Primates swing into spotlight

(04-05-2006)

Radio Voice of Viet Nam spoke to Paul Insua Cao, co-ordinator of Flora and Fauna International’s primates programme in Viet Nam, about the country’s primates, rare species and extensive biodiversity.

How many different types of primates can be found in Viet Nam?

Viet Nam has more than 20 different types of primates; and it’s only a small country that’s densely populated. The primates include endangered and critically endangered, and endemic species. What I find most surprising about primates in Viet Nam is that very few people are aware about the very rare and very beautiful charismatic primates that Viet Nam has.

How has Flora and Fauna International (FFI) been involved in protecting primates in Viet Nam?

FFI has been working for about 6 or 7 years in Viet Nam. The first thing FFI did was work on recognising the value of primates in Viet Nam and how little was known about them. FFI organises many surveys especially in the north of Viet Nam. As a result, they discovered some sites that had not been previously known (and are home to some) very, very important species. Since that time about 5 years ago, FFI has been implementing projects in the most important sites where there were previously no activities and where the species are especially under threat. There are, for example, big projects in the Hoang Lien Son mountain range as a result of the discovery of western black crested gibbons. Also, FFI has two projects going on in Ha Giang and Cao Bang. These projects are aimed at protecting some extremely critically endangered species - one is the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey that is only found in Viet Nam. The primates have been under threat for many years, in danger from hunting and habitat destruction and the construction of a hydropower plant in Tuyen Quang. FFI has been working in Ha Giang where there is a high population of Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys that were discovered three or four years ago. So we have one project there and another project in Cao Bang on the local population of the cao vit gibbon. Cao vit is a word from the Tay language that means an animal that swings through the trees, and this animal is only known to live in one forest in Cao Bang near the border with China. There are only 40 individuals left. FFI also has projects in central Viet Nam, in Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park. Phong Nha-Ke Bang is very well known for the caves and the karst landscape, and perhaps less known for the fact that is has the richest diversity of primates in Indochina. There are about nine or ten species of primates, and anyone who hears about this is quite impressed. They include three endangered primates that are the very beautiful red-shanked douc languor, Ha Tinh languor and the white-cheeked crested gibbon.

You have been co-operating a lot with Vietnamese agencies, has this co-operation been successful?

FFI is working in nature conservation, so we often work with the Forest protection department. We work quite closely with them on the project sites. My personal experience in working with the Forest protection departments in Ha Giang and Cao Bang is very positive. They support the projects very much. In Cao Bang, the provincial forest protection department has been putting pressure on us to protect the area for the gibbon. In Ha Giang, the local Forest Protection Department is the co-ordinator on the ground. I must say that in both places, collaboration has been very strong. On the other hand, sometimes there has been a little lack of experience in dealing with conservation, especially from the technical point of view and the point of view of engaging people to participate in nature conservation. This is a point that FFI and other conservation organisations such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Bird Life International take very seriously. The mandate of the forest protection department in Viet Nam is very much one of enforcement and they are very much over-stressed in terms of the staff and financial capacity. On the other hand, experience shows that people on the ground are quite willing to learn. So I think that is something quite positive.

It goes back to the fact that people’s awareness needs to be enhanced, as you have said many are still not aware of the importance of primates in Viet Nam. How will FFI help to raise awareness?

FFI has been engaged in raising awareness for some years now. Many posters I saw about primates in Viet Nam were done by FFI, and field guidebooks and a set of stamps with pictures of Vietnamese primates were also produced. I think we still have a long way to go. Another recent publication was a tourism map that features the red-shanked douc languor on the front cover - she is a very beautiful and attractive languor. And from initiatives like a VOV Radio show, we also hope that awareness can be raised. We often work at the local level and things are begun with a strong campaign of awareness raising. Now in Ha Giang and Cao Bang there is a very high level of awareness on the two species of primates that we are protecting, and of the value of primates. It is very important that people are proud of the fact that there are primates in the vicinity. On the other hand, we work in an area where people are poor. We can’t expect their support just because they are proud of something. So we also try to help them by providing something that could improve their livelihoods.

What can you say about the financial assistance that FFI has provided to Viet Nam?

FFI is always looking for funds to support its projects. It is seeking funds, not providing funds. So if any of your listeners happens to have some fund for nature conservation, FFI is very interested to hear about it. But we do fund on the ground, we fund local rangers, asking local people to act as rangers. That costs US$500 to 600 a year per person. We have six such rangers in Ha Giang and six in Cao Bang and more in Hoang Lien Son range, home to ethnic minority people. In addition to that on-the-ground conservation, we also do scientific research. It can cost $15,000 to 20,000 for a Master student to work in the field for a year. We do survey work and also engage with local communities to support livelihoods. We are now about to embark on a project to provide a plantation of wood for fuel that costs $20,000, for which we are grateful to the US ambassador. We receive funds from the US government’s Fish and Wildlife Service, the UK government’s Flagship Species Fund and also from the Australian government. The sites in Ha Giang and Cao Bang cost about $150,000 a year. — VNS