Phong Dien (12024)
Vietnam, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2012
National site name: Phong Dien
Central coordinates: Latitude: 16.4500, Longitude: 107.2000
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 50 to 1615
Area of KBA (km2): 418.74061
Protected area coverage (%): 94.37
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This IBA comprises Phong Dien proposed nature reserve, which is dominated by a ridge of low mountains extending south-east from the Annamite mountains. The proposed nature reserve, together with the contiguous Dakrong proposed nature reserve, supports the largest remaining area of lowland evergreen forest in the Annamese Lowlands Endemic Bird Area (EBA). Perhaps the species of greatest conservation importance at Phong Dien is Edwards's Pheasant. Until its rediscovery in 1996, this species was believed to be extinct in the wild. Edwards's Pheasant has a very restricted range in central Vietnam, but reports from hunters suggest that this species is still relatively common in the proposed nature reserve.
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: Rather little information is available about the population of Edwards's Pheasant Lophura edwardsi at Phong Dien but reports from hunters suggest that this species is still relatively common in the proposed nature reserve. Detailed information is also lacking on the status of other key species recorded at the site, such as Annam Partridge Arborophila merlini and Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler Jabouileia danjoui, although the 1998 BirdLife/FIPI survey confirmed that Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata is still common. In February 2000, an Imperial Pheasant was captured in a forest area adjacent to Phong Dien proposed nature reserve. This globally threatened restricted-range species may also occur within the boundaries of the propsed nature reserve. For these reasons, Phong Dien proposed nature reserve can be considered a key site for the conservation of bird diversity in the Annamese Lowlands EBA. Non-bird biodiversity: Two recently described mammal species, endemic to Indochina, occur at Phong Dien: Saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis and Giant Muntjac Megamuntiacus vuquangensis. Rhesus Macaque Macaca mulatta, Stump-tailed Macaque Macaca arctoides, Red-shanked Douc Langur Pygathrix nemaeus nemaeus and White-cheeked Crested Gibbon Nomascus leucogenys (given as Yellow-cheeked Gibbon Hylobates gabriellae in the report) are recorded at Phong Dien. Podocarpus nerifolius is also reported to occur at the site.
Habitats
Land use: nature conservation and research (100%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 30 | |
| Forest | 70 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The main threats to biodiversity at Phong Dien are hunting (particularly through the use of snares); collection of firewood and other non-timber forest products (although sustainable leveles need assessment); illegal timber cutting (either for house construction or by loggers from outside the area); forest fires (caused by swidden cultivation, deliberate setting of fires to collect metal from bomb and shell casings, and spontaneous detonation of unexploded ordnance); and clearance of forest land for agriculture.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Shifting agriculture | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Ongoing |
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, Tran Hieu Minh, Tran Quoc Dung and Hughes, R. (2001) An investment plan for the establishment of Phong Dien Nature Reserve, Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam. Hanoi, Vietnam: BirdLife International Vietnam Programme and the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute.Le Trong Trai, Richardson, W. J., Le Van Cham, Tran Hieu Minh, Tran Quang Ngoc, Nguyen Van Sang, Monatstyskii, A. L. and Eames, J. C. (1999) A feasibility study for the establishment of Phong Dien (Thua Thien Hue province) and Dakrong (Quang Tri province) Nature Reserves, Vietnam. Hanoi: BirdLife International Vietnam Programme and the Forest Inventory.