Ke Go (12022)
Vietnam, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2018
National site name: Ke Go
Central coordinates: Latitude: 18.0833, Longitude: 105.9833
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 50 to 497
Area of KBA (km2): 243.74941
Protected area coverage (%): 86.46
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The IBA comprises Ke Go Nature Reserve, most of which consists of gently undulating hills below 300 m. The nature reserve is within one of the largest remaining blocks of natural broadleaf evergreen forest in the Annamese lowlands. Almost the entire nature reserve area is forested but has been logged in the past and undisturbed primary forest is virtually absent.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: Ke Go is situated in the Annamese Lowlands Endemic Bird Area (EBA) and supports populations of five restricted-range bird species: Vietnamese Pheasant Lophura hatinhensis, Imperial Pheasant L. imperialis, Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata, Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler Jabouilleia danjoui and Grey-faced Tit Babbler Macronous kelleyi. Of greatest significance, Ke Go Nature Reserve, together with the adjacent forest area in northern Quang Binh province, is the only site in the world known to support a population of Vietnamese Pheasant. Non-bird biodiversity: Ten globally threatened mammal species have been have been recorded at the nature reserve. However, several of these species, in particular Asian Elephant Elaphus maximus, Gaur Bos gaurus and Tiger Panthera tigris, may already be extinct or reduced to relict populations as a result of hunting. White -cheeked Crested Gibbon Nomascus leucogenys, another species of conservation concern, is reported to be extremely rare in the area as a result of unrestricted hunting and exploitation of the forest (Le Trong Trai et al. 1999).
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: It is rare in Vietnam for a protected area to be adjacent to or contiguous with other forest areas, as is the case with Ke Go Nature Reserve. The absence of adjacent forested areas often seriously compromises land-management options in the surrounding buffer zone. In this respect, Ke Go Nature Reserve presents a unique opportunity to develop management strategies for the sustainable development of the entire forest block. To ensure the long-term viability of the IBA and the surrounding forests, it is important that forest management in the buffer zone be sustainable and compatible with the aims of the nature reserve.
Land use: nature conservation and research (100%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 100 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: People of the Kinh ethnic group inhabit the buffer zone of Ke Go Nature Reserve and the major threats to biodiversity at the site are hunting, illegal timber extraction, charcoal production, fuelwood collection and fragrant oil extraction.
Additional information
References: BirdLife International and the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute (2001) Sourcebook of existing and proposed protected areas in Vietnam. Hanoi, Vietnam: BirdLife International Vietnam Programme and the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute.Le Trong Trai, Nguyen Huy Dung, Nguyen Cu, Le Van Cham, Eames, J. C., and Chicoine, G. (1999) An investment plan for Ke Go Nature Reserve, Ha Tinh province, Vietnam: a contribution to the management plan. Hanoi: BirdLife International Vietnam Programme and the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute.Garson, P. (2001) Pheasant taxonomy: a cunning way to remove species from the Red List! Oriental Bird Club Bulletin, 33: 52.