Gray-shanked douc langurs (pygathrix cinerea) pictured in a forest in central Vietnam (Photo: courtesy GreenViet) Quang Nam (VNA) - The central province ofQuang Nam, in cooperation with the Centre of Biodiversity Conservation,GreenViet, has begun an urgent conservation project for two herds ofgray-shanked douc langurs (pygathrix cinerea) in a forest of Nui Thanh district’sTam My Tay commune.
Deputy head of Quang Nam Forest ProtectionSub-department Tu Van Khanh said the population of 20 gray-shanked douc langurswere found living on 10ha of primary forest in 2000, and the local communityhave since protected the critically endangered primates.
Khanh said the langurs, listed on theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature (IUNC) Red List as one of theworld’s 25 Most Critically Endangered primates in the world, and only foundliving in Vietnam, faced being wiped out when an acacia log farm beganexpanding in the area.
He said the endangered langurs were found livingin a forest in Nong Son district of Quang Nam province.
As planned, the province plans to expand the protection area for the langursfrom 10ha to 80ha, and begin reforestation of the primary forest to make abetter habitat for the species.
Experts from the Frankfurt Zoological Society’s VietnamPrimate Conservation Programme and GreenViet will conduct a survey on theexistence of the langurs to allocate a special protection zone for prolongedconservation.
Experts from Frankfurt Zoological Society saidaround 1,000 gray-shanked doucs were recorded living in five provinces,including Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Kon Tum and Gia Lai.
Gia Lai province’s National Kon Ka Kinh Parkpreserves the largest number of langurs (250 individuals).-VNA
VNA
