Ha Nam (12063)
Vietnam, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2012
National site name: Ha Nam
Central coordinates: Latitude: 20.8667, Longitude: 106.8167
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 2
Area of KBA (km2): 117.67054
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Ha Nam island is situated at the mouth of the Bach Dang river off the coast of Quang Ninh, the northeastern most province in Vietnam. The island is linked via a bridge to the mainland and is ringed by a sea dyke, within which land use is dominated agricultural land and habitation, although a small area of reedbed (c.30ha) is present on the southern end of the island (Le Manh Hung et al 2002). Numerous shrimp ponds are present on the southern and western sides of the island outside of the sea dyke, many of which contain mangrove. Ha Nam has received very little survey attention to date, with only the results of a single rapid survey published at the time of writing.
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: Forty species have been confirmed to occur at Ha Nam island from the single set of survey data published so far (Le Manh Hung et al 2002). Amongst these, 26 individuals of the nationally threatened Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (Anon. 1992) were observed in a shrimp pond in Tien Phong commune in December 2001. 150 indivduals were later observed at the same site in January 2002 (Le Manh Hung et al 2002). The site also supports nationally significant wintering populations of Northern Pintail Anas acuta, Eurasian Wigeon A. penelope and Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus (Le Manh Hung et al 2002).
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: No figures are currently available regarding the extent of different land uses, or, the three prinicipal habitats identified within the IBA eg. Mangrove forest, estuary waters and artificial wetlands.
Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Aquatic | 30 | |
| Marine Neritic | 5 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Forest | 30 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 30 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The single survey conducted so far identified the main threats to the key elements of the bird fauna present as i) Hunting, in the form of mist netting, often using taped calls; ii) Degradation of suitable habitat within shrimp ponds, due to unsustainable management practices resulting in mangrove die-back; and iii) Unsustainable fishing methods such as electric-fishing and fishing with explosives, possibly causing negative impacts upon waterbird populations through disturbance and depletion of fish stocks.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Motivation Unknown/Unrecorded | Only in the future |
| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Only in the future | |
| Transportation & service corridors | Roads & railroads | Ongoing | |
| Natural system modifications | Other ecosystem modifications | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Anon. (1992) [red data book of Vietnam, volume 1: animals.] hanoi: Science and Technics Publishing House. (In Vietnamese.).Le Manh Hung, Nguyen Duc Tu, Tordoff, A.W. and Vu Hong Phuong. (2002) A rapid bird survey of the coastal zone of Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. Birdlife International Vietnam Programme and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, and Quang Ninh Provincial Department of Science, Technology and the Environment.