Chu Prong (12027)
Vietnam, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2012
National site name: Chu Prong
Central coordinates: Latitude: 13.4667, Longitude: 107.7167
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 70 to 732
Area of KBA (km2): 479.45705
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This IBA comprises Chu Prong proposed nature reserve, which borders Cambodia to the west. The topography of most of the site is relatively flat, with an average elevation of around 200 m. In the north-west of the site, there is an area of low mountains. Within the proposed nature reserve, all the forest has been disturbed by human activities, including selective logging, clearance of forest for agriculture, firewood collection and wartime spraying of defoliants.
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: Seasonally inundated grasslands occupy only small area of the proposed nature reserve, yet are an important habitat type because they support populations of large waterbirds and globally threatened mammals. Germain's Peacock Pheasant Polyplectron germaini occurs at Chu Prong; as this is a restricted range species, the site qualifies for inclusion within the South Vietnamese Lowlands Endemic Bird Area (EBA). Non-bird biodiversity: The following threatened primate species have been recorded at Chu Prong proposed nature reserve: Pygmy Loris Nycticebus pygmaeus, Long-tailed Macaque Macaca fascicularis, Silvered Langur Trachypithecus villosus, Black-shanked Douc Langur and Pygathrix nigripes. Stump-tailed Macaque Macaca arctoides and Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbons Nomascus gabriellae have been recorded in interviews with local people. Eld's Deer Cervus eldii, Gaur Bos gaurus, Banteng B. javanicus and Southern Serow Naemorhedus sumatraensis have been also recorded at Chu Prong proposed nature reserve.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Chu Prong proposed nature reserve supports four major habitat types: lowland deciduous forest, lowland semi-deciduous forest, evergreen riverine forest and seasonally inundated grassland. This last habitat type, although limited in area, is of extremely high importance for populations of large waterbirds at the site. People belonging to nine ethnic groups live in and around the proposed nature reserve, of which members of the Gia Rai, Muong and Kinh comprise 96% of the total.
Land use: forestry (90%) | military (10%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 90 | |
| Shrubland | 10 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Logging, hunting, fishing, forest fire and clearance of land for cultivation are all threats to the forest and wildlife at Chu Prong proposed nature reserve. The multifarious threats faced by the fauna and flora of the proposed nature reserve are all exacerbated by increasing human population pressure, resulting from in-migration into the area from provinces in northern Vietnam.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Agro-industry farming | Ongoing |
| 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 |
| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | 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.Tran Hieu Minh, Le Trong Trai, Le Van Cham and Nguyen Van Sang (2001) [A feasibility study for the establishment of Chu Prong Nature Reserve, Gia Lai province, Vietnam]. Hanoi: BirdLife International Vietnam Programme and the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute. In Vietnamese.