Currently, the Center for Conservation of Nature and Development (CCD) in collaboration with the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR) is reviewing information on mammal species to update the conservation status in the Viet Nam Red Book. It is expected that the Viet Nam Red Book (updated) will be published by the end of 2023.
Cuc Phuong National Park
The Vietnam Red Book will provide information on the taxonomic position, conservation status, distribution and biological and ecological characteristics of animals and plants in Viet Nam that are extinct or at risk in nature.
Updating the Red Book is an important activity to help update the status of distribution and populations of species, thereby ranking the protection level accordingly. The information from the Red Book will also be an important scientific basis for management agencies to update the list of protected species and allocate resources for conservation and population restoration activities.
The Vietnam Red List and Red Book databases are also important scientific bases for policy making, resource mobilization, investment attraction as well as international cooperation programs; law enforcement in biodiversity conservation in general and species conservation in particular in Viet Nam.
Currently, relevant experts and organizations are carrying out activities to review and update the status of distribution and populations of species in order to rank the threat level in the Red Book, which is very important to bring issuing warnings, thereby taking appropriate conservation actions and management regulations. The review activity has received the attention and participation of domestic scientists, especially conservation organizations and research agencies, and universities in the country.
Dr. Nguyen Manh Ha, Director of the Center for Nature Conservation and Development, said that through the review, there are many species of mammals that have been upgraded to a level of protection due to their small populations and narrow habitat. These are species that are under pressure from the current problem of hunting and habitat loss.
Specifically, among nearly 100 species of mammals reviewed, more than 50 species have been upgraded to conservation status compared to the 2007 Red Book; in which there are more than 20 species classified as the highest conservation alert level CR (Critically Endangered) such as gibbons, some langurs, many species of the Cat family, some otters, and pangolins. In addition, it is necessary to mention some species that have not been evaluated in the wild in the last 10-20 years such as tigers, leopards, fish cats, wild buffaloes, etc.
Updating the Red List and the Viet Nam Red Book is a project chaired by the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology. The Viet Nam Red Book Project was first published in 1992. The last time the Viet Nam Red Book was revised was in 2007.
B. Tho
