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Endangered Species and Habitats of Viet Nam

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2009

Arthur H. Westing  and
Carol E. Westing
Arthur H. Westing
Affiliation:
Professor of Ecology and Dean of Natural Science, Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002, USA.
Carol E. Westing
Affiliation:
Consultant in Special Education, Greenfield Middle School, Greenfield, Massachusetts 01301, USA.
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Extract

This brief paper presents the information which we obtained in August 1980 on the habitats and endangered species of Viet Nam by interviewing scientists in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). We did this with officials of the Department of Zoology of the University of Hanoi, of the Institute of Biology of the National Centre for Scientific Research, of the Technical Department of the Ministry of Forestry, and with others.

We were informed that Hylobates concolor (Whitecheeked or Black Gibbon) appears to be found in sufficient numbers to hold its own, but that H. pileatus (Pileated Gibbon) has been extirpated from Viet Nam. Pygathrix nemaeus (Douc Langur) also appears to be in no immediate danger of extinction. Bos sauveli (Kouprey), however, is said to be down to less than a dozen individuals in Viet Nam, and so little hope remains for this species. Lophura imperialis (Imperial Pheasant) has become even more rare than formerly and is in grave danger of extinction. The conifer Pinus krempfii also seems headed for extinction.

The coastal mangrove forest is the single most seriously disrupted habitat of Viet Nam. Some 40% of this highly productive ecosystem has been obliterated by military activities, and these war-obliterated areas are now largely covered by a low-growing, inferior vegetation or else have been converted to agriculture.

It is recognized that a comprehensive survey of the endangered species of Viet Nam is an urgent requirement, and that there is a pressing need for additional nature reserves. Economic conditions, however, seem to make early action improbable in both cases.

Type
Main Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , Spring 1981 , pp. 59 - 62
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 1981

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References

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