Vietnam Primate Conservation Status Review 2002 - Hoang Lien ...

8 APPENDIX: 2
Elevation: reaching 1,452m a.s.l. (Mount Kong Cha Rang); 570m to 1,748m a.s.l. (Mount Kon Ka Kinh)
Leaf monkey and gibbon species: [Trachypithecus germaini], Pygathrix nemaeus, [Pygathrix cinerea],
[Pygathrix nigripes], Nomascus gabriellae
In the area, two nature reserves, Kong Cha Rang and Kon Ka Kinh were established in 1986, covering
15,900 and 41,710 ha respectively (BirdLife International & FIPI, 2001).
A mountainous plateau dominates the topography of the nature reserve. A number of summits attain
altitudes greater than 1,000m a.s.l. in the northern part. The highest point is Mount Kon Cha Rang
at 1,452 m a.s.l. The lowest point at the site is about 800m a.s.l.
Until 1975, people lived within the boundaries of what is now Kon Cha Rang Nature Reserve, although,
today, there are no people living inside the nature reserve. The population of the buffer zone is about
6,000. The four main threats to biodiversity at Kon Cha Rang are perceived to be forest clearance for
plantations, hunting, exploitation of forest products and forest fire.
Kon Ka Kinh Nature Reserve supports a range of montane habitat types across an altitudinal range
from 700m to 1,748m a.s.l. To the north of the Kon Ka Kinh Nature Reserve is Mount Ngoc Linh, the
highest mountain in the Central Highlands. To the south and west, the topography is flatter, and
altitudes are below 500m a.s.l. There are several mountain peaks above 1,500m a.s.l.
Of particular importance are 2,000 ha of mixed coniferous and broadleaf forest, and within the
protected areas system of Vietnam, this vegetation sub-type is known only from this area. 20% of the
nature reserve has been degraded by past commercial logging activities and continuing illegal timber
extraction. A further 29% has been cleared by commercial logging or shifting cultivation and now
supports a range of secondary vegetation types.
Because of the low population density and large area of unused, fertile land, the buffer zone has
been, and continues to be, a focus for spontaneous migration from other parts of Vietnam. Spontaneous
migration is one of the most serious conservation problems at Kon Ka Kinh, because, as the population
of the buffer zones increases, so does pressure on forest resources (Le Trong Trai et al. 2000).
In Kon Ka Kinh, most of illegal logging is done by Kinh people from northern Vietnam travelling in the
area for this purpose. Rattan collection is intensive and this non-timber forest product was reported
to be becoming increasingly rare in the forest (Le Trong Trai, 2000).
Kong Cha Rang and Kon Ka Kinh Nature Reserves are linked by an area of forest currently under the
management of Dak Roong and Tram Lap Forest Enterprises. The boundaries of the protected areas
should be revised to make them contiguous (Le Trong Trai, 2000).
Yok Don National Park and proposed extension (DAK LAK)
Special use forest: National park (58,000 ha) and proposed extension (57,545 ha)
Forest size: 54,200 ha (Le Xuan Canh et al., 1997a)
Forest type: deciduous, semi-deciduous, lowland evergreen
Elevation: mostly 200m, reaching 482m a.s.l. (Mount Yok Don)
Leaf monkey and gibbon species: Trachypithecus germaini, [Pygathrix nigripes]
In the 1986 decree, Yok Don was listed as Tien Seo Ea Sup Nature Reserve. It was upgraded to a
national park in 1991. It covers 58,200 ha and an extension of 57,345 ha.
The topography of most of the site is flat, at an elevation of around 200m a.s.l. Remote sensing data
indicate that the majority of the forest at Yok Don is deciduous forest, with smaller areas of semi-
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