In Search of Edwards s Pheasant (Lophura edwardsi) in the Annamese Lowlands of Vietnam

Transcription

1 In Search of Edwards s Pheasant (Lophura edwardsi) in the Annamese Lowlands of Vietnam Le Duc Minh CRES, Vietnam actsheet.php?id=253

2 Background Project information Preliminary results Future plans

3 Background Records Discovered in 1895 by Oustalet, North of Hue City Delacour and Jabouille collected 10 male specimens and 22 alive animals zone/speciesfactsheet.ph Between 1930 and 1996, the species was not recorded p?id=253 and assumed extinct (Le Trong Trai & Richardson 1999). Rediscovered in 1996 near to the Phong My Commune, Thua Thien Hue, and also near the Huong Hiep Commune, Quang Tri (Le Trong Trai & Richardson, 1999) The last confirmed recent record was in 2000, where one male was confiscated from a hunter and held in captivity in the Hai Lang District Forest Protection Department, Quang Tri (BirdLife International, 2012). Since the year 2000, the species has not been recorded, apart from a possible record of a single female discovered near to the Hai Van Pass in Surveys supported by CEPF in 2011 failed to identify any remaining populations in Dakrong Nature Reserve (thought to be a potential stronghold of the species) and in Khe Nuoc Trong Watershed Protection Forest Captive population: 1,033 individuals in 2003 (A. Hennache in litt. 2004)

4 Background Threats: Hunting/intensive snaring throughout its range Habitat loss and fragmentation ciesfactsheet.php?id=253 Conservation status: CITES Appendix I identified by CEPF as one of the 67 globally threatened species recently up-listed from Endangered to Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red list reflecting increased concerns about its persistence in the wild.

5 Background Surveys supported by CEPF in 2011 highlighted high levels of unsustainable habitat destruction and illegal hunting as key threats to vertebrate populations within the lowland forests of central Vietnam. At the workshop organized in Hanoi in September 2013, all main stakeholders agreed that it is critical to do a comprehensive survey to confirm the presence of the species in priority areas in central Vietnam. Work since then has involved drawing together all existing information and developing a species conservation strategy. Efforts for the conservation of Edwards s pheasant would remain fragmented and ad hoc unless there was a concerted attempt to bring together knowledge, recent analytical developments and people so that work in Vietnam could be strategically designed to make the best use of very limited resources.

6 PROJECT INFORMATION Project tittle: In search of Edwards s Pheasant (Lophura edwardsi) in Annamese lowlands of Vietnam Organization: Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (CRES), Hanoi National University, Vietnam Project duration: 02 years from October 01, 2014 September 30,

7 Project objectives: To identify sites where either the species still exists or where ecological and management conditions are conducive to a reintroduction attempt. To add to the knowledge-base on Galliformes and large mammals in the region as camera traps set for Edwards spheasant will detect other species of conservation interest. 7

8 Project approach The highest priority conservation action for the species is to identify sites where either the species still exists or where ecological and management conditions are conducive. Potential sites identified using the modelling approaches (using known locations and topographic and climate variables in MaxEnt (version 3.1; Phillips et al. 2006), which combined current knowledge with climate and forest data, will be assessed by two rounds of interview surveys followed by field surveys in key sites. In the region, sites supported by WWF have management structures and hold the best chance of maintaining viable populations of the Edwards s Pheasant. These sites will be prioritized for field surveys, which include employing state-of-the-art techniques, e.g., camera trapping, DNA analysis of leech and fly gut contents, and remote recording.

9 Components and activities Component 1. Suitable sites for conservation action identified (these will be sites where the species is found during surveys or sites where reintroduction could take place). Activity 1.1. Design and conduct a field surveys at agreed key sites Activity 1.2. Assess the management potential at each priority site for the long term survival of the species 9

10 Components and activities Component 2. Suitable sites for reintroduction assessed, use of remote recorders to detect Edwards's Pheasant piloted, and field survey results disseminated (Implemented under a sub-grant to Newcastle University) Activity 2.1. Award and monitoring of the sub-grant by CRES Activity 2.2. Conduct a desktop study of all relevant information and camera trapping studies across the species historic and potential distribution Activity 2.3. Design and conduct pilot study on using remote recorders for detecting Edwards's pheasant in situ Activity 2.4. Conduct a desktop study of the threats and opportunities for reintroduction at the surveyed sites 10

11 Locations Vietnam areas between Thanh Hoa Province in the north and Binh Dinh Province in the south Habitat modelling using known locations and topographic and climate variables in MaxEnt (version 3.1; Phillips et al. 2006) predicted that areas in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Thua Thien Hue had high probability (>0.70) of being potentially suitable habitat (where suitable climate and evergreen forest coincide) for Edwards s pheasant. Warmer colours (red, orange, yellow) indicate higher probability of occupancy Potentially suitable habitat of Edwards s pheasant: Left constrained by evergreen forest; Right areas of high suitability (>70%) within current protected areas. (Map courtesy of Matthew Grainger)

12 Preliminary results From Feb 13 to 24 of 2015, a quick interview survey was conducted to identify potential sites in three provinces, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien Hue.

13 N o. 5 District and 3 Province Quang Trach Dist., Quang Binh Pro. Tuyen Hoa Dist., Quang Binh Pro. Tuyen Hoa Dist., Quang Binh Pro. Bo Trach Dist., Quang Binh Pro. Nam Dong Dist., Thua Thien Hue Pro. Huong Hiep Dist., Quang Tri Pro Preliminary results 12 Commune Result Next step Quang Chau, Quang Hop Kim Hoa, Hoa Phuc and Hoa Tien Lam Hoa, Phu Dinh and Huong Trach Thuong Lo, Thuong Nhat and Huong Hoa Huong Son No infor. on the bird Terrain and elevation suitable BUT vegetation not suitable No infor. on the bird Terrain and elevation suitable BUT degraded vegetation not suitable Report on the species in the western protection forest No infor. on the bird Lowlands planted with rubbers and pines Report on the spcies in Coc Village of Thuong Trach Comm. Report on the species in Khe Cha Moong area Vegetation and elevation suitable Reprot on the bird species in the Forests of Cat and Tria villages Not prioritized for further consultation/interview Not prioritized for further consultation/interview From Feb 13 to 24 of 2015, a quick interview survey was conducted to identify potential sites in three provinces, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien Hue. Further work, in-depth interview No further work in Phu Dinh and Huong Trach Interview visit in Coc village, Thuong Trach Commune Further work, in-depth interview Extend interview to nearby communes: Huong Huu, Thuong Long and Thuong Quang Further work, in-depth interview

14 Preliminary results

15 Future plans Based on our preliminary results, more in-depth interview will be conducted in the following areas: - Tuyen Hoa District, Quang Binh - Thuong Trach District, Quang Binh - Huong Hoa District, Quang Tri - Nam Dong District, Thua Thien Hue and - Binh Dien and surrounding areas, Thua Thien Hue

16 Future plans Upcoming interview surveys will be conducted based on a questionnaire with emphases on identifying the level of threats (e.g., hunting and snaring along with habitat disturbance). In addition, we will focus on identifying species assemblage sharing similar habitat and areas with suitable habitat, e.g., humid evergreen forests lower than 500 m and not too rugged. We plan to complete the interview surveys in March and start field surveys at key sites this summer.

17 Acknowledgment We are very grateful to CEPF, CRES, and Newcastle University for their generous support. We also would like to thank the protected areas staff and local people for their support and assistance during our surveys. Thank you for your attention! ciesfactsheet.php?id=253