Hunters 'threaten key Vietnam birds'
Almost nine-tenths of Vietnam's most important sites for bird
conservation are at risk from hunting and trapping, experts
say.
The warning comes from BirdLife
International, a global alliance of
ornithologists working in more
than 100 countries.
It says the danger comes mainly
from a huge rise in the trade in
wildlife, and from agricultural
pressure.
But BirdLife praises the
Vietnamese Government's work
to establish protected areas for
wildlife.
With the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Hanoi,
BirdLife has published a guide, Key Sites for Conservation in
Vietnam.
It says 56 of 63 of the most critically important places for bird and
biodiversity conservation (88%) are affected by illegal hunting
and trapping.
Heavy toll
Second to that as a threat is more intensive farming, which
affects 43 of the sites.
The guide says this is especially serious for wetlands, including
coastal mudflats and wet grasslands in the Mekong delta.
Richard Grimmett, head of
BirdLife's Asia division, said: "Wild
animals such as bears, primates
and turtles are being trapped or
shot in large numbers.
"This is largely because of the
massive increase in wildlife trade
following the opening up of
Vietnam's borders and road
development into remote areas.
"However, it is not all gloomy
news thanks to the far-sighted commitment of the Vietnamese
Government to biodiversity conservation, which has led to the
recent establishment of more than six protected areas to protect
Vietnam's unique wildlife."
Inexorable pressures
BirdLife has also welcomed the recent establishment of
site-support groups, which bring local people together to plan the
long-term sustainability of the area, for themselves and for
wildlife.
The study on which the guide is based was funded by the Danish
development agency Danida.
The Danish ambassador to
Vietnam, Bjarne Sorensen, said:
"In recent years, Vietnam has
captivated the world through the
discovery of a remarkable series
of new bird and mammal species.
"Sadly, however, as in many
other regions of the world, rapid
population growth and economic
development are threatening the
rich biodiversity for which
Vietnam is so rightly famed."
Unexplored ark
Earlier fieldwork by BirdLife to identify Vietnam's key conservation
sites led to the discovery of three species of bird new to science -
the black-crowned barwing, and the golden-winged and
chestnut-eared laughingthrushes.
The country is also home to an extremely small population of
highly endangered rhinos.
New mammal species found in recent years in south-east Asia
include the world's smallest deer, in Burma, and a striped rabbit
in the mountains straddling the border between Laos and
Vietnam.
In the last few years a forest pig and a hoofed animal like an
antelope, the saola, have also been found in the region.
By Alex Kirby - BBC News - March 13, 2003.
|