PM calls for action to protect endangered langurs in Hà Nam

September 28, 2020 - 08:22
The move was made after conservation charity Fauna & Flora International (FFI) made recommendations calling for further conservation of one of the world's most endangered primate species.

 

A white-rumped langur in Cúc Phương National Park. The langur is one of the world's most endangered primate species and endemic to northern Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Đức

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has asked the northern province of Hà Nam to take emergency actions to protect white-rumped langurs – a critically endangered primate species endemic to northern Việt Nam.

The move was made after conservation charity Fauna & Flora International (FFI) made recommendations calling for further conservation of one of the world's most endangered primate species.

The PM asked the provincial People’s Committee to review the environmental impacts of stone mining activities on the langurs’ natural habitat.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was assigned to instruct the province to implement conservation measures in line with regulations.

It is estimated that about 300 white-rumped langurs are living in nature, mostly in Vân Long Wetland Conservation in Ninh Bình Province and forest areas in Kim Bảng District, Hà Nam.

Early last year, Hà Nam Province People’s Committee announced plans to build a white-rumped langur conservation site.

The conservation site is expected to cover some 2,483ha in Liên Sơn and Thanh Sơn communes of Kim Bảng District. The region has high biodiversity value and it is large enough to develop a population of white-rumped langurs.

According to a survey by FFI in 2018, the forest area in Kim Bảng District has 13 flocks of white-rumped langurs, made up of 73 individuals.

However, the white-rumped langurs in Kim Bảng are under serious threat from hunting and habitat loss due to mineral exploitation and forest product collection. — VNS 

 

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