ministry of Public Security, the Forest Protection Department, the Customs Agency and environment and wildlife protection organizations.

Tiger farming in Nghe An Province, Vietnam

Ha Tinh environmental police recently broke an illegal tiger trading case. Photo: VietnamNet

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Indeed, for those who raise tigers as brothers C and H in Do Thanh Commune, Yen Thanh District, Nghe An Province, letting strangers into contact with illegally captive tigers is an extremely taboo. To be allowed to see tigers, it was actually not easy to convince the tiger owners.

After drinking several cans of beer that we brought, and seeing our desire to see the tigers, C finally agreed to lead us--whom he met for the first time, to his most secret place – the tiger cage.

Chicken heads, legs and wings are the main food for tigers in adulthood. The leftover was left near the tiger cage.

Before taking us to the cage, C. just told us to not tease the tigers to be safe.

The tiger cage is located directly behind the living room. Approaching the cage, we smelled burning and a stench that shocked up to the nose. The outside of the cage, piles of chicken heads, wings and legs were still littered.

The tiger cage was separated from the outside by an iron door. At first glance, we did not think that’s where the tigers were locked up, because it was too close to the toilet. Inside this small room were four adult tigers, which were separated from the human world by an iron door.

Seeing humans, the tigers immediately stood up and ran toward the iron gate, leaning up. Seeing their sharp teeth and

claws, we could not help but felt chill along the spine.

C. pulled the latch and went inside. Recognizing their owner, the four tigers walked around C. C told us to be careful.

“These tigers are full grown. I have taken care of them like my babies since they were small, so I know that. Once a tiger suddenly jumped into me, making me fall down. I was so angry and gave it a few slaps. It obediently lied down,” C said.

C. added although these tigers have been tamed from small and they are fairly gentle, due to the high level of danger that nobody in his family dares to go alone into the barn, only with C. Therefore, for over this last year, C. has never been away from home for more than 2 hours. Because if something happens with the tigers, only he can handle it.

Listening to C’s introduction, we wanted to approach the tigers to take some photos as a souvenir.

We thought to ourselves that we were brave, because of C. We stood together, but

no one could make sure that the tigers would leave strangers alone.

Pulling out tiger whiskersSeeing strangers, a tiger slowly came forward. C, who was holding a plastic tube on his hand, beat the tiger face with the pipe. Purring up, the tiger left in the corner of the room. Strangers like us were freely to pose near the tigers.

Witnessing this scene, people would have gooses bumps. As everyone knows, the tiger is a fierce predator. Unfortunately, if one of the tigers causes a problem, the future trouble is unpredictable. We also have heard about tigers attacking staff at the zoo.However, C quickly reassured us: “Don’t be afraid! As long as I’m here, they will not dare to do a thing!”

Then he beat the largest tiger with the plastic pipe and laughed. The tiger lied down in front of its “master”. C revealed that he often “taught” his tigers with a whip.

We did not dare play any longer in the tiger cage. We walked out of the room to check out the photos that we had just taken. C walked out, closed the door and told us to not open the door because it is very dangerous and left us there.

While C was not there, two men in our group began to tease the tigers. They used C’s plastic pipe to poke them through the door. The tigers seemed to also enjoy the joke. The tigers chewed on the plastic pipe. Just waiting for that moment, the two men quickly put their hands into the cage to pull out the largest tiger’s whiskers. The tiger did not respond before the weird act of strangers.

One of the men showed off a handful of tiger whiskers and said proudly: “People say do not dare to beat the tiger, but I even dare to take the whole bunch of its beard.” --------- Source: by Phan Song La/VIetnam Net

Chicken heads - the food for tigers.Photo: VietnamNet

C and his four tigers. Photo: VietnamNet

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December 10, 2012 -South Africa and Vietnam have signed a landmark agreement that could turn the tide on

the scourge of rhino poaching that has seen over 600 rhinos slaughtered in South Africa this year.

The release last month of the official rhino poaching figures for South Africa had environmentalists questioning whether authorities were winning the war against the crime.

As of this week, a staggering 607 rhinos have been poached in South Africa this year - 364 of these in the Kruger National Park.

But as South Africa news reports from the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, the memorandum of understanding signed on Monday by South Africa’s Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa and her Vietnamese counterpart, Cao Duc Phat, signals the widest-ranging step yet taken to pull the plug on the illegal rhino horn trade.

Illegal horn trade centres on VietnamAccording to the World Wildlife Fund, more than 75% of the world’s rhino population is found in South Africa.

And while the illegal horn trade reportedly once revolved around markets in China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Yemen, it now centres on Vietnam - premised on the superstitious belief, widespread through Asia,

that rhino horn improves sexual performance and can help cure various diseases, including cancer.

The agreement sealed on Monday lists seven areas of cooperation in biodiversity, and is not only limited to the issue of rhino poaching. But judging by the media interest the poaching crisis has generated, the fight to save the rhino will be central to the agreement.

Active intervention by authoritiesSouth Africa wants Vietnamese government officials at the highest level to commit to the fight by imposing strict punishments for poachers and traders.

“Having signed this memorandum of understanding with Vietnam today, we hope that the two countries will be able to tighten the regulatory framework so that any

potential transit that can happen or could happen is actually curbed,” Molewa said.

She stressed the importance of authorities from both countries actually getting involved to curb the illegal trade.

“We want to ensure that we will really work hard to see to it that all the regulations governing hunting, and rhino in particular, are adhered to ... Poaching is quite a serious issue in South Africa, so we really think that we need to work together, and we are happy that the authorities in Vietnam have actually agreed to sign this memorandum of understanding.”

The minister revealed in an interview that talks with scientists were planned to get their views on the medical benefits of the rhino horn, with controlled harvesting of the horn a possible future step.

No ban on legal huntingMolewa said her ministry would continue to allow legal hunting, and that there was no ban being imposed on Vietnamese game hunters.

Figures in possession of South Africa News show that in 2009, South Africa granted 85 hunting permits to Vietnamese nationals. The number rose to 91 in 2011 before a sudden decline to just eight permits this year.

Molewa said this decline was due to

processes that were put in place to ensure that there was control over rhino horns were entering Asia.

“This memorandum we are signing here is one of those processes. There is absolutely no ban being imposed on [legal hunters from] Vietnam,” she said.

The government hopes that recent amendments to the Biodiversity Act will help manage the hunting industry, which contributes about R2.3-billion to South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) while creating hundreds of jobs in rural areas.

The amendments make it illegal for people to hunt without the supervision of a conservation officer. “Any hunting that does not abide by this regulation is deemed illegal. We realised that there were gaps in the law, and we have closed those gaps,” Molewa said.

Vietnam ‘committed to curbing illegal trade’Vietnamese government officials on Monday came out in full condemnation of poaching.

To demonstrate its commitment to curbing illegal rhino killings, Minister Cao Duc Phat said the Vietnamese government had increased its resources to security agencies fighting the crime.

Cao Duc Phat said claims that Vietnam

regional news

South Africa and Vietnam sign deal to save rhino?

Rhino horn trade speculators are hastening the demise of the species by “banking on extinction”. Photo: istockphoto.com

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November 9, 2012 - A Thai man has been jailed for 40 years by a court in South Africa for organising illegal

rhino poaching expeditions.

Chumlong Lemtongthai had been described by officials as a “leading figure” in international rhino poaching.

The sentence is the longest-ever given for poaching in South Africa and has been welcomed by officials.

Wildlife protection campaigners say the demand for rhino horn is driven by its use in traditional medicine in Asia.

In Vietnam and China many believe that ground rhino horn has medicinal properties - although there is no scientific evidence for this - and horns taken to the Middle East are used to make handles for ornamental daggers.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced that the US will do more to tackle the illegal trade in wildlife products, reports the AP news agency.

She told environmental campaigners in Washington that she and President Barack Obama would raise the issue with Asian leaders at a summit next week.

South African magistrate Prince Manyathi ruled that Chumlong Lemtongthai had shown no remorse for his crimes.

Mr Manyathi was also quoted as saying he did not want his children to live in a world where they could only see rhinos in photographs.

Most of the world’s wild rhinos live in South Africa Minister of Justice Jeff Radebe said the court’s decision was “an appropriate sentence”.

It is longer than that given to many murderers in South Africa and is clearly meant as a deterrent, the BBC’s Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg says.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-SA) welcomed the sentence.

“These higher-level arrests and convictions are critical to disrupting the illegal trade chains used to move rhino horns into illicit markets in Asia,” said WWF-SA rhino coordinator Jo Shaw in a statement.

Smuggling ‘kingpin’

A total of 222 people have been arrested for rhino poaching and related activities since the beginning of 2012 in South Africa, with many of their cases currently before the courts.

A record number of rhinos have been killed this year in South Africa, home to most of the world’s wild rhino population.

Chumlong Lemtongthai is believed to be the kingpin of an international rhino horn smuggling ring and is the most prominent smuggler to be convicted since South Africa intensified anti-poaching measures in recent years.

He pleaded guilty to paying people to pose as big game hunters with permits. They were given about $800 (£500) each to go to game farms, take a few shots with small calibre rifles and then pose next to rhinos killed by someone else.

“The hunters were a front for our decision to export rhino horn for trade and not for trophies,” he said in a statement to the Johannesburg court.

“I humbly apologise to the court and to the people of South Africa for my role in this matter,” he added.

South African authorities currently issue permits to what it terms “bona fide” hunters for trophy hunting. The Department for Environmental Affairs says “a hunting client may only hunt one white rhinoceros within a specific calendar year” --------Source: www.bbc.co.uk

had been soft on poachers were unfair and unfounded.

“So far, Vietnam has made strong commitments to tackle the illegal use of rhino horns, and we will increase our commitment,” he said. “With the signing of the memorandum, the two sides will sit together and draw a very detailed plan to address this problem.”

Of the widespread belief that rhino horn can cure and prevent cancer, Cao Duc Phat said: “I would like to repeat, that information is not official and not correct. We have directed scientific authorities to conduct some research on whether or not rhino horn can cure cancer. So there is not an official announcement in that regard.”

Ha Cong Tuan, the deputy minister of agriculture and rural development, even hinted at the possibility of banning the import of rhino horn hunting trophies.

He admitted though that there could be many rhino horns entering the country without the knowledge of the authorities, adding that it was not an easy matter to combat smuggling.

“It’s never easy... We believe the signing today should serve as our commitment to address all the violation issues --------Source: Chris Bathembu/www.southafrica.info

South Africa gives rhino poacher 40-year jail term

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Conservation investment, particularly for charismatic and wide-ranging large mammal species, needs to be

evidence-based. Despite the prevalence of this theme within the literature, examples of robust data being generated to guide conservation policy and funding decisions are rare. The authors present the first published case-study of tiger conservation in Indochina, from a site where an evidence-based approach has been implemented for this iconic predator and its prey. Despite the persistence of extensive areas of habitat, Indochina’s tiger and ungulate prey populations are widely supposed to have precipitously declined in recent decades. The Seima Protection Forest (SPF), and broader Eastern Plains Landscape, was identified in 2000 as representing Cambodia’s best hope for tiger recovery; reflected in its designation as a Global Priority Tiger Conservation Landscape. Since 2005 distance sampling, camera-trapping and detection-dog surveys have been employed to assess the recovery potential of ungulate and tiger populations in SPF. The authors’ results show that while conservation efforts have ensured that small but regionally significant populations of larger ungulates persist, and density trends in smaller ungulates are stable, overall ungulate populations remain well below theoretical carrying capacity. Extensive field surveys failed to yield any

evidence of tiger, and we contend that there is no longer a resident population within the SPF. This local extirpation is believed to be primarily attributable to two decades of intensive hunting; but importantly, prey densities are also currently below the level necessary to support a viable tiger population. Based on these results and similar findings from neighbouring sites, Eastern Cambodia does not currently constitute a Tiger Source Site nor meet the criteria of a Global Priority Tiger Landscape. However, SPF retains global importance for many other elements of biodiversity. It retains high regional importance for ungulate populations and potentially in the future for Indochinese tigers, given adequate prey and protection. Read the full report here --------Source: www.plosone.org

Identifying conservation successes, failures and future opportunities; assessing recovery potential of wild ungulates and tigers in eastern Cambodia

November 23, 2012 - Mui Ca Mau National Park in the southernmost province of Ca Mau will be

recognised as a new Ramsar site, only the fifth in Vietnam.

The 41,862-hectare site, including 15,262 hectares of land and 26,600 hectares of coastal areas, is flooded with saline land. It is home to 93 species of birds, 26 species of animals, 43 species of reptiles, nine species of amphibians, 233 fish species, including many rare ones.

The national park is one of the three main parts of the Mui Ca Mau global biosphere reserve, which was recognised by UNESCO on May 26, 2009.Currently, Vietnam has four Ramsar sites,

including two in the northern region and two in the south.

The northern region-based Ramsar sites are Xuan Thuy Natural Wetland Reserve in Nam Dinh Province and the Ba Be Lake in the mountainous province of Bac Kan, which were recognised in 1988 and 2011, respectively. The southern ones are Bau Sau in the Cat Tien National Park in Dong Nai Province and Tram Chim National Park in southern province of Dong Thap which were recognised in 2005 and 2012, respectively --------Source: www.dtinews.vnPhoto: Mui Ca Mau/Nguyen Tien Luyen/www.flick.com

Vietnam: Mui Ca Mau National Park to become a Ramsar site

Eleven new species Of Begonia L. (Begoniaceae) from Laos and Vietnam

Endemic species including Begonia alta, B. babeana, B. crassula, B. gesneriifolia, B. minuscula, B. nahangensis, B. rigidifolia, B. rubrosetosa, B. rugosula, B. sonlaensis, and B. viscosa (Begoniaceae) are described and illustrated. Relations and

morphological differences of described species from their allies are discussed. Read the full article here --------- Source: Averyanov L.V., Nguyen H.Q. Eleven new species of Begonia L. (Begoniaceae) from Laos and Vietnam. Turczaninowia 2012, 15 (2) : 5–32

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http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchObjectAttachment.action?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0040482&representation=PDF

http://birdlifeindochina.org/sites/default/files/Eleven-new-species-of-Begonia.pdf

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Vietnam: Calls to halt natural forest exploitation by 2013

October 7, 2012 - The Tay Nguyen Steering Committee has urged the Government to ban natural

forest exploitation in the region by early next year to protect and preserve the picturesque Central Highlands. The request will not apply to forest businesses in possession of an international sustainable forest development certificate, the committee said. Deforestation, illegal logging, and poaching in the region is increasing at an alarming

rate. In the first nine months of this year, there were 5,000 forest protection violation cases with a total deforestation area of 415 hectares, said the committee.

Tay Nguyen’s natural forests shrunk in both area and quality - areas of rich forest have declined, while areas of barren forests are becoming more common. Many species of animals and trees have either disappeared or become scarce, such as Ngoc Linh ginseng, said an official from the Forest Science Institute of Vietnam.

According to aerial photographs taken in 2011, the Tay Nguyen’s forest was estimated to cover nearly 2.66 million of hectares with coverage of 46%. Natural forest loss is becoming an increasingly serious issue and the latest estimates say only 2.03 million hectares natural forest remain with coverage of 37.2%.

The steering committee has also asked the Government to urgently approve its regional forest inventory plan and develop a master plan for forest protection, forest management and forest exploitation for the region during the period 2011-2020.

The committee also asked the Government to review the region’s agricultural land allocation, particularly the inappropriate transformation of forest land to agricultural land and to coffee and rubber land. Clear boundaries between productive forest, protected forest and special forest areas were also requested.

Tay Nguyen forest is rapidly losing its capacity to protect land and water resources and it’s thought to no longer be capable of efficiently protect the region in the event of flood and drought ----------Source: VietnamNet

In the first nine months of this year, there were 5,000 forest protection violation cases with a total deforestation area of 415 hectares in Tay Nguyen. Photo: VietnamNet

Extraordinary new species discoveries in the Greater Mekong

A new bat named after its devilish appearance, a subterranean blind fish, a ruby-eyed pit viper, and a frog that sings

like a bird are among the 126 species newly identified by scientists in the Greater Mekong region in 2011, and described in a new WWF report, Extra Terrestrial. Extra Terrestrial spotlights 10 species newly identified by science, among the 82 plants, 13 fish, 21 reptiles, 5 amphibians and 5 mammals all discovered in 2011 within the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia that spans Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the south-western Chinese province of Yunnan. Since 1997, an incredible 1,710 new species were newly described by science in the Greater Mekong. Download the report here --------- Source: WWF

Photo: Peter Paul van Dijk / Darwin Initiative

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http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/greater_mekong_species_report_dec_2012.pdf

The conservation value of traditional agriculture is well recognised in Europe, where retention and

restoration of farming practices that support open-habitat species is a standard management technique. Elsewhere, however, this value is often overlooked while conservation attention is directed at natural habitats and forest biota. This thesis assesses the importance of traditional farming for developing-world biodiversity, using the White- shouldered Ibis Pseudibis davisoni in Cambodia to investigate practices underpinning synanthropic relationships, links between farming-dependent species and local livelihoods, and potential conservation strategies. Ibis status and ecology was investigated by censuses, foraging observations, prey sampling, experimental exclusion of grazing and burning at foraging habitats, and experimental protection of nests. Livelihoods were assessed by social research methods including household income surveys. A literature review found a subset of threatened bird taxa now dependent on traditional farming following the loss of natural processes. Agricultural change, driven by external agribusiness and intrinsic livelihood modernisation, endangers these species, including the ibis. Ibis foraging ecology is closely associated with local livelihood practices, with favoured dry forest habitats created or maintained by domestic livestock grazing, anthropogenic fire and rice

cultivation. Not all local practices are beneficial, however: ibis nests are exploited for food by local people, and nest guardians do not improve nest success (although this requires further testing). White- shouldered Ibis’s breeding season contrasts with that of the sympatric Giant Ibis Thaumatibis gigantea, most likely explained by the former’s dry-season-adapted foraging strategy. Household incomes and livestock capital assets demonstrated that local people share a dependence on the livelihood practices and dry forest landscape supporting the ibis. Nevertheless, local livelihood change (such as mechanisation) may uncouple this linkage, making a potential win-win conservation strategy unviable. Conservation must develop measures to maintain valuable farming practices before they, and the species dependent on them, are lost through agricultural transition. View the full report here --------Source: H. L. Wright. Synanthropic survival: low-impact agriculture and White-shouldered Ibis conservation ecology. Thesis submitted for degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia. November 2012

Synanthropic survival: low-impact agriculture and White-shouldered Ibis conservation ecology

regional news

The International Black-faced Spoonbill Census 2011 and 2012

The annual International Black-faced Spoonbill Census was conducted on 21-23 January 2011 and 13-15 January

2012. These censuses serve as an important initiative to acquire comparable figures for assessing the health of the wintering population and distribution range of the Black-faced Spoonbill on an annual basis. This census recorded a total of 1,839 Black-faced Spoonbills in 2011, embracing a drastic drop by 21.6% from 2010. Nevertheless, the total count scored its peak of 2,693 Black-faced Spoonbills in 2012 since the inception of this census in the mid-1990s, reflecting a robust revival by 46.4% from the previous year. Same as previous censuses, Tsengwen River estuary of Tainan as well as Deep Bay between Hong Kong and Shenzhen maintained as the two

largest wintering sites of the Black-faced Spoonbill. In 2011 and 2012, respectively 74 and 113 Black-faced Spoonbills were also observed at Haifeng, Guangdong, and Xinhua Bay, Fujian, which have currently evolved into two other important wintering sites of this globally endangered species in mainland China. Read the full report here ---------- Source: Chan K.T. and Yu, Y.T. 2012. International Black-faced Spoonbill Census 2011 & 2012. Black-faced Spoonbill Research Group, Hong Kong Bird Watching Society. Hong Kong.

Populations of oriental white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis), long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus) and slender-

billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) crashed during the mid-1990s throughout the Indian subcontinent. In this paper, repeat surveys conducted in 2011 were analysed to estimate recent population trends. Populations of all three species of vulture remained at a low level, but the decline had slowed and may even have reversed for G. bengalensis, both in India and Nepal. However, estimates of the most recent population trends are imprecise, so it is possible that declines may be continuing, though at a significantly slower rate. The degree to which the decline of G. bengalensis in India has slowed is consistent

with the expected effects on population trend of a measured change in the level of contamination of ungulate carcasses with the drug diclofenac, which is toxic to vultures, following a ban on its veterinary use in 2006. Read the full article here ----------- Source: Prakash V, Bishwakarma MC, Chaudhary A, Cuthbert R, Dave R, et al. (2012) The Population Decline of Gyps Vultures in India and Nepal Has Slowed since Veterinary Use of Diclofenac was Banned. PLoS ONE 7(11): e49118. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0049118

The Population Decline of Gyps Vultures in India and Nepal Has Slowed since Veterinary Use of Diclofenac was Banned

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http://birdlifeindochina.org/sites/default/files/Wright.HL-PhD-Thesis-Nov12-FINAL.pdf

http://www.hkbws.org.hk/web/chi/documents/report/bfs_census_2011_2012.pdf

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0049118

regional news

Resolving a mammal mystery: the true identity of Paracoelops megalotis (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae)

Paracoelops has been regarded as monotypic and an endemic bat genus of Vietnam. In the original

description of 1947, P. megalotis was characterised by its exceptionally large ears and well developed interfemoral membrane without a tail. The status of this taxon remained uncertain since the species and genus descriptions were based on the single, badly dam- aged holotype. Recently, the authors re-examined the holotype and found discrepancies between its features

and those described in the diagnoses. Its measurements and characteristics are entirely identical to those of a small species of Hipposideros. Having compared its features with those of other hipposiderids, we show here that Paracoelops megalotis was incorrectly classified both in terms of genus and species and should be considered a synonym of Hipposideros pomona. Read the full article here ---------- Source: Vu Dinh Thong, Christian Dietz,

Annette Denzinger, Paul J. Bates, Sebastien J. Puechmaille, Cécile Callou & Hans-Ulrich Schnitzler. Resolving a mammal mystery: the identity of Paracoelops megalotis (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae). Zootaxa 3505: 75–85 (2012)

Chinese researchers have published the first evidence that a population of the recently discovered snub-

nosed monkey, Rhinopithecus Strykeri, live in China. Until now researchers have been unable to photograph the monkey, whose

upturned nostrils are said to make it sneeze in the rain. The paper is published in the American Journal of Primatology.

The species was first discovered by a team led by Ngwe Lwin from the Myanmar Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association and described by Dr Thomas Geissman in the American Journal of Primatology in October 2010. It was believed that the species was isolated to the Kachin State of north eastern Myanmar. However, this new discovery reveals the international range of this critically endangered species.

The new expedition, led by Yongcheng Long from the Nature Conservancy China Program, travelled to the Yunnan province of China after a forest guard, Liu Pu, took

photos of a group of snub-nosed monkeys

in a forest in near Pianma, in Yunan’s Lushui County. Read the full commentary here --------Source: Yongcheng long, Frank Momberg, Jianma, Yue Wang, Yongmei Luo, Haishu Li, Guiliang Yang, Ming Li, ‘Rhinopithecus strykeri Found in China!’ American Journal of Primatology, Wiley, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22041

First Photo Evidence of Snub-Nosed Monkey Species in ChinaA new species of snake from northern Vietnam, southern China and central Laos

A new species of snake in the genus Oligodon Fitzinger, 1826, Oligodon nagao sp. nov., is described on the

basis of five specimens originating from Lang Son and Cao Bang provinces in northern Vietnam, Guangxi Autonomous Region in southern People’s Republic of China, and from Khammouane Province in central Laos PDR. This species differs from other species of the region by the combination of 15 or 17 dorsal scale rows at midbody, unforked hemipenes, not spinose but with papillae, entire cloacal plate, a high number of ventrals, a rather short tail and dorsal pattern made of numerous dark, butterfly-shaped blotches. On the basis of the morphology of its hemipenes, Oligodon nagao sp. nov. belongs to the group of Oligodon cinereus. This new species is compared with other species of the Indochinese Peninsula and China with 15 or 17 dorsal scale rows, especially Oligodon joynsoni (Smith, 1917). An updated list of the Oligodon species of this region is provided. Read the full article here ---------- Source: Patrick David, Truong Quang Nguyen, Tao Thien Nguyen, Ke Jiang, Tianbo Chen, Alexandre Teynié & Thomas Ziegler. A new species of the genus Oligodon Fitzinger, 1826 (Squamata: Colubridae) from northern Vietnam, southern China and central Laos. Zootaxa 3498: 45–62 (2012)

The monkey sites on the Sino-Myanmar border area. Photo: Liu Pu

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http://birdlifeindochina.org/sites/default/files/Resolving-a-mammal-mystery.pdf

http://birdlifeindochina.org/sites/default/files/First-Photo-Evidence-of-Snub-Nosed-Monkey-Species-in-China.pdf

http://birdlifeindochina.org/sites/default/files/A-new-species-of-the-genus-Oligodon-Fitzinger.pdf

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regional news

Appetite for Destruction: China’s Trade in Illegal Timber

A report examining the extent and impacts of China’s voracious consumption of timber, featuring

several case studies from countries whose forests are being severely depleted, and calling on the Chinese Government to act swiftly and decisively in strengthening its enforcement and ensuring illegal timber is barred from its markets. Read the full report here --------- Source: Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), 2012

Laos’ forests still falling to ‘connected’ businesses

More than a year after being exposed as major players in the smuggling of timber from Laos, a

new report reveals the Vietnamese timber industry, the military and well-connected Laos actors are still profiting from the flow of logs into Vietnam.

As well as the role played by a commercial operation of the Vietnam People’s Army, the report details how Laos’ attempts to protect its forests are being corroded by the circumvention of Laos law by companies with key political contacts.

Checkpoints: How Powerful Interest Groups Continue to Undermine Forest Governance in Laos is released on 26 September 2012 by the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). Several powerful companies – Phonesack, Nicewood and COECCO – continue to ship thousands of cubic metres of logs from Laos to Vietnam, aided by murky exemptions to Laos’ log export ban and timber export controls which are apparently granted by senior players in the Laos Government.

As well as having a thriving furniture industry feeding markets in Europe, the US and China, Vietnam has also become the principle exporter to China of threatened and protected rosewood – and with no legal domestic rosewood sources in Vietnam, EIA believes most, if not all, of these exports

are either illegal or involve illegality at some stage in the supply chain.

The report also explores the inequitable deals struck between the Government of Laos and the business elite in Laos and Vietnam to finance infrastructure and plantation development. Read the full report here --------- Source: Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), 2012

Cambodia coastal situation analysis

The purpose of the current report is to provide baseline information to the project staff and partners, to

facilitate subsequent working steps, such as stakeholder consultations, climate risk and vulnerability assessments, and the prioritisation of adaptation options. The report has been compiled based on accessible secondary data. In depth stakeholders’ consultations and firsthand data collection were not undertaken as part of the report preparation. It is thus a living document which will be updated

throughout the project implementation phase. Read the full report here -------Source: Rizvi, A.R. and Singer , U. (201 1). Cambodia Coastal Situation Analysis, Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. 58 pp.

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http://www.eia-international.org/wp-content/uploads/EIA-Appetite-for-Destruction-lo-res.pdf

http://www.eia-international.org/checkpoints

http://www.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/2011-114.pdf

IBA news

December 7, 2012 - By normal standards, the scrapping of two controversial dams planned in a

protected area should have been a done deal by now.

But victories for the environment have become extremely rare in Vietnam in recent years and opponents of the two dams, to be built in the core of the UNESCO-recognized Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve, appear to be seeing the writing on the wall.

“It would be a tall order to stop them, as Vietnam’s current growth trajectory does not hold out much hope for conservation efforts,” Nguyen Hoang Tri, an official in charge of the government-appointed Vietnam committee under the UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program, told Vietweek.

Last week, his agency asked the Dong Nai provincial administration to talk agencies concerned into stopping construction of the Dong Nai 6 and 6A hydropower projects in Cat Tien National Park, located just 160 kilo meters northeast of Ho Chi Minh City.

The UNESCO affiliate wrote in its letter that Vietnam would be going against its international commitments by building the dams.

Conservationists have said that if built, the two dams would totally alter the marine environment in the 72,000-hectare park, which straddles Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc and Lam Dong provinces.

The Cat Tien Park is home to around 1,700 precious plants and more than 700 species of animals and birds, several of which are endangered. The park has also been officially titled a world biosphere reserve by UNESCO.

Its former director Tran Van Thanh, one of the most vocal opponents of the two dams, was quoted by AP as saying recently: “It took generations to establish and maintain our national parks.” “It would be a waste if we have to surrender parts of our forests for economic development,” said Thanh, who has been transferred to another national park in the Central Highlands.

‘National interest’The project investor, Duc Long Gia Lai Group, maintains that the two dams will add power supply to the nation’s power grid. Their opponents, however, say the impacts are beyond estimation since it is not only about the park, but the lives of millions of people living in downstream areas in Binh Duong Province and HCMC.

The group has drawn widespread flak after independent experts found that the environmental impact assessment report of the projects contains factual errors and downplays the ecological and environmental risks of the two dams.

Conservationists say in energy-hungry Vietnam that relies on hydropower for about 40 percent of its electricity, many dam developers who want to cash in on such dependency have touted their actions as

being taken in “national interest”. But in fact, they are driven purely by the drive to make profit at any cost, experts say.

In the case of the two dams in Cat Tien National Park, “the private developer wants to benefit economically from the construction of hydropower projects, but the downstream provinces and communities…have protested strongly against the dams,” said Pamela McElwee, an assistant professor of human ecology at Rutgers University who has researched extensively on Vietnam’s protected areas. “So just who is speaking in the ‘national’ interest here?” McElwee said.

Conservationists say every country in the world faces trade-offs between conservation and development, but Vietnam has no safeguards in place against the most damaging actions.

Vietnam neither allows class-action suits nor enables non-affected parties to file public interest lawsuits. The laws prevent public interest groups like environmental groups from intervening on behalf of affected people. In Vietnam, “all too often, it seems the voices who are heard with regard to the trade-offs only seem to be the well-connected, politically powerful, or rich people, and the benefits of the trade-offs seem to accrue to those powerful and wealthy people as well,” McElwee said.

Behind the curtainsTri, the Vietnamese official, said all conservationists could do was to keep

highlighting the irreversible environmental damage of the two Cat Tien dams. “[But] it is the people with decision-making power that will have the final say.”

Recent media reports have quoted a Dong Nai’s deputy mayor as saying that the provincial administration would urge Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and the Politburo, the Party’s decision-making body, to cancel the project.

The National Assembly, Vietnam’s legislature, is still poring over the project’s environmental impacts. Minister of Government Office Vu Duc Dam, the de facto government spokesman, said at a press briefing last week that the government would not sacrifice the environment for short-term benefit, in direct reference to the construction of the two dams.

Observers have also said that an increasing number of government agencies, environmental groups, and local administrations have joined the opposing camp, saying the two dams must be scrapped. So if they are still able to plough ahead, “that would mean the project investor is super-influential,” said Trinh Le Nguyen, executive director of the Hanoi-based nonprofit People and Nature Reconciliation.

“That would also mean someone really influential is backing it.” ----------Source: An Dien, ThanhnienNews

Dam threat to Cat Tien National Park

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Rarest of the rare

Cat Ba langur Trachypithecus poliocephalus poliocephalus

The Cat Ba langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus poliocephalus), also known as Golden-headed langur, is endemic to the island of Cat Ba in Northern Vietnam.

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists the Cat Ba langur as one of the most critically endangered primate species of the World, due to its small population size and restricted range. Perhaps only 65 langurs currently survive in the wild whilst an additional three live in the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre at Cuc Phuong National Park.

In the past, poaching constituted the primary threat to langur survival and resulted in a population decline from estimated 2,500-2,800 individuals in the 1960s, to a mere 53 individuals by 2000.

As a result of this steep decline in numbers, the remaining langur population is now highly fragmented and low reproductive output threatens their future survival. The population of the Cat Ba langur is subdivided into seven isolated sub-populations. Some of these include all-female groups and are therefore non-reproducing social units. Langurs were mainly poached for the preparation of traditional medicine, referred to as “monkey balm”.

The Cat Ba Langur Conservation Project received a large grant from CEPF to protect the species. These photos were taken in a very recent visit to Cat Ba island in late November by the BirdLife CEPF Regional Implementation Team -------- Source: The Cat Ba Langur Conservation Project Photos: Jonathan C. Eames

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Project updates PROJECT UPDATeS

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (www.cepf.net) is a joint initiative of

l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the World Bank. A fundamental goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation.

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

Under the fourth call for small grant Letters of Inquiry (LoIs) in July 2012, 55 applications from 48 civil society

organisations were submitted to BirdLife’s Regional Implementation Team. All eligible LoIs were sent out for review by experienced international and local conservation practitioners or academics. Fifteen further small grants have now been made or are pending, making the total of small grants approved in the region to 70 with a total value of US$ 1.2 million.

Under the last three calls for LoIs, 44 other large grants (more than US$20,000) have been made in the region. For the full list of funded projects and final reports of completed projects, please view here.

The update Ecosystem Profile for Indo-Burma The Ecosystem Profile for the Indo-Burma Hotspot, which comprises all non-marine parts of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, plus parts of southern China, presents an overview of the Indo-Burma Hotspot in terms of its biodiversity conservation importance, and socioeconomic, policy and civil society contexts. The original ecosystem profile was developed through a process of consultation and desk study in 2003 and published in May 2007. Much has changed in the eight years since the original profile was prepared. In April 2011, CEPF came together with the MacArthur Foundation, the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and the

McKnight Foundation to discuss common interests with regard to coordinating their investments in civil society in the Greater Mekong Subregion, with which the Indo-Burma Hotspot broadly corresponds. Subsequently, the four donors agreed to fund an update of the ecosystem profile, and the updating process was launched in June 2011. And finally, the update version is finalised and available for download in November 2012. Log in here to view the English full version or its Executive Summary in some different languages http://www.cepf.net/where_we_work/regions/asia_pacific/indo_burma/Pages/default.aspx

The updated map of conservation outcome of IndochinaThe map of conservation outcome of Indochina, highlighting CEPF priorities was also updated in November 2012. Download the map here.

An Overview of CEPF’s Portfolio in the Indo-Burma Hotspot 2012The first five-year investment phase of CEPF in the Indo-Burma region has reached its fifth year of operation. Please read the overview of CEPF‘s portfolio updated in November 2012 for more detailed information here

Additional investment planFollowing the update of the Ecosystem Profile, the CEPF Donor Council decided to reinvest in the Indo-Burma Hotspot. The $8.85 million reinvestment will begin as

CEPF’s initial five-year winds down, with a planned end date of June 2013. The decision to reinvest in the Hotspot will allow for seamless connection between funding phases, sustaining the momentum of civil society-led conservation efforts in one of the most critically threatened hotspots, and leveraging funding of the foundations that supported the profiling process.

Visit to the critically endangered langurs on Cat Ba islandIn late November 2012, Jonathan C. Eames, CEPF-RIT Project Manager and Nguyen Hoang Long CEPF RIT Project officer took a site visit to the Cat Ba Langur Conservation Project on Cat Ba island, Hai Phong, northern Vietnam. The Cat Ba langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus poliocephalus), also known as Golden-headed langur, is endemic to Vietnam only. By the year 2000, poaching had reduced this species to only 53 individuals in several isolated sub-populations and the Cat Ba langur became listed by the IUCN, the World Conservation Union, as one of the world’s most endangered primate species.

In early November, the project successfully translocated two female Cat Ba langurs from Dong Cong Island to within the “Sanctuary.”

Log in our Facebook to view more photos about this trip www.facebook.com/birdlife.cepfrit

Fourteen new small grants made in Indo-Burma

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http://www.cepf.net

http://www.birdlifeindochina.org/cepf

http://www.birdlifeindochina.org/cepf

http://www.cepf.net/grants/project_database/indo-burma/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.cepf.net/where_we_work/regions/asia_pacific/indo_burma/Pages/default.aspx



http://birdlifeindochina.org/cepf/birdlifeindochina.org/sites/default/files/Indoburma_conservation_outcomes_9Nov2012.pdf

http://birdlifeindochina.us6.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=0d9a5e3de1b6f3f7bac6095fc&id=9b495628ac&e=a8531159a8

http://www.facebook.com/birdlife.cepfrit

http://www.facebook.com/birdlife.cepfrit

Grantee nameNational (N)/

International (I)Project title

Project location

Strategic Direction

Start date End dateGranted amount

Chamroen Chiet Khmer (CCK) NEstablishing sustainable community fisheries and wetland management at Boeung Prek Lapouv Sarus Crane Reserve

KH 3 1 Nov 2012 31 Oct 2013 20,000.00

Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia (PUC) N Conserving three Critically Endangered vultures in Cambodia KH 1 1 Nov 2012 31 Oct 2013 19,880.70

Royal University of Phnom Penh – RUPP N"Community-based monitoring and conservation of threatened fish species in the 3S (Sekong, Sesan and Srepok) region”

KH 2 1 Nov 2012 31 Oct 2013 19,885.00

Royal University of Phnom Penh, Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (RUPP-CBC)

NConserving the last remaining wild populations of hog deer Axis porcinus annamiticus in Cambodia

KH 2 1 Nov 2012 31 Oct 2013 15,988.00

Sam Veasna Center for Wildlife Conservation (SVC)

NStakeholder-based conservation of three large waterbirds in the dry forest of Cambodia

KH 2 1 Nov 2012 30 Sep 2013 19,628.89

Eld’s Deer Community Conservation Group in Ban Sanamxai Village

N"Eld’s Deer Community Conservation Group in Xonnabouly District, Savannakhet Province”

LA 3 1 Nov 2012 31 Oct 2013 19,989.90

Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC) INurturing the Flame: Promoting Collaboration for Saola Conservation Regionally and Internationally

LA 1 1 Dec 2012 31 Oct 2013 8,000.00

Lao Wildlife Conservation Association (Lao-WCA)

NFinding the Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) in the Annamite range in Laos

LA 1 1 Dec 2012 31 Oct 2013 20,000.00

Living River Siam (LRS) NStrengthening Local Community Network for Fish Conservation in Ing River Basin

TH 3 1 Nov 2012 31 Oct 2013 19,266.00

Center for Water Resources Conservation and Development (WARECOD)

NRaising awareness on potential impacts of upstream development activities to hydrological regimes, livelihoods and biodiversity in the Plain of Reeds, Mekong

VN 3 1 Nov 2012 30 Sept 13 20,000.00

Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) NTargeted campaign to reduce consumption of rhino horn in Vietnam

VN 1 1 Nov 2012 30 Sept 13 19,657.00

Green Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID)

NStrengthening good governance for hydropower dams development on the Mekong mainstream with particular focus on Mekong Delta, Vietnam

VN 3 1 Nov 2012 31 Oct 2013 19,996.00

Research Centre for Resources and Rural Development (RECERD)

N

Using and systematizing fishers’ local ecological knowledge to monitor and manage fisheries, with emphasis on three globally threatened fish species (the Giant Catfish [Pangasianodon gigas], Sanitwongsei’s catfish [Pangasius sanitwongsei] and Jullien's Golden Carp [Probarbus jullieni], in the Lower Mekong River system of Long An Province, Vietnam

VN 3 1 Nov 201230 Sept

201319,959.50

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)Vietnam

IAddressing the illegal trade and consumption of rhino horn in Vietnam

VN 1 1 Nov 2012 31 Oct 2013 19,916.00

PROJECT UPDATeS

List of 14 new small grants in Indo-Burma

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Project UPDATES

WWF Greater Mekong Cambodia Country Program (www.panda.org/greatermekong): ‘Conserving Freshwater Biodiversity And Critical Wetland

Resources For Local Communities Along The Mekong River, Kratie And Stung Treng Provinces, Cambodia’ (September 1, 2009 – June 30, 2013)

Between 2006 and 2007, WWF coordinated the first

detailed biological surveys of a 130-km section of the Mekong River mainstream between Kratie and Stung Treng Towns, northeast Cambodia (Bezuijen et al. 2008). The surveys, which were conducted by staff from the Forestry Administration (FA), the Fisheries Administration (FiA), the Ministry of Environment (MoE), Conservation International (CI), WWF and other groups, documented the presence of at least 18 CEPF Priority Fauna Species (7 birds, 2 mammals,

Mekong river. Photo: Adam Oswell

4 reptiles, 5 fish) and five CEPF Priority Flora. The area is also home to one of only three riverine populations of the Critically Endangered Irrawaddy Dolphin (CEPF Provisional Priority Species). The area is irreplaceably significant in the context of mainland Southeast Asian bird communities and retains some of the most extensive and intact riverine habitats in the Mekong Basin. The surveys found the majority of biodiversity values are located in a 56-km section of mainstream termed the “Central Section”, which supports the highest biodiversity values and lowest human populations in the region.

In February 2008 WWF facilitated a national planning workshop with 13 government agencies and four NGOs to review the results of the biodiversity surveys and develop a strategy for the conservation and sustainable use of this area. The principal recommendation was that the Central Section would be designated as a Special Management Site, acknowledging its importance for communities as well as biodiversity conservation, and will include “protection” and “multiple-use” zones. The proposed strategy became the basis of this CEPF project and it consisted of the following four components: 1) provincial and national support secured for the designation of the Central Section as a Special Management Site; 2) Site-based management activities are implemented to protect habitat and target species; 3) Community capacity to manage natural resources is developed; and 4) Sustainable alternative livelihoods are developed that contribute to biodiversity protection and poverty reduction. Here is an update on the status of each of the four project components.

Provincial and national support secured for the designation of the Central Section as a Special Management SiteIn 2011 a Technical Working Group, led by WWF and FiA

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http://www.panda.org/greatermekong

Project UPDATES

drafted a prakas that would designate the Central Section as a Special Management Site and submitted it to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) for review and approval. The prakas, which called for the joint management of the site by the FiA and the FA, was not supported by the FA and thus not approved by MAFF. This was a surprise because FA had supported the designation of the area at the national planning workshop in February 2008.

On a more positive note Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen signed a sub-decree in August 2012 designating Dolphin Protection and Management Areas to protect the Critically Endangered Irrawaddy Dolphins. The sub-decree designates an area of 76,600 hectares where gillnet use and other

activities harmful to dolphins will be banned. The sub-decree includes the 14,600 hectare Stung Treng Ramsar Site, so there is a net gain of 63,000 hectares of protected area. This is different from the original objective of

this project, but much of the aquatic area in the proposed Special Management Site for the Central Section is covered by the sub-decree and the sub-decree is a stronger designation than a Special Management Site, so this is a good outcome.

Site-based management activities are implemented to protect habitat and target speciesSite-based management activities have focused on the protection of several endangered bird species, including Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilus javanicus, White-shouldered Ibis Pseudibis davisoni, and River Tern Sterna aurantia. In the dry season of 2011-2012 community guards protected 31 Lesser Adjutant nests (62 birds fledged), 22 White-shouldered Ibis nests (32 birds fledged), and 23 River Tern nests (23 birds fledged). Guards also protected one nest of the Red-headed vulture Sarcogyps calvus, the first recorded nest of this species in the Central Section of the Mekong. The nest protection program has been in place for several years and the number of nests protected each year has grown, but there are concerns about the effectiveness of the program and the long-term sustainability of guarding nests. For more information on the nest protection program see Sok K., et al. 2012.

In early 2012 the Kratie Fisheries Cantonment, Mekong Inspectorate, FiA, police, and military police conducted an extensive patrol to prevent illegal mining activities along the Mekong. Mining at three

sites was stopped and 11 orders to cease mining were issued. The amount of illegal mining activity in 2012 was greatly reduced from the previous year.

Community capacity to manage natural resources is developedFour Community Fisheries at Koh Pdao, Ampil Teuk, Koh Chba, and Kampong Phnov, have successfully completed step 8 of the establishment process and were registered by MAFF are now developing Management Plans which is the last step of the Community Fishery establishment process.

WWF received a grant from the Cambodia Climate Change Alliance (CCCA) to help six communities develop Community Forests in the project area. The indigenous Phnong and Kuoy people in these areas requested assistance with Community Forest development because they see this as the most effective way to protect these from encroachment by Economic Land Concessions (ELCs). ELCs, along with the proposed hydropower dam at Sambor, are now the biggest threat to the project area.

Sustainable alternative livelihoods are developed that contribute to biodiversity protection and poverty reductionWWF is working closely with local NGOs the Cambodian Rural Development Team (CRDT) and Community Economic Development (CED) to develop sustainable alternative livelihoods in the fifteen villages in the project area.. Additionally, the Association of Buddhists for the Environment (ABE) is

conducting education and outreach work in the project area that promotes sustainable development and the conservation of natural resources. Buddhist monks have proven to be very effective ambassadors for natural resource conservation.

ReferencesBezuijen, 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. http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/?154321/Biological-surveys-of-the-Mekong-River-between-Kratie-and-Stung-Treng-towns-northeast-Cambodia-2006-2007

Sok K., Claassen, A.H., Wright, H.L. and Ryan, G.E. (2012) Waterbird nest protection on the Mekong River: a preliminary evaluation, with notes on the recovery and release of white-shouldered ibis Pseudibis davisoni chicks. Cambodian Journal of Natural History, 2012, 29–41 ---------Source: Gordon Congdon, Freshwater Conservation Manager, WWF-Cambodia

One of ‘ambassadors’ for natural resource conservation.Photo: Gordon Congdon

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http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/?154321/Biological-surveys-of-the-Mekong-River-between-Kratie-and-Stung-Treng-towns-northeast-Cambodia-2006-2007






PROJECT UPDATeS

The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (www.wwt.org.uk): “Establishing Sustainable Management at Key Wetlands for Sarus

Crane in the Cambodian Lower Mekong” (October 1, 2010 - June 30, 2013)

Only a few fragments of lower Mekong wetland habitat remain, dotted across the landscape in southern Cambodia and Vietnam. These remaining wetlands support important populations of globally threatened wildlife, including a Critically Endangered population of Sarus Cranes (Grus antigone), and are vitally important to thousands of Cambodians that depend upon them for their livelihoods.

Although now mostly designated as protected areas, these remaining fragments are coming under increasing pressure from human activity and so WWT is working with local partners to manage and protect two

wetland reserves in Cambodia as well as working with local communities to improve land use practices and find alternatives to presently unsustainable activities.

The two sites that are the focus of this project, Boeung Prek Lapouv (BPL) and Kampong Trach (KT, also known as Anlung Pring), support significant numbers of Sarus Cranes which migrate to the area to feed as wetlands elsewhere in the region begin to dry up at the end of the wet season. The sites form part of a small, connected network of transboundary sites for the species in the region. The two sites also support important representative areas of wet grassland which has suffered massive conversion to agriculture and is home to several other species of global concern. Following the designation of KT in late 2010, both sites are now legally protected which is great news. However capacity to manage the sites in a way that will sustain people and wildlife into

the future remains low.

Both sites suffer a range of issues that all threaten Sarus Cranes and other biodiversity, namely over- exploitation of wildlife, agricultural encroachment, agro-chemical pollution, hydrological changes and consequent vegetational change, illegal burning of grasslands and a range of invasive non-native plants.

That said, the wetlands still support the livelihoods of thousands of people. We know from ecosystem services assessments undertaken by WWT and partners in 2012 just how much local people depend on the two wetlands for their livelihoods. The value of the wild goods (for example fish, molluscs, rats, fodder grass and fuel wood) collected from BPL and AP outstrips the value of rice cultivated in the paddies that surround the reserves. So we also know that conserving the wetlands is crucial for local people just

as it is for the birds and this helps shape our management of them.

What the project is doingBoth sites now enjoy legal protection and benefit from the presence of local conservation groups who undertake regular patrols as well as essential management activities including installation of boundary markers, bird monitoring and with local people, removal of invasive species such as Mimosa pigra and water hyacinth.

This year new hydrological monitoring equipment has been installed which means we are now able to collect data on water levels throughout the year for the first time. We are also conducting the first-ever hydrological survey of the reserves which will allow us to slowly build a model of site hydrology at BPL and AP and give us greater insight into how water levels could

Bird community in core zone at Boeung Prek Lapouv. Photo: Andy Graham/WWT

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be managed to benefit the cranes and other wildlife. This will be a great boon to implementing sustainable management at the sites. Other essential research is being conducted by WWT in tandem with the Royal University of Phnom Penh looking into aspects of crane ecology at AP which again should help us focus conservation management.

We’re also currently updating management plans for the two sites, with full participation from local stakeholders and these should be fully agreed next year and endorsed by national government agencies who have responsibility for managing the sites. These plans will cover management of the reserves up to 2018 if funds allow (current funding runs out in June 2013) but we’re also working hard to identify alternative financing mechanisms to ensure the long-term sustainability of our conservation actions.

For example, we’ve recently begun a project with Chamroien Chiet Khmer (CCK) to establish a community fishery at BPL which will help put in place sustainable fishing practices which in the long-run will help ensure a ready supply of protein but also conserve fish and the wildlife that feeds on them. Similarly, we’ve initiated with another of our partners, Mlup Baitong, an eco-tourism venture at AP which has started to earn money this year and support locals through a benefit-sharing agreement.

Another initiative with yet another partner, Cambodian Institute for Rural Development (CIRD), has seen production of a study looking into the feasibility of marketing “wildlife-friendly” rice which we hope to test in a pilot scheme in the very near future. We’ll work with local rice growers to produce and market rice that uses fewer chemical inputs and enhances wetland wildlife.

Raising awareness in local communities to build support for conservation efforts is fundamental to our work, without this we can achieve very little that lasts. So, together with our partners we hold regular meetings and run community forums and workshops to keep abreast of community issues related to the reserves. This is important to us as it gives us a great opportunity to tell our story but also to listen and learn from the people that the live and work in the wetlands we want to help conserve. It’s a true partnership and it’s making progress with the promise of more to come.

The project is financially supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) and works with partners of The Ministry of Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Royal Government of Cambodia, Boeung Prek Lapouv Local Conservation Group, Kampong Trach/Anlong Pring Local Conservation Group, Mlup Baitong, Cambodian Institute for Rural Development (CIRD) and Chamroien Chiet Khmer (CCK) --------Source: Andy Graham, Head of Wetlands for People, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT)

Ranger station at Boeung Prek Lapouv. Photo: Andy Graham/WWT Anlung Pring. Photo: Andy Graham/WWT

Wildlife Conservation Society (www.wcs.org): “Conserving A Suite of Cambodia’s Highly Threatened Bird Species” (Oct 1,

2009 - Jun 30, 2013) Floodwaters are at their highest in the Tonle Sap floodplain and the Northern Plains are also largely flooded, making this a relatively quiet time of year for the project. At this time most of the waterbirds of the Tonle Sap have left the floodplain, in search of more productive foraging areas in which to build condition prior to returning to the lake in November-January. Towards the end of the period the dropping floodwaters in the Northern Plains allow for the cultivation of a new crop of Ibis Rice.

Surveys for Bengal Florican were conducted in the open dry forests just to the north and west of the now flooded breeding areas. Small numbers of birds were found, allowing us to identify key sites for the species at this time of year. A workshop was held in Phnom Penh, organised by Dr. Charlotte Packman and hosted by BirdLife, to review the status of Bengal Florican and plan the next ten years of Bengal Florican conservation.

Towards the end of the period flocks of Greater Adjutants were noted in Siem Pang and Preah Vihear Protected Forest, reflecting birds aggregating after spending the non-breeding season foraging in the not-so-dry “dry forest”. Other species had arrived back in Prek Toal to begin nesting whilst the waters are high. Oriental Darters in particular always arrive early and this year was no exception. Unfortunately poachers were caught with 693 darter and cormorant eggs, the high water levels early in the season render the birds more susceptible

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project updates

2012 Cambodian Bengal Florican Census: results

Allwetterzoo Münster (Munster Zoo www.allwetterzoo.de): ‘Distribution, population and habitat extent of Bengal Florican in

Cambodia: A re-assessment after 7 years’ (1 December 2011 - 30 December 2012) Two thirds of the world’s critically endangered Bengal Floricans are found in Cambodia (Houbaropsis bengalensis blandini), with the remaining occurring in a disjunct population in India and Nepal (H.b. bengalensis) (Gray et al 2009). Therefore the Cambodian population is of crucial importance to the future survival of this species. In 2005, Gray et al conducted the

first comprehensive census of Bengal Floricans in Cambodia, determining their distribution in grassland sites in and around the Tonle Sap floodplain and a population estimate for the country: 752 (586-924) for surveyed sites (extrapolating to unsurveyed sites gave a figure of 832 (666-1004)).

However, since 2005 these important grassland sites have undergone extremely rapid conversion to intensive, irrigated dry season rice. Given the rate and extent of the loss of the Floricans’ habitat (Packman et al in press) as well as the importance of the Cambodian population, a new up-to-date survey was urgently needed to

to egg thieves. Remarkably this haul was collected from just three trees! The men involved are in jail awaiting trial. Potentially of greater concern is that three Spot-billed Pelicans were found poisoned on the lakeshore. Rangers have increased their patrol efforts in this area. We also received the results of the DNA analysis of the eleven crocodiles during this period. These showed that only four of the crocodiles confiscated from fishermen over four years ago are pure Crocodilius siamensis, the others are hybrids with C. porosus – Saltwater Crocodile. The pure individuals will be realised during January.

Annual monitoring of non-breeding aggregations of White-shouldered Ibis at Tmatboey showed that the population of this species continues to increase. This is in no small part due to the efforts of two of our partners – SVC and SMP. SVC underwent some significant changes during the period, the most important of which was the promotion of Johnny Orn to director – the first national in this position. This reflects the continued growth of SVC into one of the most exciting civil society organisations in Cambodia. Although other parts of the project were quiet during this period, SMP purchased rice for selling throughout the next year. More families in more villages were involved than ever before; because the purchasing is not yet complete figures are not yet finalised, but it is anticipated that the amount of rice bought will be significantly more than last year.

The Cambodia Vulture Conservation Project Report for October - November 2012

The Cambodian Vulture Conservation Project led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia is a collaboration between four NGOs including BirdLife International, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Angkor Center for the Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB) and two government institutions namely the General Department of Administration for Nature Conservation and Protection (GDANCP) of the Ministry of Environment (MoE), and the Forestry Administration (FA) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). This report details vulture conservation activities implemented by the Cambodian Vulture Conservation Project during October and November 2012. Download the report here. ----------Source: Simon Mahood, Technical Advisor: Tonle Sap and Vulture Conservation projects.Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Cambodia Program

Displaying male Bengal FloricanPhoto: C. Packman

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assess population numbers and current distribution. The Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB) (in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia Program (WCS), the Forestry Administration of Cambodia (FA), BirdLife International and the University of East Anglia, UK (UEA)) received a CEPF small grant to conduct this vital survey.

During March to May 2012, a census of displaying male Bengal Floricans was conducted, covering all of the key grassland sites identified by Gray et al in and around the Tonle Sap floodplain and following a comparable methodology (see The Babbler 43 (July-September 2012, pages 32-33) for details of the survey). The survey team was led by Dave Showler, and comprised WCS Cambodia staff: Son Virak, Nuth Menghor, Hoeun Seanlay, Sot Van Doeun, Phok Pannha, Sin Seanglay and Chhab Oddom. We have now analysed the survey data, the results of which are described here and were also presented at a recent Bengal Florican Conservation Workshop held in Phnom Penh on 1st November (2012). The full census report will soon be submitted for publication in a scientific journal.

The census results are extremely alarming: a 44% decline in the number of displaying male Bengal Floricans in only 7 years. In 2005, the estimate for displaying males for surveyed grassland sites was 376 (293-462), whilst for the same sites in 2012 was 211 (152-279).

We included one additional site (Ang Trapang Thmor) not included in the 2005 census, bringing the total estimate for displaying males to 216 (156-275) for 2012. Doubling this figure to account for females (assuming an equal sex ratio) gives a total up-to-date population estimate for Cambodia of 432 (312-550) Floricans.

Kompong Thom remains by far the most important Province for Floricans, holding 80% of the Cambodia Florican population. However, Floricans have disappeared completely from two sites formerly occupied within the Province: Krous Kraom and Chong Dong. Substantial declines (given as the percent decline 2005-2012 in brackets after the site name) have occurred at a number of other key sites within the Province: Veal Srangai (-88%), Baray (-72%) and San Kor (-39%).

Elsewhere, Floricans have disappeared from Mongkol Borei (Banteay Meanchey), which in 2005 held the largest number of Floricans outside of Kompong Thom Province, and suffered losses at Puok Lvea (Seam Reap, -55%) and Preah Net Preah (Banteay Meanchey, -31%). A welcome surprise came at Bakan (Pursat), where no Floricans were recorded during the 2005 census, but an estimate of 28 Floricans (14 displaying males) was generated from the 2012 survey.

Rapid, large-scale conversion of the grassland habitat to commercial dry

season rice production is now the most serious threat to the survival of the Bengal Florican in Cambodia. If the current rate of decline in the population continues, the Bengal Florican will be extinct in Cambodia in just 9 years’ time (by 2021), and functionally extinct before then. The results from this census are central to the development of a Species Action Plan for Bengal Floricans in Cambodia (currently being developed by WCS, FA, BirdLife International in Indochina and UEA), in order to tackle the causes of the population decline and safeguard the future of this unique species.

ReferencesGray, T. N. E., Collar, N. J., Davidson, P. J. A., Dolman, P. M., Evans, T. D., Fox, H. N., Hong Chamnan, Ro Borey, Seng Kim Hout & van Zalinge, R. N. (2009) Distribution, status and conservation of Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis in Cambodia. Bird Conservation International 19:1-14.

Packman, C. E., Gray, T. N. E., Collar, N. J., Evans, T. D., van Zalinge, R. N., Son Virak, Lovett, A. A. & Dolman, P. M. (in press) Rapid loss of Cambodia’s grasslands. Conservation Biology ----------Source: Charlotte E. Packman (UEA), Son Virak (WCS), David A. Showler (UEA) and Simon E. Mahood (WCS)

University of East Anglia (UEA) (www.uea.ac.uk): ‘Identifying Wet Season Sites and Non-breeding Habitats Used by the Critically Endangered

Bengal Florican in Cambodia’ (16 December 2009 - 31 December 2012) Critically endangered Bengal Floricans breed in the grasslands surrounding the Tonle Sap lake, Cambodia. Conservation measures are based on knowledge of the distribution and habitat requirements of Floricans during the breeding (dry) season only. In the wet season, these grassland sites flood and the distribution, habitat use and threats faced by Floricans during this period are little known. This CEPF-funded project (led by the University of East Anglia, UK (UEA) in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia Program (WCS) and BirdLife International) sought to improve understanding of Florican ecology during the wet season, providing crucial information needed to ensure conservation measures will address the needs of Floricans year round.

Between 2008 and 2010, 21 Floricans from five different grassland sites covering the key south-eastern population (in Kompong Thom and Siem Reap Provinces) were fitted with satellite transmitters, so that their movements during the wet season could be

Wet Season Sites and Non-breeding Habitats Used by the Critically Endangered Bengal Florican in Cambodia: results from 4 years of satellite tracking

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tracked. Large-scale habitat requirements were assessed by overlaying Florican satellite locations on a habitat map (which we created from ground-truth data collected in the field and from satellite images of the region). For finer-scale habitat use, we visited all Florican satellite locations to collect field measures of vegetation cover. The results were presented at the Bengal Florican Conservation Workshop, held in Phnom Penh on 1st November 2012 (along with results from the 2012 Florican census led by the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity) and are being used in the development of a Species Action Plan for Bengal Floricans in Cambodia.

We found that Floricans migrated up to 60 km from the breeding grasslands, to more upland areas beyond the Tonle Sap floodplain. On average, Floricans left the grasslands in August, returning in December. However in 2010 more than half of the tagged birds remained resident in the breeding areas throughout the wet season. This behaviour coincided with unusually late rains and lower flood depths, meaning that some of the grassland sites

stayed sufficiently dry for the birds to remain. Floricans tagged at the three most northerly sites (Stoung-Chikreng, San Kor and Krous Kraom) shared the same broad non-breeding area, whilst birds from Chong Dong and Baray used a completely separate area further south. Tracking the Floricans over multiple years revealed that they tend to return to the same non-breeding sites each year. Floricans were found to select areas of open dry dipterocarp forest in the wet season, avoiding denser forest covers, plantations and agriculture. Whilst birds from the three northerly sites had a range of habitats available to them in the wet season, including their preferred open dry dipterocarp forest, birds in the south were faced only with denser forest covers, plantation and agriculture, revealing an alarming lack of suitable habitat. In the north, many Florican locations fell in areas which are currently good habitat, but where concessions are planned, and therefore highly likely to be converted to plantation (avoided by Floricans). There are two upland Bengal Florican Conservation Areas (BFCAs) in the north aimed at protecting non-breeding habitat. Trea Sameakki BFCA was used by Floricans during the wet season; however, none of the tagged birds occupied Tuol Kruel Phan Nheum BFCA, probably due to it having considerable dense forest cover, as well as the availability of more suitable habitat in closer proximity to the breeding areas.

We now have a much better understanding of Florican movements, distribution and habitat requirements in the wet season, along with the threats they face in these areas. In the north, areas of the preferred open dry dipterocarp habitat need protection from conversion to plantation, whilst in the south management is required to create areas of suitable habitat. For a number of species, birds subjected to poor quality non-breeding habitat have been found to have reduced breeding productivity. The results from the 2012 Florican census show the southern breeding sites to have suffered particularly dramatic declines in

numbers, which could be related to the lack of suitable non-breeding habitat impacting on the condition of the birds and their ability to raise offspring successfully. It is therefore vital that conservation measures address the threats faced by Floricans in both the breeding and non-breeding areas to ensure the future survival of this species in Cambodia.

AcknowledgementsWe are very grateful to Markus Handschuh for assistance with catching Floricans, to Dr Paul Dolman (UEA) and Prof. Nigel Collar (BirdLife International) for advice and support and to the following for providing funding for this work: The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, Chester Zoo, The International Fund for Houbara Conservation, North Star Science & Technology, Ford Motor Company, British Ornithologists’ Union, The Rufford Small Grants Foundation, ZGAP, BirdLife International and the Natural Environment Research Council --------Source: Charlotte E. Packman (UEA), Son Virak (WCS) and Richard J. Hillard (UEA)

A female Bengal Florican fitted with a solar-powered GPS satellite transmitter. Photo: C. Packman

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It would be safe to say that non-governmental organisation ElefantAsia did not have the fastest of starts. Lumbering

1,300km from southern to northern Laos, the organisation’s journey into elephant conservation commenced with an ambitious elephant caravan.

Meandering through remote villages and breathtaking countryside, this feat of endurance was undertaken by a determined team of mahouts and elephants, followed in tow by a plethora of support including ElefantAsia co-founders Sébastien Duffillot and Gilles Maurer. Taking three months to complete, the groundbreaking trek worked to increase awareness to the plight of Laos’ remaining elephant populations and served to reignite the local people’s love for their elephants. A reminder to the importance of the species within religious

and cultural traditions, the ‘Caravan Xang’ marked the start of dedicated Asian elephant conservation programme in Laos, ElefantAsia was born.

That was over 12 years ago and since those first initial steps, the organisation has grown from strength to strength implementing numerous grassroot projects in remote regions of Laos where wild and captive elephants roam. Conducted in collaboration with the Department of Livestock and Fisheries (DLF) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), activities have included elephant conservation programmes, elephant breeding incentives, environmental awareness and economic sustainability campaigns.The Lao PDR has approximately 470 captive elephants with most engaged in the logging industry. Made to work at a furious pace in isolated areas in forest, with little or no provision of veterinary care, captive elephants are susceptible to injuries and illness. ElefantAsia’s flagship project, the Lao Elephant Care and Management Programme (LECMP) provides free veterinary care to these working elephants via mobile veterinary clinics with vehicles especially adapted for the treatment of elephants in remote areas visit logging sites, tourism centres and villages where elephants are employed. Supported previously by CEPF, the mobile clinics also facilitate the registration

and micro-chipping of the captive Asian elephant population in Laos, this forming the national computerised database.

Today, activities undertaken over the past six years are paying dividends, as sufficient capacity building is such that management of the Laos’ captive elephant population is now being implemented by the Lao government. The programme becoming autonomous when handed over to the Department of Livestock and Fisheries in an official ceremony held late November 2012.

Whilst ElefantAsia continues to support the LECMP with financial and technical assistance, this allows opportunity for the organisation to focus elephant conservation efforts in Laos such as at the Elephant Conservation Center (www.elephantconservationcenter.com) in Xayaburi province.

As eco-tourism works to support the conservation of Asian elephant, ElefantAsia In partnership with the Center, focuses on treating more severe cases of injury and pathology at the country’s first elephant hospital. Promotion of increased reproduction is also a primary objective through the implementation of a managed breeding programme, thus sustaining a viable captive elephant population and reducing the risk of illegal capture and taming of wild

counterparts.

Conversion of logging elephants to financially viable alternatives such as eco-tourism and environmental awareness is also be promoted through the Mahout Vocational School and Elephant Museum both hosted at the Center.

With declining wild and captive elephant populations in Laos, ElefantAsia remains committed to elephant conservation in the country, however the organisation also wishes to explore a more regional approach to conservation and is working towards replicating projects undertaken in Laos in other range states in the future.

The ElefantAsia team would like to take this opportunity to thank the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund for their continued support towards the conservation of the Asian elephant population in Laos. On conclusion last October of the CEPF project, Securing and increasing Asian elephant populations in Laos through the micro-chipping of core populations, 459 captive elephants in Laos were micro-chipped equating to approximately 95% of the population --------Source: Tracy Brookshaw, Project Manager; ElefantAsia (www.elefantasia.org; www.elephantconservationcenter.com)

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Let’s start a new trip....Photo: ElefantAsia

ElefantAsia moving forward: End of Memorandum of Understanding marks the start of a new conservation chapter for non-profit

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Cleveland Zoological Society, Asian Turtle Programme (ATP) (www.asianturtleprogram.org): “Research

and Conservation Action for Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles in Indo-Burma” (October 1, 2009 - March 31, 2013

Ranger Training in central Vietnam focus’s on endemic tortoise and freshwater turtle conservation

From the 4th to the 8th of October 2012, members from the Asian Turtle Program (ATP) and Cuc Phuong National Parks Turtle Conservation Centre (TCC) visited three provinces of central Vietnam for Forest Protection Department (FPD) ranger training. A total of 77 rangers and wildlife protection authorities from the Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen and Thua Thien Hue provinces attended the day-long training courses where ATP and TCC staff presented lectures on the ongoing Asian turtle crisis, basic turtle ecology, and identification of Vietnam’s 25 tortoise and freshwater turtle species, with an emphasis on local, priority species. Additionally, findings of recent interview and field surveys conducted in each province by the ATP were presented to highlight the importance of these three provinces for tortoise and freshwater turtle conservation.

The training course was lead by Tim McCormack, Nguyen Thu Thuy and Pham Thi Thu Hien of the ATP and Hoang Van Thai of the TCC. The overarching focus of

this training course was to raise awareness to local priorities for conservation and recap national and international laws concerning the turtles of Central Vietnam. With the region boasting almost half of Vietnam’s native turtle species and three endemics found nowhere else in the world: the Vietnamese pond turtle (Mauremys annamensis), Bourret’s box turtle (Cuora bourreti) and the Lesser Indochinese box turtle (Cuora picturata), it’s a region of global significance for conservation.

Each province was selected due to its importance for protection of endemic turtles but each also contain significant populations of additional endangered turtles. Phu Yen province is inhabited by all three of Vietnam’s endemic turtle species, plus the Siamese crocodiles (Crocodylus siamensis). This may actually be the last natural population of Siamese crocodiles in Vietnam

outside Cat Tien National Park where a population was reintroduced.

Khanh Hoa province has the southernmost record of the endangered Four-eyed Turtle (Sacalia quadriocellata) stirring interest in genetics, as it could be an endemic subspecies. It also still contains suitable Cuora picturata habitat with reports for good populations surviving. This unprotected habitat was highlighted by the ATP as a priority area in need of vigilance and protection.

Thua Thien Hue province is considered one of the best-forested provinces in the country with over 50% of its area still forested (compared to the national average of ~30%). It includes three protected areas (Bach Ma National Park, Phong Dien Nature Reserve, and Sao La Reserve) that provide important habitat for the critically endangered Cuora bourreti. Each of these protected areas also had high tortoise and freshwater turtle species diversity with additional endangered species occurring.

Each training session ended with a discussion following hypothetical situation regarding turtle trade and conservation. After discussing the subject, Hoang Van Thai offered constructive remarks referring to current policies and wildlife laws. After this course, the rangers will have a better understanding of how to identify these priority turtle species, their basic needs, and

what they can do should they encounter these species in the trade.

Enthusiasm from the province was impressive; all were excited to hear of the importance they played in conservation of some of Vietnam’s most endangered and unique species. Following the training the ATP hopes to initiate additional focused conservation activities in each province for priority species and sites in cooperation with local wildlife protection authorities. Greater involvement of these provinces in turtle conservation will be critical for successful conservation of Vietnam’s endemic turtle species in the future.

Community Football TournamentIncreases Vietnamese Pond Turtle Conservation Awareness

On the 12th and 13th of September 2012, the Asian Turtle Program (ATP) brought together eight football teams from Binh Minh commune, an area that is also home to the endemic and critically endangered Vietnamese Pond Turtle (Mauremys annamensis). A focus of the Mauremys annamensis Project (MAP) in central Vietnam.

The friendly yet competitive football matches took place at the commune’s stadium in an effort to increase conservation awareness to the important species. “We organised this friendly football tournament to build

Rangers in Phu Yen walk through a hypothetical situation regarding turtle conservation during one of the discussion sessions. Photo: Grover Brown/ATP

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relationships and strengthen support for conservation among the local youth. We believe this will help increase conservation awareness in our effort to protect the Vietnamese Pond Turtle from illegal hunting and habitat loss,” said Ms. Thu Hien, MAP Coordinator.

The Vietnamese Pond Turtle (Mauremys annamensis) is a species of particular conservation concern. A highly localized endemic species found only in lowland coastal areas of central Vietnam that also see some of the highest human population densities in the country. Believed to range from Da Nang southward to Phu Yen province. The ecology and distribution of the species was first described in 1939, but following that, no field records of wild individuals were collected until 2007 when members of the ATP rediscovered Mauremys annamensis in the wild in the Quang Nam

province.Many gaps still remain in knowledge of the species. And even though it is fully protected under Vietnam’s principal wildlife protection law, Decree 32/2006-ND-CP, the species continues to be hunted for the wildlife trade. Currently, this species is not believed to occur in any protected areas, which further complicates conservation.

At the tournament, Mr Khac Trinh, the top scorer of the My Long village team, said, “I am happy to participate in this football tournament because most of my friends and I are busy with studying and earning a living. Through this event, I think that many of the youths from Binh Minh commune have participates in ‘a shot for Mauremys annamensis.’ This is both our slogan for the tournament and a promise to protect this species, together.” At the close of the tournament prizes were awarded to the top three teams: My Long, Nhat Tay and Nhi Dong villages.

The ATP will continue to focus conservation efforts including community awareness in both Binh Minh and Binh Khuong communes of Quang Ngai province with community support for conservation essential for such a species where habitat is fragmented and unprotected --------Source: Grover Brown and Pham Thi Thu Hien/ATPA representative from the winning

team proudly claims prizes after a very competitive, successful tournament. Photo: Vo Si Lam/ATP

Education for Nature -Vietnam (www.envietnam.org) “Strengthening Public Participation in Tackling the

Wildlife Trade in Vietnam” (January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2012)

On 22 November 2012, ENV has launched a new version of an online species identification resource with a friendlier interface and additional species. The improvements are designed to encourage greater public participation in protecting Vietnam’s wildlife. The web-based species identification resource allows members of the public to identify wildlife species that are commonly observed in trade using key characteristics that distinguish the animal from other similar species. The resource also includes references to the current legal status of each species, and links to ENV’s online wildlife crime reporting system. This enables users to easily report crimes that they have observed, either directly via the webpage or through ENV’s national toll-free Wildlife Crime Hotline. The species identification resource was initially launched in May 2012. The new upgraded version now contains 25 species, and additional species will be added in the future. “People who witness wildlife crimes may not realize how serious the cases are”,

says Mr. Tran Viet Hung – Vice Director of ENV. “This resource provides more information to help people identify species and common crimes, and find out how they can take action. Getting the public actively involved in combating wildlife crime is essential for any hope of winning the battle to protect Vietnam’s wildlife.” According to ENV, each day hundreds, if not thousands, of wild animals are taken from their natural habitats and sold to meet the rising demand of Vietnamese consumers for exotic foods and traditional medicines made from wildlife. Produced in Vietnamese, ENV’s improved online wildlife identification resource will aid the public in identifying and reporting wildlife crimes. The resource will also be used by ENV’s growing army of young volunteers spread throughout the country, mainly in urban centres, who assist in monitoring business establishments and reporting violations of wildlife laws.

The online identification resource can be accessed through the following link:http://thiennhien.org/dinh-dang-loai ---------Source: Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV)

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publications

BirdLife International began in October 2010 implementation of a two-year project entitled Cambodia dry forest vulnerability and adaptation project

(CAMFVAP), with funding from the MacArthur Foundation. The project has five objectives: i) To publish an assessment of the vulnerability of the Proposed Western Siem Pang Protected Forest and the dry forest landscape to climate change; ii) To identify and test appropriate management adaptation measures. iii) To develop and test an adaptation monitoring framework; iv) To develop a strategic vision and feasibility study for a long-term biodiversity conservation programme that responds to expected climate change impacts for the Proposed Western Siem Pang Protected Forest; and ) To inform the national policy debate of the value of the dry forest ecosystem in climate change adaptation planning.

This report was compiled and written to fulfil objective one and to make recommendations on the direction that objectives two and three should take, while providing a technical background for the development of objectives four and five.

Read the full report here ---------Source: R. J. Timmins (2012) An assessment of the ‘vulnerability’ of the Proposed Western Siem Pang Protected Forest to climate change, with recommendations for adaptation and monitoring. Phnom Penh, Cambodia. BirdLife International Cambodia Programme.

In support of the same project, another report entitled “Resource use and livelihood change in Cambodia’s dry forests: implications for

conservation“ was published in December 2012. Traditional land management can support important and distinctive biodiversity in landscapes where these practices substitute for lost natural processes. Conservation could work closely with local communities to protect this biodiversity, but how this is achieved depends on the extent to which local people rely on the landscape and the livelihood practices benefitting biodiversity, and the long-term prospects for these practices. The author examines these issues in the case of the dry forest ecosystem in northern Cambodia, where domestic livestock and low- intensity rice cultivation benefit a suite of threatened species. The author valued the importance of livelihood activities and natural resource use for the

forest community and examined early signs and likely impacts of change. Read the full report here. -------Source: Hugh L. Wright (2012) Resource use and livelihood change in Cambodia’s dry forests: implications for conservation. Phnom Penh, Cambodia. BirdLife International Cambodia Programme.

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http://birdlifeindochina.org/sites/default/files/WSP-Climate-change-report_FINAL.pdf

http://birdlifeindochina.org/sites/default/files/Resource-use-and-livelihood%20change-report_FINAL.pdf

As the world’s largest inland fishery, the Lower Mekong River supports the livelihoods of more than 60 million

people. World leaders have nervously watched over the past year as the Laos and Thai governments have pushed forward with the Xayaburi Dam, the first of 11 dams planned for the Lower Mekong River, despite opposition from neighbouring countries that are located downstream. Ame Trandem is the Southeast Asia Program Director for International Rivers and shares insights from her work to protect the Mekong’s River Basin from these dams.

The Babbler - What motivated you to enter this work?I was initially drawn to this work while studying for my Master’s degree about the grassroots struggle over the projects being built on the Narmada River in India. I was astonished that in the name of development, these projects were actually undermining progress in India. I then came to Southeast Asia to volunteer with a network of tens of thousands of dam affected people on the Sesan River in northeastern Cambodia and realized the same struggles were really global. On the Sesan, like many rivers in the Mekong region, people’s lives and livelihoods are closely interconnected to the river’s ebbs and flows. After the upstream dams were built on the Sesan River, the river’s hydrology and quality and its ecosystem dramatically changed. Communities living downstream of the dam were left on their

own to cope and have since experienced significant drops in their incomes and food sources. It’s now been more than a decade and these people have yet to receive compensation or remedy for all the adverse impacts. The injustices that have been experienced by the Sesan people and other dam-affected communities across the region, including many of my closest friends, have made it impossible for me to stay silent.

The Babbler - The Lao government recently announced that it has officially begun construction on the Xayaburi Dam, the first dam on the Lower Mekong River. What should happen next?Under a 1995 treaty, the four governments of the Lower Mekong River Basin—Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam—are supposed to mutually agree on all dams that are built on their shared river. Cambodia and Vietnam have asked that the Xayaburi developers first study the possible transboundary impacts of the project, but Laos and Thailand refused and instead authorized the start of construction. Not only is this project irresponsible as it threatens to put the Mekong and its people at serious risk, it also sets a bad precedent for future dam building in the region. Scientists believe that the dam will cause irreversible damage to the region’s fisheries and agriculture. Instead of studying the project’s transboundary impacts, so that the Mekong governments

can truly know how this dam will affect them, the project developers are offering unproven technologies to mitigate fishery and sediment impacts despite many experts stating they are unlikely to work. The good news is that it’s not too late to stop this dam. In January, the Mekong River Commission’s Council members will be meeting to discuss the project. As they are responsible for agreeing to build, or not build, the project, I hope the members will uphold their commitments to the 1995 Mekong Agreement to sustainably manage and protect the river. The governments of Cambodia and Vietnam should press for an immediate halt to construction until the Mekong mainstream dams study that was agreed upon during their last meeting is carried out and plays a role in decision-making. The Thai government should also cancel the dam’s power purchase agreement, as three different Thai government agencies are currently examining the process of how signing the agreement has violated Thai people’s constitutional rights.

The Babbler - In your opinion, what other hydropower projects are a concern in the region?In addition to the proposed Mekong mainstream dams, some of the Mekong’s most significant tributaries are at risk. The 400 MW Lower Sesan 2 Dam in Cambodia is a prime example of a destructive project that should not be built. This dam being built by Cambodia, Vietnam and China was

recently approved by Cambodia’s Cabinet and is likely to wipe out 9.2 percent of the Mekong basin’s fish biomass and 53 fish species will be threatened with extinction. The food security concerns and increased pressure that will be put on land and food in attempt to compensate losses related to such an enormous drop in fisheries should be a concern for everyone. For anyone who is concerned with conservation and future development, it’s essential that this project does not receive the final green-light. There are lots of other projects that also need attention, like the dams planned on the Sekong River and the Nam Ou River in Laos, which threaten terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity.

Ame Trandem: Advocating for a Free-Flowing Mekong

PERSONALITY

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Living River Siam (LRS) is a campaign-based organisation, working to support local communities’ rights to their water resources, promote local

knowledge-based sustainable water resource management, and oppose threats to rivers and riverine ecosystems in Thailand and neighbour countries in the Mekong and Salween River Basins, such as large-scale dams and water diversion projects. LRS, former Southeast Asia Rivers Network (SEARIN), was launched on March 14, 1999, the International Day of Action Against Dams and for Rivers, Water and Life. On 8 February 2011, Living River Siam was registered as Public Benefit Organization (PBO) under Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. LRS was established by academics and NGO activists who have been working on social and environmental issues

in Thailand, particularly on the environmental and social problems caused by large-scale dams, and state policies on resource management. Under the recent CEPF call for Letter of Inquiry, LRS was granted a small grant (nearly US$20,000) to support conservation of rare and threatened aquatic species in the Ing River, a Mekong tributary in the northern Thailand, particularly Jullien’s Golden Carp, Asiatic Softshell Turtle, Giant Catfish, and Mekong Freshwater Stingray, through fish protection zones and participatory research on aquatic species. The project also aims at strengthening and expanding a network of local communities for fish conservation in this tributary of the Mekong River. Read more information about LRS here or here

Living River Siam

Grantee PROFILE

The Babbler - If not hydropower dams, what other technologies can meet the region’s growing energy needs?Hydropower has been deemed by the Mekong governments as the preferred energy technology to meet the region’s energy needs. Yet, this comes with a lot of risks given the close interconnection between rivers and people’s livelihoods and food security. The true costs of many of these dams are never accounted for and continue to be promoted due to poor energy planning processes, inadequate impact assessments, unfair incentives, corruption, and a general lack of legal regulation and accountability. Sadly, informed decision-making based on science and public opinion often takes a back seat to political interests and greed, and more sustainable alternative energies are not even being considered. For example, Thailand is the main driver behind many of the Mekong mainstream dams as it wants to import the projects’ electricity. Yet, energy experts have demonstrated why Thailand does not need energy from these projects due to a cycle of over-investment. Conflicts of interest have historically led to over-forecasting the country’s energy demands and then Thai agencies have passed on the burden of the over-investments to the consumers. By following an alternative power development plan that has been developed by Thai civil society, Thailand could avoid some of the most destructive projects in the region, while lowering electricity bills for consumers by 12% by 2030 and avoiding unnecessary investment of $60 billion. Energy planning in the Mekong region needs to be democratized to avoid a legacy of damaging projects and wasted energy. This is something everyone in the region should be demanding

On 21 October 2012, Sum Phearun, CEPF Project Officer for Cambodia and his wife Song Ronglang welcomed a new member to their family, their son named Seun

Runputhireach, which means “great knowledge.” Welcome to the world, Seun and congratulations to Phearun and Ronglang

STAFF NEWS

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http://www.livingriversiam.org/index-eng.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_River_Siam

From the archives

In 2013 the BirdLife International Partnership celebrates 90 years of working to conserve birds and biodiversity. Although BirdLife had its modern origins as recently as 1992, it began life as far back as 1922 as the International Council for

Bird Preservation (ICBP). After its founding two leading ornithologists, renowned for their knowledge of Asian ornithology lead the recently fledged organisation. These were Jean Delacour from France and the American S Dillon Ripley. Delacour served as ICBP President from 1938 to 1958. Through a series of lengthy expeditions Delacour undertook to what was then French Indochina, Delacour established the baseline of knowledge on the birds of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. No ornithologist since has contributed more to our understanding of the birds of that region. In contrast Ripley served as ICBP President from 1958 to 1982 and the ornithology of the Indian Subcontinent formed a major focus of his life’s work.

In the accompanying photograph taken on the occasion of the XVIII World Conference of ICBP, held in Cambridge, England, UK, from 6–12 August 1982 Sir Peter Scott presents Ripley with one of his paintings and Delacour holds the Delacour medal, which were both awarded to Ripley on the occasion of his stepping down as ICBP President ----------Jonathan C. Eames, BirdLife International

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The Babbler 44

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Transcript of The Babbler 44