(Promulgated by the Ministry of Forestry on March 23, 1993)

 

 

 

 

SUBJECT: ENDAGERED SPECIES; FORRESTRY

ISSUING-DEPT: MINISTRY OF FORRESTRY OF VIETNAM

ISSUE-DATE: 03/23/1993

IMPLEMENT-DATE: 03/23/1993

LENGTH: 1184 words

TEXT:

Background and Justification

Several primate taxa that are confined to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, or have a significant percentage of their world population in this country, are threatened with extinction. These include the douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus and P. nigripes), Francois or Tonkin langur (Trachypithecus f. francoisi), Deracour's langur (T. f. delacouri), white headed langur (T. francoisi poliocephalus), Tonkin snubnose monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus) and white-cheeked gibbons (Hylobates leucogenys gabriellae and H. l. siki). All of these primates are threatened by destruction of their tropical forest habitat and hunting for food and medicine, and some are also victims of illegal trade. The Primate Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union's Species Survival Commission (IUCN/SSC) considers these taxa among the highest primate conservation priorities in the world.

Unfortunately, these endangered Vietnamese primates continue to be shot and trapped, and their habitat continues to be degraded, even within national parks and reserves where they are supposed to receive of official protection. Because the populations of some of these taxa are already at critically low levels - some believed to number only in the low hundreds - continued hunting, trapping and habitat alteration could eventually lead to their extinction. Beyondenforcing the laws that serve to protect primate populations living in existing national parks and reserves, it is important to begin efforts to create new protected areas where new populations of endangered primates are discovered, the best example being several small populations of Rhinopithecus avunculus that were discovered by scientists in 1992 after the species had not been reported for more than 20 years.

It is important that a special facility be established to maintain small captive populations of endangered primates whose wild populations are no longer viable, or for those animals that are confiscated from the illegal trade, and provision should be made for long-term field studies of remaining wild populations and their threatened tropical forest habitats. With the assistance of the international zoological and conservation communities. it is also important that captive breeding programs for several of these primate taxa be developed as soon as possible as an insurance against the possible extinction of wild populations.

Objectives

It is recognised that:

a. increased protection for and a better scientific understanding of wild primate populations and tropical forests in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is of the highest priority;

b. establishment of a rescue centre in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam may represent the best hope for the survival of those primates whose populations are already very small, fragmented and under threat from hunters and trappers;

c. the urgency of the situation may also require the establishment of captive colonies and breeding programs outside the Socialist Republic of Vietnam;

d. the expertise and resources necessary to undertake these initiatives may not yet be available in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and will need to be provided by international partners to this agreement; and

e. project awareness and public education efforts will be needed to inform local people about the need to protect endangered primates and other Vietnamese wildlife. To achieve the above-stated goals, the following actions are recommended:

First Party

1. The First Party (The Ministry of Forestry of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam) initiates efforts to ensure effective implementation of the law providing protection for threatened primates, esp. douc langurs (Pygathrix spp.), leave monkeys (Trachypitheus francoisi sspp.), the Tonkin snubnose monkey (Rhinopitheus avunculus) and white cheeked gibbons (Hylobates leucogenys sspp.) in Vietnam.

2. The First Party agrees to work towards the creation of a special area for the Tonkin snubnose monkey (Rhinopitheus avunculus), which does not occur in any park or reserve.

3. The First Party grants permission for establishing long-term research efforts in protected areas where the primates in question occur, and for conducting searches and surveys to document any undiscovered populations.

4. The First Party provides a parcel of land of sufficient size, in Cuc Phuong National Park or other national park and provides the legal framework to construct a rescue centre for endangered primates.

5. The First Party provides the necessary permits for the transportation of primates (either confiscated, or acquired from habitats where in-situ protection is unlikely to succeed, as mutually agreed by both parties) to the primate rescue centre.

6. With the permission of the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, some primates may be available outside of Vietnam (ownership to remain with the First Party) after the second generation.

Second Party

1. The Second Party (a consortium of zoological parks, Conservation International and the Primate Specialist Group and Captive Breeding Specialist Groups of the IUCN/SSC) provides expertise, personnel and funding for field research and conservation efforts, including salaries for Vietnamese counterparts.

2. The Second Party provides financial assistance in the effort to create a new protected area for remaining Tonkin snubnose monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus) populations.

3. The Second Party provides expertise and funding to build and properly equip a primate rescue centre in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

4. The Second Party provides an experienced primate keeper and appropriate veterinary services for at least the first three years of the primate rescue centre's operation, with the possibility of continuing this agreement based upon recommendation from a joint international committee (see below).

5. The Second Party provides for the training of up to six (6) Vietnamese nationals in captive husbandry and conservation, and will assist in their employment for at least the first three years of the primate rescue centre's operation, with the possibility of continuing this arrangement.

6. The Second Party provides facilities at several zoological parks for maintaining and breeding a sufficient number of animals to ensure the long-term survival of the primate taxa in question. Should their numbers be increased through captive breeding to ensure long-term genetic viability, animals will be available for possible reintroduction in Vietnam.

7. The Second Party provides funding (up to three years) for an education campaign in selected areas of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to promote conservation of endangered primates and other wildlife.

8. The Second Party provides funding for a PHVA Workshop on Vietnam's most endangered primate species, to be held in the near future.

Both Parties

agree to establish a joint international committee to oversee activities carried out under this programme, and to follow the guidelines for field research, rescue and captive breeding efforts that are provided by this committee.

First Party

Mr Nguyen Mau Tai
Directory of Forestry Protection Department Ministry of Forestry of Vietnam Hanoi

Second Party

Ms. Ardith Eudey
Vice Chairwoman of IUCN SSC /
Primate Specialist Group, California,
USA

Mr H.J. Adler, IUCN SSC / CBSG
Vice Chairman of ZSCSP, Muenchen,
Germany

Mr Bruce Cambpell, IUCN,
Royal Zoological Society of
South Australia, Adelaide

Cuc Phuong / Hanoi 25th March, 1993