Lorises (Nycticebus Spp.) and turtles, tortoise conservation in Xuan Lien Nature Reserve
On March 2021, Center for nature Conservation and Development in collaboration with Xuan Lien Nature Reserve conduct a field surveys to identify the population and distribution of turtles, tortoise and Lorises in Xuan Lien.
The surveys were conducted in the forest sector no. 498, 495 and 507, in the upstream of Hon Mong, Hon Ca and Vung Bo streams in Xuan Lien reserve. The main habitat of these areas is mixed woodland-bamboo forests which is considered as ideal habitat of turtles, tortoise and Lorises. Due to the survey time was early spring and the weather was still cold, it was not the right time for turtle and lorises active. So there were hardly no signs of the targeted species in these areas. However, our team also recorded some animals in the study sites including Indochinese flying squirrel (Hylopetes phayrei); Asian small clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus), Common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), Phayre’s leaf monkey (Trachypithecus phayrei), Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys), Stump-tailed macaque (Macaca arctoides), muntjacs, wild boar and many other reptiles and amphibians. Our team also observed several animal traps (then removed them) and shelters of local people who entered the core zone of the reserve to catch fish, frogs and small animals. The findings indicated that the study area is an important conservation stronghold in the reserve but it also is one of frequent impacted areas by local people.
Turtles, tortoise and the lorises are fully protected by Vietnamese regulations, for instance, most of the turtles, tortoise species and the both loris species distributed in Xuan Lien are on the protected lists in Decree No. 06/2019/ND-CP and Decree No. 64/2019/ND-CP. Therefore, it is necessary to implement more patrol and protect activities to minimize the human impact in this reserve.
CCD will continue its cooperation with Xuan Lien to provide more information on species diversity as well as opportunities for conservation and population recovery for these species. Meanwhile, CCD will cooperate with Xuan Lien to organize more awareness raising activity to enhance conservation knowledge for local people. The awareness will not only improve public awareness but also help to reduce illegal wildlife poaching and increase community responsibility for the conservation of turtles, loris and other endangered animals in the Reserve.
