Kon Ka Kinh (12023)
Vietnam, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2012
National site name: Kon Ka Kinh
Central coordinates: Latitude: 14.3333, Longitude: 108.3667
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 570 to 1748
Area of KBA (km2): 417.13436
Protected area coverage (%): 95.93
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This IBA comprises Kon Ka Kinh Nature Reserve, located in the Western Highlands of Vietnam. Kon Kah Kinh Nature Reserve is situated 12 km to the west of Kon Cha Rang Nature Reserve, linked by intervening forest areas. The two nature reserves, therefore, form an area large enough to support viable populations of large mammals, such as Tiger Panthera tigris, that neither area could support in isolation.
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) The site has been reviewed and re-confirmed as a KBA in the process of compiling the revised 2011 CEPF Ecosystem Profile for the Indo-Burma Hotspot.
Additional biodiversity: Non-bird biodiversity: The presence of Truong Son Muntjac Muntiacus truongsonensis, endemic to Indochina and only discovered in 1997, has been confirmed at Kon Ka Kinh Nature Reserve. This is currently known from only a single other protected area in Vietnam. Three globally threatened primate species are recorded at Kon Ka Kinh: Stump-tailed Macaque Macaca arctiodes, Grey-shanked Douc Langur Pygathrix nemaeus cinereus and Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbon Nomascus gabriellae. In addition, a number of other species such as Asiatic Black Bear Ursus thibetanus, Tiger Panthera tigris, Southern Serow Naemorhedus sumatraensis and Malayan Porcupine Hystrix brachyura have also been recorded at Kon Ka Kinh (Le Trong Trai, 2000). 16 species recorded in Kon Ka Kinh are listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants as globally threatened, of which one is listed as Endangered (Pinus dalatensis), four are listed as Vulnerable (Fokienia hodginsii, Decussocarpus fleuryi, Cephalotaxus mannii and Calamus poilanei) and 11 are listed as Rare (Le Trong Trai, 2000).
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The nature reserve supports a range of montane habitat types, with broadleaf evergreen forest the dominant vegetation type. 20% of the reserve has been degraded by past commercial logging activities and continuing illegal timber extraction. A further 29% of the nature reserve has been cleared by commercial logging or shifting cultivation and now supports a range of secondary vegetation types. To the south of Mount Kon Ka Kinh, the highest point in the nature reserve, lies a 2,000 ha plateau that supports mixed coniferous and broadleaf forest dominated by Fokienia hodginsii. This habitat sub-type is not represented elsewhere in Vietnam's protected areas system, and is one of the key conservation features of Kon Ka Kinh Nature Reserve.
Land use: nature conservation and research (100%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 16 | |
| Forest | 84 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The buffer zone of the nature reserve is inhabited by members of the Ba Na ethnic minority and Kinh (ethnic Vietnamese) ethnic group. Exploitation of certain forest resources is occurring at unsustainable levels, and potentially the most harmful activities, from a conservation perspective, are hunting and rattan collection. Spontaneous migration into the buffer zone is one of the most serious conservation problems at Kon Ka Kinh Nature Reserve, because, as the population of the buffer zone increases, so does pressure on the forest resources of the nature reserve.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Shifting agriculture | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Transportation & service corridors | Roads & railroads | Ongoing | |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Only in the future |
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, Le Van Cham, Tran Quang Ngoc and Tran Hieu Minh (2000) An investment plan for Kon Ka Kinh Nature Reserve, Gia Lai province: a contribution to the management plan. Hanoi: BirdLife International Vietnam Programme and the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute.