Members of Dai-ichi Life Việt Nam plant trees event in the Phú Ninh special-use forest area in Quảng Nam Province. The Japanese insurance company has donated VNĐ1.8 billion for forest restoration in central Việt Nam since 2023. VNS Photo Công Thành

QUẢNG NAM — More than 35,000 indigenous larger timber species have been planted on 74ha as part of primary forest restoration, natural landscape and habitat recovery for protection of the critically endangered Grey-shanked doucs langurs (Pygathrix cinerea) and community livelihood improvement projects in the central city and Quảng Nam Province.

The Centre for Biodiversity Conservation and Research (GreenViet) said precious timber species (dalbergia tonkinnensis and pterocarpus macrocarpus) have been planned on 61ha in an upstream area of Đà Nẵng between 2023-24 with funding from Ecoculture of the US, and the participation of ethnic Cơ Tu community living in communes of Hòa Liên, Hòa Bắc and Hòa Phú in the central city’s Hoà Vang district.

To protect the Phú Ninh reservoir from erosion in the special-use forest area, more than 10,000 green ironwood (Erythrophleum fordii) and golden oak (Hopea odorata) trees were planted on 9ha thanks to a VNĐ500 million (US$20,000) donation by Japanese Dai-ichi Life Việt Nam.

GreenViet said the Japanese insurance company alone has funded VNĐ1.8 billion ($72,000) for GreenViet’s reforest afforestation projects in central Việt Nam since 2023.

“We have been raising funds from different organisations and donors for series forest restoration and livelihood support projects for local communities in central Việt Nam. Indigenous larger timber species would help replace current area of acacia for sustainable development goals,” said director of GreenViet, Trần Hữu Vỹ.

Members of the community in Tam Mỹ Tây commune in Quảng Nam Province receive tree saplings. VNS Photo Công Thành

“Timber afforestation projects will be a sustainable solution on how to protect primary forest, while offering forest-based organic medicinal herb farming and eco-tour service for local people. These projects aim at improving livelihood through livestock and less impact activities to primary forest.”

Vỹ said GreenViet and donors have also planted 100,000 trees in Hà Nội, Đà Nẵng and HCM City as part of the ‘One Million Trees Plantation’ project in 2021-25.

GreenViet has been working with community in Tam Mỹ Tây commune of Quảng Nam Province since 2018 in restoration of primary forest area for safe shelter of gray-shanked douc langurs herds living on 30ha forest.

The remaining primary forest – where is home to 75 grey-shanked doucs langurs – will be expanded to 60ha under the National Forestry Master Plan on 2021-30.

A primary forest area in Núi Thành district of Quảng Nam Province is reserved as a strict protection site for the critically endangered grey shanked doucs langurs and an eco-tour site. Photo courtesy of Anh Thọ

A non-refundable source of VNĐ986 million ($40,000), which has been provided by Cloud Forest Fund from the US, has been used to help 19 households in Tam Mỹ Tây commune with livestock farming and growing timber trees.

More than 4,000 trees planted on 5ha to create a safe corridor for the Critically Endangered primates species living in small area of primary forest.

“Previously, acacia plantation area had evaded primary forest, but we voluntarily reserved an area of forest for langurs living safely since 1997. We assigned a team protection of the CR langurs,” said Võ Ngọc Danh, a member of the langur protected team.

“A non-interest revolving fund of VNĐ100 million ($4,000) was used to help 10 underprivileged women’s union members in the commune raise pigs and chickens.”

He said the timber plantation needs from 15 to 20 years before logging, so livestock farms could help earn money in the short term.

Acacia log farms can be cut down every four years, but the log often has bad impact on soil and existence of the grey-shanked doucs langurs, Danh added.

Local residents, rangers and experts from GreenViet begins a forest restoration project in Hoà Phú commune of Đà Nẵng City. Trees will be planted on an area of 15.7ha to protect of up-stream forests. Photo courtesy of Kim Tuyến

Since 2018, GreenViet has co-operated with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Việt Nam, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Green Annamites Project in protection and conservation of the langurs in the area.

Vỹ said the endangered langurs population has been increasing from 20 on 30ha in 2017 to 75 with an assigned area on 60ha.

According to Frankfurt Zoological Society, some 1,000 gray-shanked doucs have been found in forests of Quảng Nam, Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định, Kon Tum and Gia Lai.

The gray-shanked douc langur is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list as one of the world’s 25 critically endangered primates. VNS