Ban Thi - Xuan Lac (12033)
Vietnam, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2012
National site name: Ban Thi - Xuan Lac
Central coordinates: Latitude: 22.3000, Longitude: 105.5167
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 650 to 1159
Area of KBA (km2): 75.05134
Protected area coverage (%): 3.33
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Ban Thi-Xuan Lac area is situated within the Na Hang/Ba Be Forest Complex. The site is characterised by limestone karst topography and supports 2,200 ha of limestone forest in a good condition. The globally threatened primate Francois' Leaf Monkey Trachypithecus francoisi francoisi has been recorded at Ban Thi-Xuan Lac, and the site is of potential importance for the conservation of this primate.
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: White-eared Night Heron has been recorded at Ban-Thi Xuan Lac and this is significant for two main reasons. Firstly, this is the first record of this species in Vietnam for 25 years. Prior to its rediscovery at the site, it was thought to be possibly extinct in Vietnam. However, there is still very little information available about the species in Vietnam, and further surveys are required of areas of suitable habitat in the Na Hang/Ba Be Forest Complex, in order to more fully understand the species' status in the area. Secondly, the rediscovery of White-eared Night Heron in the Ban Thi-Xuan Lac area reveals that the Na Hang/Ba Be Forest Complex should be included within the South-east China Mountains endemic Bird Area (EBA). To date, however, there is no evidence to indicate that any of the other four restricted-range species that occur in this EBA (White-necklaced Partridge Arborophila gingica, Cabot's Tragopan Tragopan caboti, Elliot;s Pheasant Syrmaticus ellioti and Brown-chested Jungle flycatcher Rhinomyias brunneata) also occur in Vietnam. Non-bird biodiversity: Rhesus Macaque Macaca mulatta, Stump-tailed Macaque Macaca arctoides and Francois' Leaf Monkey Trachypithecus francoisi francoisi have been recorded at Ban Thi-Xuan Lac on the basis of interviews and captive specimens (Le Trong Trai et al., 2001). Le Trong Trai et al. (2001) recorded the occurrence of Southern Serow Naemorhedus sumatraensis at Ban Thi-Xuan Lac on the basis of interviews with local people and remains observed at a village.A form of Amenotaxus was found growing in the Ban Thi-Xuan Lac area, provisionally identified as A. argotaenia.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The landscape of the Ban Thi-Xuan Lac area is comprised of limestone karst formations, interspersed with flat valleys. The fertile soils of the flat valleys are suitable for agriculture, and, as a result, the primary vegetation has been almost totally cleared from these areas. However, the steep limestone karst slopes, which are unsuitable for agriculture, still support extensive areas of mixed closed canopy forest; the Ban Thi-Xuan Lac proposed IBA consists almost entirely of such habitat.
Land use: agriculture (5%) | not utilised (95%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 90 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 5 | |
| Shrubland | 5 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The major threats to biodiversity at Ban Thi-Xuan Lac are clearance of forest for agriculture, hunting, over-exploitation of non-timber forest products, timber extraction, and isolation from nearby forest areas.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Shifting agriculture | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | 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 |
| 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, Eames, J. C., Kuznetsov, A. N., Nguyen Van Sang, Bui Xuan Puong, and Monastyrskii, A. L. (2001) A biodiversity survey of the Dong Phuc, Ban Thi-Xuan Lac and Sinh Long areas, Tuyen Quang and Bac Kan provinces, Vietnam. Hanoi: PARC Project, Na Hang/Ba Be Component.