CONTINUING CONSERVATION EFFORTS FOR THE DELACOUR’S LANGUR IN HANOI

Recently, Jack Tordoff, Managing Director of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), visited the Huong Son Special-use Forest in Hanoi, where Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD), in collaboration with its partners, is implementing a Community-based Monitoring Project for the Delacour’s langur (Trachypithecus delacouri) and the limestone forest ecosystem. The project is financially supported by CEPF.

During the morning field visit, despite dense fog, the delegation was fortunate to observe at least three individual Delacour’s langurs. Along the patrol routes, the donor was introduced to the limestone forest ecosystem of Huong Son and highlighted endangered wildlife species recorded during regular forest patrols.

CCD’s work in Huong Son since 2021 has been highly appreciated by the donor for contributing to increased resilience of the Delacour’s langur population as well as other wildlife species. Mr. Jack Tordoff also acknowledged the dedicated efforts of CCD, the community monitoring team, local authorities, and Huong Son commune police in mitigating threats to the forest ecosystem—particularly through the confiscation and removal of extensive bird-trapping net systems surrounding the Huong Son Special-use Forest.

Aside from these achievements, CCD is facing long-standing challenges in the area, including: a large forest area (approximately 2,500 hectares) that is not yet covered by community monitoring, where another langur group is known to inhabit; increased hunting and wildlife trapping pressure during the annual Huong Pagoda festival season; and severe declines in certain wildlife populations to levels that hinder natural recovery, posing significant impacts on the forest ecosystem as a whole, including the Delacour’s langur.

Within the framework of the project, CCD and its partners will organize environmental education and awareness-raising activities on biodiversity conservation and relevant legal regulations in schools and local communities surrounding the Huong Son Special-use Forest. These activities aim to enhance public understanding of nature’s values and the benefits provided by healthy ecosystems, thereby contributing to collective efforts to combat forest degradation and loss, climate change, natural disasters, and disease risks in Huong Son and across Vietnam.