Illustrative image. (Photo: quangnam.gov.vn) Quang Nam (VNA) – Aworkshop on the preservation of Asian elephants in Bac Tra My and Hiep Ducdistricts of Quang Nam province was held on May 19 in the central province.
The event, which was organisedby the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources under the Vietnam Academy ofScience and Technology in collaboration with the provincial Department ofAgriculture and Rural Development, aims to find solutions to effectivelyconserve the elephant population in the locality.
It is reported that a herd of Asian elephants are living in forests belonging to Bac Tra My district, outside the elephant conservation area of the province.
Although no exact information about the number of individuals and structure of the herd is available, it is urgent to evaluate their status, habit and food source, to help with the protection of the elephants or relocation of them to the conservation area.
Asian elephant has been on the International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN) Red List and the Vietnam Red Book. In Vietnam,elephants are distributed in a number of provinces including Son La, Thanh Hoa,Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Kon Tum, Dak Lak, Binh Thuan, and DongNai.
According to a report by theWorld Wide Fund for Nature in Vietnam (WWF-Vietnam), at least 29 elephants werekilled or endangered from 2009-2015. Thereare only about 100 individuals living in the wild in Vietnam due to loss ofhabitat and illegal hunting.
A project on the conservation ofelephants for 2013-2030 has been approved by the Vietnamese Government to meet theurgent requirements to preserve elephants in the wild.
Addressing the workshop, TranUt, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment said a project on the establishment of elephant species and habitatconservation area in Nong Son district has been endorsed by the provincial People’sCommittee in 2017, adding that elephants are found living only in Tien Phuoc, Bac TraMy, Nong Son, and Nam Giang and Phuoc Son districts.
According to a report of the biodiversity evaluation programme released in April, 2020, a herd of eight Asian elephantshas been found living in an elephant conservation area in Nong Son district. They include a maturemale, one semi-mature male, three mature females and twosemi-mature females, and a one-year-old calf.
At theworkshop, experts and researchers focused on assessing the current status andpossibility of relocating the Asian elephant herd from Bac Tra My and Hiep Ducdistricts to the conservation area to ensure the development of the herd./.
