Efforts to conserve Saola species in Quang Nam

Quang Nam The coordination mechanism between forest rangers and specialized forest protection forces has been implemented by the Quang Nam Saola Conservation Area in an effort to search for and protect the saola.

Located in the core zone of the Quang Nam Saola Conservation Area, A-Tep Ranger Station is a stopover for many international scientists to research and search for traces of the rare ungulate.

Considering the forest as home, Mr. Le Hoang Son, Director of the Reserve, said that this place has a tropical forest ecosystem with many unique ornamental creatures and countless rare flora and fauna species with global priority that need to be protected. "Our goal and mission is to preserve the biodiversity values ​​in what can be called the largest home of saola that needs to be prioritized for conservation in Vietnam," Mr. Son said.

Saola is a rare ungulate species of Vietnam's mountains and forests. Photo: WWF Vietnam

Managing and protecting the forests of more than 15,000 hectares spread across Dong Giang and Tay Giang districts is a challenging task. The reserve faces many threats, such as hunting, trapping, encroachment on forest land for farming, logging, forest products and forest fires. "Our patrolling therefore faces many difficulties, because of the fragmented terrain, harsh weather, most of the patrol areas have to walk for many days, eating and sleeping in the forest," Mr. Son added.

In this context, the two key forest protection forces, the rangers and local forest guards, have taken on independent tasks. The rangers are responsible for law enforcement and forest fire prevention; the forest guards patrol and remove traps, preventing violations in the forest.

Officers of the Saola Conservation Area in Quang Nam and forest rangers in Quang Nam forest. Photo: WWF Vietnam

In addition, support from the Biodiversity Conservation Component has played an important role in improving the capacity and training quality of the rangers and forest guards. Thanks to the enhanced training programs, staff working in the Saola Reserve are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to deal with issues related to Saola conservation and management.

Director of Biodiversity Conservation Component - Mr. Nick Cox said that functional forces and community-based patrol teams both play an important role in forest protection. Working together and coordinating based on a clear mechanism will contribute to improving the effectiveness of forest protection, contributing to enhancing biodiversity values.

"We believe that rewilding is the only viable strategy to restore the wildlife populations that should exist in Vietnam. If we had done rewilding 20 or 25 years ago, we might have been able to save the saola from extinction," said Nick Cox.

SMART technology is also deployed during patrols to detect and respond quickly to illegal hunting and habitat destruction. The SMART system provides tools to monitor, collect and analyze data on threats to saola and their habitat.

In addition, the use of camera traps has shown to play a role in monitoring saola and collecting information on their behavior and distribution. This tool allows for the recording of images and videos of saola in the wild, providing information on their behavior, ecology and distribution. These data are used to gain a deeper understanding of the saola's living needs, habitat and relationships with other species, thereby providing more effective conservation measures.

The use of SMART technology and Camera traps has supported the monitoring and tracking of Saola and other wildlife species. Photo: WWF Vietnam

On the other hand, efforts to conserve this rare species also face a number of challenges. Habitat loss, illegal hunting and the trade in wildlife products continue to persist. Therefore, strengthening forest management, improving education and raising public awareness remain important priorities going forward.

The Dan

The Biodiversity Conservation Component of the Sustainable Forest Management and Biodiversity Conservation (VFBC) project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is implemented by WWF-Vietnam from 2020-2025 in 14 special-use forests and 7 protection forests in Vietnam.
In Quang Nam, the VFBC project is implemented in Song Thanh National Park, elephant species and habitat conservation area, Dong Giang and Tay Giang protective forests, and saola species and habitat conservation area.
Since 2016, July 9 has been chosen as the International Saola Day. WWF-Vietnam also chose this day to launch the project "Save Saola - the brother of the same motherland" in 2016, a community campaign to raise awareness and widespread participation of society to conserve this rare animal species.

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/no-luc-bao-ton-loai-sao-la-tai-quang-nam-4628690.html