The central province of Quang Nam has approved a conservation programme for eight precious and endangered flora genes in the province in 2014-2020.

The programe will provide a budget of 8 billion VND (380,000 USD) for the conservation of plants, including Ngoc Linh ginseng, condonopsis in Tay Giang, pepper in Tien Phuoc, cinnamon in Tra My, large-size rattan and white corn in Hoi An.

The fund will help to build conservation gardens and to gather biodiversity data on the genes of various plant families and aquatic species.

According to statistics, the province is home to 1,129 flora species, of which six are globally endangered.

Forests in the districts of Phu Ninh, Song Tranh and Nam Giang also shelter flocks of over 118 langurs (pygathrix cinerea) – the most endangered primates in the world – and the Sao la (Pseudoryxnghetinhensis), one of the world’s rarest mammals.

Experts from the Frankfurt Zoological Society’s Vietnam Primate Conservation Programme said Quang Nam is one of the five provinces in the country that conserve about 1,000 gray-shanked douc langurs along with Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Kon Tum and Gia Lai.-VNA