THE PROPOSED PLAN FOR MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION OF THE VUNERABLE DALBERGIA COCHINCHINENSIS AND ENGANGERED DALBERGIA OLIVERI IN VIETNAM
Vietnam is considered as one of the 25 highest levels of biodiversity countries in the world with about 20,000 species of plants, 3000 species of fish, more than 1000 species of birds, and over 300 species of mammals (Loc et al., 2018)*. However, many wild animal and plant species have been facing extinction due to overexploitation, illegal hunting and harvesting, land-use conversion, forest fire, environmental pollution, natural disasters and climate change, and invasive species (Loc et al., 2018).
Amongst the threatened plant species, Dalbergia cochinchinensis and Dalbergia oliveri are the ones that have been heavily exploited and traded not only in Vietnam but also in many natural distribution areas of these species around the world for increasing demand, especially for exporting to high-grade wood markets in East Asia.
Under the financial support of the European Union and CITES Secretariat, CCD has conducted a series of research such as a review of taxonomy, field survey on abundance and stocking of wild populations, threat assessement, mapping of distribution areas, development of an identification manual and mobile App, compiling of a non-detriment finding report, and development of a proposed management and conservation plan. The proposed plan for management and conservation of D. cochinchinensis and D. oliveri will help effective protection and restoration of the existing wild populations, afforestation of D. cochinchinensis and D. oliveri for the colonization in the historical distribution areas, and inclusion of these two species into Vietnam’s official afforestation and forest rehabilitation programs with native species.
CCD will keep working with forestry authorities at national and provincial levels, especially at protected areas which are natural distribution of D. cochinchinensis and D. oliveri to facilitate consevation and recovery activities of these species.
For more information on the news of this plan, please find it at: https://cites.org/eng/news/viet-nam-considers-conservation-plan-two-valuable-tree-species
(*) Loc, P. K., Yen, M. D., & Averyanov, L. (2018). Biodiversity in Vietnam. Global Biodiversity, 1, 473–502. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429487743-14