Support the conservation of the White-crested Pheasant in Vietnam

Over the years, scientists have set up camera traps in many places in the distribution area of the White-crested Pheasant but have not found any traces of this species in the wild. However, they have determined that there is no evidence or basis to say that this species is extinct in the wild. Experts still hope to find footprints of the rare White-crested Pheasant in the wild and develop plans to preserve and breed this species.

The first description of the white-crested pheasant was in 1896.

Therefore, the People's Committee of Quang Binh province has approved the aid for the Project "Support for the conservation of White-crested Pheasant in Vietnam" sponsored by the World Pheasant Association with an amount equivalent to nearly 600 million VND to contribute to the conservation of White-crested Pheasant in Vietnam through the construction of cages and breeding and conservation of White-crested Pheasants at the White-crested Pheasant Breeding and Conservation Station of the Vietnam Nature Conservation One Member Limited Liability Company.

Project implementation period until December 2024.

The last recorded sighting of the White-crested Pheasant in the wild was in 2000.

The White-crested Pheasant is threatened with extinction in some areas and its long-term disappearance from the wild has caused great concern to the conservation community. Therefore, in 2012, the White-crested Pheasant was upgraded to critically endangered on the IUCN Red List (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources).

The white-crested pheasant is a pheasant species endemic to central Vietnam. This species has the scientific name Lophura edwardsi , mainly distributed in 4 provinces including Ha Tinh , Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue. This animal species was most recently recorded in the wild in 2000.

In Quang Binh, Dong Chau - Khe Nuoc Trong Nature Reserve in Le Thuy district is assessed to have the presence and survival of the White-crested Pheasant. Dong Chau - Khe Nuoc Trong is recognized by the World Bird Conservation Organization as one of 62 important bird areas and in the Lowland Endemic Bird Area of Vietnam (BirdLife International 2002).

This is a place with high biodiversity in Vietnam, and is also a rare place in the country that preserves over 50% of the vegetation (area of 14,574ha) of the lowland tropical evergreen closed forest, humid tropical rain forest and subtropical evergreen closed forest, with very rich resources, while this type of forest no longer exists in other localities.

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