A critically endangered silver-backed chevrotain spotted for the first time at the Ea Sô Nature Reserve. — VNA/VNS Photo

ĐẮK LẮK —  A recent biodiversity survey has uncovered a trove of rare and endangered species at the Ea Sô Nature Reserve and the Krông Năng Watershed Protection Forest Management Board in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk.

The findings were officially announced on Wednesday at a ceremony jointly hosted by the Ea Sô Nature Reserve and the Centre for Nature Conservation and Development under the Việt Nam Union of Science and Technology Associations.

After more than two months of field surveys and camera trapping expeditions, researchers documented 789 species of vascular plants across 148 families and 494 genera, including one classified as critically endangered, nine endangered and 11 near threatened.

Experts also catalogued 179 bird species from 19 orders and 54 families, eight of which appear in Việt Nam’s Red Book, and 30 mammal species were recorded, with 22 considered threatened nationally. Additionally, the team found 48 reptile and amphibian species from 12 families and two orders, with 22 carrying the Red Book status.

The Krông Năng Watershed Protection Forest Management Board yielded its own biological treasures, with scientists recording 639 vascular plant species spanning 116 families and 443 genera. The site's fauna included 54 reptile and amphibian species from 19 families and four orders, with 14 appearing in Việt Nam's Red Book, alongside nine mammal species from six families and five orders, two of which were listed in Việt Nam’s Red Book. Bird diversity reached 125 species across 17 orders and 45 families, including five Red Book species.

Among the most noteworthy findings was the rediscovery of several rare mammal species at Ea Sô. These include the Lesser Fish Eagle (Icthyophaga humilis), which had not been seen in the area for over two decades, and the Vietnamese mouse-deer (Tragulus versicolor), a critically endangered species previously documented only in Khánh Hòa Province, former Ninh Thuận Province (now part of Khánh Hòa), and Phú Yên Province (now part of Đắk Lắk Province).

Director of the Ea Sô Nature Reserve Lê Minh Tiến emphasised the survey's comprehensive scope in evaluating biodiversity across the entire forest area under the reserve's management. He described the findings as invaluable resources helping the authority outline more effective forest management and biodiversity conservation strategies in the coming years.

The Ea Sô Nature Reserve covers an area of 26,848ha, while the Krông Năng Watershed Protection Forest Management Board spans 7,800ha. The two units are in the process of being merged and upgraded to form a national park. — VNA