Cuc Phuong (12038)
Vietnam, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2012
National site name: Cuc Phuong
Central coordinates: Latitude: 20.3167, Longitude: 105.6167
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 50 to 648
Area of KBA (km2): 225.3637
Protected area coverage (%): 86.11
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This IBA comprises Cuc Phuong National Park, the first protected area to be established in Vietnam. Cuc Phuong National Park lies at the south-eastern end of a limestone range that runs north-west to Son La province. The section of the limestone range encompassed by the national park is around 10 km wide and 25 km long, and has a central valley running along almost the entire length. The vegetation of the national park is dominated by limestone forest. Cuc Phoung National Park is considered to be one of seven globally significant Centres of Plant Diversity in Vietnam.
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: Cuc Phuong National Park is situated at the northern end of the Annamese Lowlands Endemic Bird Area (EBA). However, none of the restricted-range bird species restricted to this EBA have yet been recorded at the site. Non-bird biodiversity: Cuc Phoung supports populations of several mammal species of conservation importance, including the globally critically endangered endemic primate Delacour's Leaf Monkey Semnopithecus francoisi delacouri and the globally vulnerable Owston's Banded Civet Hemilagus owstoni. In addition, the nationally threatened Leopard Panthera pardus has been recently recorded at the national park. However, several large mammal species, including Tiger Panthera tigris, Sambar Cervus unicolor and White-cheeked Crested Gibbon Nomascus leucogenys are believed to have become extinct at Cuc Phuong in recent times, mainly due to high hunting pressure and the relatively small size of the national park.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The vegetation of Cuc Phuong is dominated by limestone forest. The buffer zone of the national park is home to around 50,000 people, many of whom depend upon the natural resources of the national park.
Land use: nature conservation and research (100%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 92 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The most widely exploited forest products are timber and fuel wood. Hunting takes place at unsustainable levels and threatens to eradicate a number of mammal, bird and reptile species from the national park. The development of tourism infrastructure has had negative environmental impacts. For example, upgrading the road through the central valley of the national park has facilitated exploitation of forest products. A further threat to biodiversity at Cuc Phuong is the planned construction of National Highway 2, that would bisect the national park. The national park is a popular tourist destination, and receives an estimated 40,000 visitors per year.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | 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 |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing | |
| Transportation & service corridors | Roads & railroads | 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.Robson, C. R., Eames, J. C., Wolstencroft, J. A., Nguyen Cu and Truong Van La (1989) Recent records of birds from Vietnam. Forktail 5: 71-97Eames, J. C., Tordoff, A. W. and Wege, D. C. Birdlist from Cuc Phuong National Park, 10 and 11 April 1999 (Unpublished)Tordoff, A. W., Buckton, S. T. and Hughes, N. R. (1999) List of birds recorded at Cuc Phuong National Park 4 December 1999. (Unpublished)Hill, M. unpublished list of birds recorded at Cuc Phuong National Park and buffer zone