Endangered Species in Southeast Asia Frank Lambert With the establishment of IUCN offices in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Lao PDR, the signing of agreements with host governments, and generous financial support from the National Wildlife Federation of the U.S., the IUCN species Survival Commission (SSC) has carried out a number of projects to locate and assess populations of species in urgent need of conservation action. These projects are part of collaborative program involving WWF - World Wide Fund For Nature, relevant government agencies, local scientists and conservation NGOs with field programs in Indochina. Five reports documenting the findings of the first phase of projects carried out under this program are now available. Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey The Tonkin snub-nosed monkey (Pygathrix avunculus) occurs only in northern Vietnam and is considered one of the most endangered primates in the world. There are probably now fewer than 300 snub-nosed monkeys left in the field, and none in captivity. The species has been assigned the highest priority for conservation attention in the IUCN/SSC Asian Primate Action Plan. The principal threat to populations in northern Vietnam is probably hunting, but forest loss, the commercial exploitation of bamboo, and the activities of wildlife traders are also significant. A 1990 assessment of existing protected areas by Vietnam's Ministry of Forests resulted in a proposal that a new reserve be treated in the forests of Na Hang to protect the rare monkey. A project was launched to set the process in motion. The project was carried out by IUCN consultant Roger Cox in cooperation with the Ministry of Forestry of Vietnam. During a two-month field and desk study, the team prepared a management feasibility study of the proposed Na Hang (Tonkin snub-nosed monkey) Nature Reserve in northern Vietnam. The forests of the proposed reserve support the two largest surviving P. avunculus populations and several other animal species which are nationally threatened. The reserve's mammalian fauna, for example, comprises at least 56 species of which 23 (41 %) are considered to be threatened in Vietnam. The next step will be the preparation of a formal management plan for the proposed reserve. Already, WWF is in the process of conducting a major project in the Na Hang reserve. Endemic Vietnamese Pheasants The forests of Vietnam' s Annamese lowlands are considered of global importance for their biodiversity and in particular for four species of endemic birds confined to this small area. A joint project of BirdLife International's Vietnam program, IUCN/SSC and the Vietnamese Ministry of Forests involved a field survey of five sites in the Annamese Lowlands Endemic Bird Area, with the ultimate aim of identifying a suitable site for protected area establishment to safeguard populations of endemic Lophura pheasants. It was carried out by Jonathan Eames and Nguyen Cu of BirdLife International and myself in June and July 1994. The Vietnamese pheasant (L. hatinhensis) was found at two sites situated less than 10 km apart, though only regularly encountered in one area - the Net River watershed in Quang Binh Province. No conclusive evidence was found of the existence of the imperial pheasant (L. imperialis) at any site, although it almost certainly also occurs in the Net River watershed or close by. Where they occur. logging and hunting pose the most serious threats to the long-term survival of these endemic pheasants. Although previously believed to be largely confined to forest in flatter areas, evidence collected during the surveys suggests that L. hatinhensis is most abundant on ridge tops and slopes in areas with relatively undisturbed, closed-canopy forest. Project recommendations focus on protection of the Net River watershed through curtailment of logging and the area' s eventual designation as a protected area. The project also recommended protection of two other areas important for their endemic birds. The Phong Nha Cultural and Historical Site is considered of great international importance due to the presence of populations of the sooty babbler (Stachyris herberti) and Hatinh leaf monkey (Semnopithecus francoisi hatinhensis). The forest in the valley bottoms south of Kim Quang Substation in Vu Quang Nature Reserve probably has one of the last pristine stands of riverine flood plain forest in Vietnam, and supports important populations of threatened mammals including red-shanked Douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus), crested gibbon (Hylobates gabriellae), and Owston's banded civet (Chrotogale owstoni). BirdLife International is currently following up on the project recommendations that relate to the Net River watershed. Further survey work and development of a management plan should follow. Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles Considering the large number of freshwater turtle species and the number which are globally threatened, Vietnam is considered a priority country for chelonian conservation. The NWF/IUCN/WWF Program supported the TRAFFIC Network to conduct an investigation into the significance and extent of trade in Vietnam. This was carried out as part of an effort to determine the economic importance of freshwater and terrestrial chelonians throughout Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, the initial project undertook to monitor the volume, species composition, and logistics of the trade in tortoises and freshwater turtles in Vietnam. The project was carried out during 1993 by the Center for Natural Resources Management and Environmental Studies (CRES) of the University of Hanoi. The study found that the number of freshwater turtles and tortoises hunted locally for food, medicine, and other uses is small compared with the number being exported to China. The project's eight recommendations call for legislation, enforcement, research and public awareness measures aimed at the conservation and sustainable use of the animals, and TRAFFIC was asked to assess demand by studying tortoise and freshwater turtle consumption in China. IUCN/SSC and TRAFFIC are now preparing a project proposal relating to trade in endangered species, including tortoises and turtles) in east and Southeast Asia, which outlines a framework for project follow-up. Large Waterbirds in Cambodia Large waterbird populations in most of Southeast Asia have all but disappeared, but Cambodia still supports populations of several threatened species, including the oriental darter, spot-billed pelican, sarus crane, painted stork, Asian open-bill, greater adjutant, lesser adjutant, woolly-necked stork, black-necked stork, black-headed ibis, and almost certainly the last viable populations of white-shouldered and giant ibises. A small number of milky storks have also been observed at Boeng Tonle Sap and on the coast at Stung Kampong Smach, confirming the presence of this threatened species in Cambodia. The most serious threat to these large waterbirds is the collection of eggs and young, after which the birds are reared by villagers for food, consumed locally, or sold. Another important threat is hunting with traps and hooked mono-filament nylon lines; baited rat poison is also sometimes used to collect waterbirds for food. A seven-week ground and aerial field survey for large waterbirds (ibises, storks, cranes, and pelicans) was executed by Taej Mundkur of the Asian Wetlands Bureau (AWB) and Peter Carr in cooperation with the IUCN office in Cambodia, with a contribution of SFr 25 ,000 by NWF. It covered a large area and variety of potentially important wetland habitats, including Boeng Tonle Sap, its surrounding flooded forests, lakes, and waterways; the Mekong, Bassac, and Tonle Sap Rivers and their associated flood plain wetlands; coastal mangroves and estuaries; and seasonally inundated fields. The team found a significant number of breeding greater adjutants in several locations. They are currently a very rare and threatened species. The report provides information on the conservation status and distribution of all the waterbirds surveyed, with recommendations for protected area development and management, control measures for egg collection and hunting of waterbirds, legislation, research and training. The team also prepared an assessment of the international and national importance of the sites surveyed as potential conservation areas and recommended follow-up activities. Kouprey The kouprey (Bos sauveli) has remained an elusive and enigmatic animal since its discovery in 1937. Probably never a common species, in recent times it has been widely regarded as one of the world's most endangered mammals. The troubled security situation in Indochina has prevented comprehensive study of the animals, although brief and inconclusive ground surveys were carried out in Vietnam and southern Laos in 1988-1989. An aerial survey of kouprey in the Mondolkiri and Stoeng Treng Provinces of eastern Cambodia was conducted in March 1994 by a team from Cambodia' s Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the State Secretariat of Environment (SEE) and two international consultants (Robert Olivier and Michael Woodford), with advice from David Ashwell of the IUCN Cambodia office. Despite intensive surveying over main areas where kouprey are expected to occur, the team was unable to find the kouprey in either of two survey areas. They did, however, collect important data on other large mammals in the Mondolkiri survey area. These included 97 banteng (Bos javanicus birmanicus), 13 Eld's deer (Cervus eldi siamensis), and four gaur (Bos gaurus). No wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) were seen, suggesting that this species probably occurs in the area at far lower densities than previously estimated. Although large herbivore habitat remains extensive in Mondolkiri and in Stoeng Treng it is evident that little, if any, of this range has escaped human disturbance, especially hunting. Consequently, wildlife is distributed fairly evenly in the areas of least human activity, but at very low densities. This limited resource probably owes its continued survival to the widespread availability of surface water in the dry season. Despite the negative aerial survey results, there is evidence that a few kouprey survive in Cambodia. A brief follow-up survey based on interviews with hunters and villagers in the regions was carried out with NWF support in 1995 by staff of the Cambodian Wildlife Protection Office (WPO). One hunter interviewed, who clearly knew the differences between the various wild cattle species, claimed to have observed two kouprey during late 1994. This encouraging news will be followed up on during the 1996 dry season, when ground survey work on large mammals will be conducted as part of the NWF-sponsored program. IUCN is also presently seeking funding for a two-year project in Cambodia that will seek to locate kouprey and provide a wealth of information on other large mammals. Future Work During 1996, a number of activities supported by NWF will be carried out in the region. Cambodia will be the focus of three projects, all of which will involve intensive training of Cambodian WPO and Secretariat for the Environment staff. One of these projects will again focus on the large waterbirds of Tonle Sap, with the aim of trying to locate precisely all the important colonies in the lake region, and beginning the process of detailed data collection on the numbers of large waterbirds breeding at various colonies and on the levels of harvest and occurrence of poisoning of large waterbirds. It is unlikely that these activities can be prevented entirely in the short-term, but based on data collection, recommendations on sustainable harvesting levels may be possible. The project will also seek to reduce the threat from poisoning by encouraging the various communities involved to stop this (illegal) practice. Also during 1996. security permitting, a second project on large waterbirds will be initiated, with surveys of wetlands in the forests of northeastern Cambodia in an attempt to identify areas containing white-shouldered and giant ibis populations. These birds are among the most seriously threatened species in Southeast Asia, and, with the opening up of Cambodia to large-scale logging activities, urgent conservation measures will be needed if these species are to be saved from extinction. The giant ibis is already extinct in most-of its former range, and although a few individuals have been observed in southern Laos, Cambodia is likely to be its last stronghold. The second project will start with a field-based course on large mammal research and survey techniques in Thailand. The course will bring together Thai nationals from the Royal Thai Forest Department and five Cambodian nationals for three weeks at Hwai Kha Kaeng, where a number of active projects on wild cattle, elephants, and large cats, including tiger, are already underway. Following the field course, Cambodian participants will be funded to undertake three months of ground surveys to collect data on large mammals in eastern Cambodia, under the supervision of a consultant from IUCN. It is hoped that this work will lead to a better understanding of the distribution and numbers of threatened mammals in this part of the country, as well as providing more solid information on threats upon which recommendations for conservation action can be based. A project on Bengal florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis) may also start, in collaboration with the BirdLife Vietnam program, during 1996. Only 300-400 individuals of this species, which has suffered from chronic loss of its wet grassland habitat, are known to survive in the Indian and Nepalese parts of its range. Virtually nothing is known, however, about its status in Indochina, where a distinctive subspecies occurs. Historical records suggest a wide range in Cambodia, as well as migratory habits, but the only recent records come from Vietnam, where observed in 1994, in an area close to the Cambodian border that has since been converted to rice paddies. Its status in Cambodia therefore deserves urgent attention. Finally, it is hoped that a project focusing on threatened species in Myanmar may be initiated in 1996, and consultations regarding this possibility will be carried out in January in Rangoon. Frank Lambert SSC Program Officer Southeast Asia IUCN Office, Bangkok Source: Species 25:26-29 (Dec. 1995)