Kon Plong (12052)
Vietnam, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2012
National site name: Kon Plong
Central coordinates: Latitude: 14.7667, Longitude: 108.3333
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1100 to 1757
Area of KBA (km2): 824.90237
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This IBA comprises the Kon Plong Forest Complex on the Kon Tum plateau in the Central Highlands. The site is located on a montane plateau dissected by a complex of valleys. Mount Ngoc Boc is the highest point at the site. The natural vegetation cover of Kon Plong consists of broadleaf evergreen forest mixed with conifers. More than 75% of the total area of the site has been degraded by human activities, and supports regenerating forest, bamboo forest, grassland and scrub.
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: Kon Plong has relatively high levels of bird endemism, and supports seven restricted-range species, qualifying the site for inclusion within the Kon Tum Plateau Endemic Bird Area (EBA). Non-bird biodiversity: Eames et al. (2001) recorded four threatened primate species at Kon Plong: Pygmy Loris Nycticebus pygmaeus, Stump-tailed Macaque Macaca arctoides, Grey-shanked Douc Langur Pygathrix nemaeus cinereus and Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbon Nomascus gabrielle.Three threatened turtle species were recorded at Kon Plong by Eames et al. (2001): Big-headed Turtle Platysternon megacephalum, Elongated Tortoise Indotestudo elongata and Impressed Tortoise Manouria impressa.Eames et al. (2001) recorded the following three threatened gymnosperm species at Kon Plong: Pinus merkusii, Podocarpus neriifolius and Cephalotaxus mannii.Eames et al. (2001) report that Kon Plong supports populations of Truong Son Muntjac Muntiacus truongsonensis and Southern Serow Naemorhedus sumatranesis.Kon Plong is also reported to support populations of Asiatic Black Bear Ursus thibetanus, Clouded Leopard Pardofelis nebulosa and Malayan Porcupine Hystrix brachyura (Eames et al., 2001). These species are listed as Vulnerable by IUCN (1996).
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The natural vegetation cover of the Kon Plong Forest Complex consists of broadleaf evergreen forest mixed with conifers. The maximum extent of undisturbed forest is 22% of the total area. This means that more than 75% of the vegetation in the Kon Plong Forest Complex has already been degraded by human activities. Areas that have experienced a large amount of disturbance support a range of secondary vegetation types, including regenerating forest, bamboo forest, grassland and scrub.
Land use: agriculture (5%) | forestry (30%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Forest | 65 | |
| Shrubland | 30 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Eames et al. (2001) identified five major threats to biodiversity at Kon Plong: clearance of forest for agriculture, hunting, over-exploitation of non-timber forest products, timber extraction and the potential future physical isolation of Kon Plong from other forest areas. The greatest threat to biodiversity was perceived to be timber extraction.
Additional information
References: Eames, J. C., Kuznetsov, A. N., Monastyrskii, A. L., Nguyen Tien Hiep, Nguyen Quang Truong and Ha Quy Quynh (2001) A preliminary biological assessment of the Kon Plong Forest complex, Kon Tum province, Vietnam. Hanoi: WWF Indochina Programme.