Golden Headed Langur, Where Are You?

Report to IPPL by Dr. Roswitha Stenke
Dr. Stenke is Project Manager of the Cat Ba National Park Conservation Project run by the Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations, which is based in Germany
August 2001

Golden headed langur, where are you?

This was the title by which one of the most popular newspapers in North Vietnam recently tried to direct the attention of its readers to Vietnam's topmost endangered primate species, the golden headed langur (the species' scientific name is Trachypithe-cus poliocephalus).

The golden headed langur is only found on Cat Ba Island, which is located 30 kilometers off the coast of Hai Phong, in Halong Bay, North Vietnam.

At the beginning of 2000, the golden headed langur population was estimated by Tilo Nadler and Ha Thang Long to consist of only 105-135 individuals.

Golden headed langur Photo: Tilo Nadler

Threats to the Cat Ba Langur

The major threat to the Cat Ba langur is poaching, according to a study conducted in 2000 by Lynne Baker.

However, poaching pressures were not the only problem that made these endangered primates a topic of many newspaper reports.

The other issues that attracted public concern were a) the Government's plans to turn Cat Ba Island and adjacent areas into one of the major centers for tourism and aqua-culture in North Vietnam, and b) the suggestions made by a deputy prime minister to excise the marine protected area and some parts of the buffer zone from Cat Ba National Park, and to use these areas for purposes in accordance with socio-economic development planning.

The two most frequently-asked questions during the past months were:

1) "Is the Government now prepared to sacrifice even Vietnam's National Parks to industrialization and modernization?"

2) "Will it be Cat Ba National Park, one of only two parks in Vietnam with both a marine and a terrestrial component, and its unique langurs that will be sacrificed first?"

The human population on Cat Ba Island is steadily increasing and the poor economic situation of the local people pushes many families to illegally exploit the resources of the National Park.

Poaching and agricultural encroachment now constitute a major threat to biodiversity on Cat Ba Island. Without a proper buffer zone, Cat Ba National Park might no longer be able to fulfil the tasks it was originally designated for. This could lead, in the long term, to the abolition of Cat Ba National Park's protected area status.

The planned urbanization of areas inside the National Park gives additional support to these concerns.

International conservation organizations are concerned about the possible excision of parts of the buffer zone and the marine protected area from Cat Ba National Park and the opening of these excised areas to aqua-culture and other economic activities.

These steps would not only encourage immigration to Cat Ba Island of people from outside the area, which is currently happening, but will also induce massive agricultural encroachment into the protected area.

This would intensify illegal logging, firewood extraction, and hunting of protected species. These impacts have already been observed in other developing zones in Vietnam's forest areas, as well as throughout Asia.

Status of Golden headed Langur

In November 2000, the Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations (ZSCSP, Germany) started a project at Cat Ba National Park, aimed at the conservation of the golden headed langur.

We came to realize rather soon, that poaching of langurs was still ongoing - and that the langur population had decreased still further.

The results of our survey and our questio-ning of active hunters on Cat Ba Island suggest that only about 50 individuals now survive.

These monkeys live in three sub-populations that are spatially completely isolated from each other. About 25% of the remaining langur population inhabits areas outside the boundaries of Cat Ba National Park.

The langur groups there are trapped in small areas between agricultural land or on small islands, and they are under severe hunting pressure.

In the face of these results the ZSCSP project is now concentrating on an emergency program for the Cat Ba langur, which consists of the following three steps:

* Positioning of guards in the immediate vicinity of the langur groups, now in progress,

* Establishment of a strictly protected langur sanctuary (to be put under international management),

* Evacuation and translocation of langurs into this protected area.

A peninsula about 8 kilometers (5 miles) long and 3.5 kilometers (two miles) wide at the east coast of Cat Ba Island has been chosen as a future langur sanctuary.

This peninsula is situated within the boundary of Cat Ba National Park and is part of the buffer zone of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site named "Halong Bay."

Fortunately fund raising for this emergency program has already been quite successful and the first steps towards securing the peninsula and future sanctuary can be taken in the near future.

IPPL note: readers wishing to donate to this project should contact IPPL Headquarters. Remember, there are far fewer golden headed langurs than there are mountain gorillas.

LETTERS URGENTLY NEEDED Letters expressing support for the full protection of Cat Ba National Park and all its land and marine wildlife, especially the Cat Ba langur, and concern over reports of poaching of timber and wildlife, may be sent to the officials listed below. Postage from the United States to Vietnam costs 80 cents per ounce.
His Excellency Mr. Phan Van Khai Prime Minister of the SR Vietnam Vietnam Governmental Office Ha Noi, Vietnam Mr. Le Huy Ngo Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development 2 Ngoc Ha Street Ha Noi, Vietnam	Mr. Tran Huy Nang Chairman of the Peoples Committee of Hai Phong Uy ban Nhan dan Thanh Pho Hai Phong 18 Hoang Dieu Thanh Pho Hai Phong, Vietnam His Excellency the Ambassador of Vietnam Embassy of Vietnam 1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400 Washington DC 20036 USA