The Babbler No. 17 - Birdlife International in Indochina

May, 2006
Number 17
* Welcome
Jonathan C. Eames
* Features
Searching for the kouprey: trail runs cold
for Cambodia's national animal
A rare wetland of the Lower Mekong
Basin
* Regional news
China urged to end illegal timber imports
News drug offers vulture lifeline
An initial GIS analysis of forest
categorisation in Vietnam
Rare galliformes stamp set launched
on 1 st April
Important Bird Area News
*
*Rarest of the rare
Pink-headed Duck
* Project updates
Cambodia activities
Vietnam activities
Myanmar activities
* Spotlight Organization
FREDA
*Publications
* Book reviews
*
*
Staff news
From the Archives
BirdLife International in Indochina
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Tel: + 84 4 722 3864
Fax: + 84 4 722 3835
Email: birdlife@birdlife.netnam.vn
www.birdlifeindochina.org
The Babbler is compiled and edited by Dang
Nguyen Hong Hanh. If you have any
contribution or suggestion for the next issue,
please contact Hanh@birdlife.netnam.vn by 1 st
June.
The Babbler
BirdLife International
in Indochina
CAMBODIAN FLORICAN CRISIS
Over the last dry season the slow rate of conversion of grasslands around the Ton Le
Sap Lake has suddenly accelerated as a result of the Government of Cambodia’s
recent decision to endorse the commercial production of dry season paddy in the
inundation zone of the World’s greatest flood-plain lake. Many of these extensive
anthropogenic, seasonally inundated, biodiversity rich grasslands are Important Bird
Areas (IBAs). These major changes will have serious implications for the
conservation of the globally Endangered Bengal Florican, since these grasslands
currently support most of the global population. Many IBAs important for Floricans
have been effected and the changes are dramatic: Work recently undertaken in
Kompong Thom and Siem Riep Provinces by WCS has revealed that at least 50% of
Stoung Chikreng IBA has been lost, and more than 90% of Veal Srangai.
Although sanctioned in the name of promoting the “wealth of the nation,” these rice
paddy developments are commercial undertakings and it is believed the rice produced
will go mainly for export and do little to promote domestic food security. These
developments can also be viewed in the context of the wider “land-grab” which is in
full swing across the entire country. The grasslands around the Great Lake have been
communally owned for generations and the developer’s greed and blatant lawbreaking
is opposed by many local communities and provincial government officials
alike, since it threatens a traditional way of life that has been proved to be good for
people and wildlife alike. Herein lies the kernel of the WCS idea to promote the
establishment of Integrated Farming and Biodiversity Areas (IFBAs). BirdLife
endorses this approach as the only practical short term solution to the crisis: If we
don’t act rapidly all the Florican habitat in the inundation zone may be lost this year.
Of course, this response may be seen in time not to have been built on the best
ecological arguments but right now there seems no alternative. WCS have already
obtained a great deal of official support for this idea, and it now awaits final
endorsement from on high. If these areas are sanctioned and granted legal status they
will need funding and technical support to maintain their conservation importance.
BirdLife stands ready to provide this support.
Whilst the statutory and NGO conservation bodies must now scramble for a rapid
response to ensure the remaining areas are not lost, there are lessons to be learnt from
our activities in these areas to date: The pioneering community based work
undertaken by WCS and BirdLife at some of these IBAs, which variously focused on
measures to reduce hunting and nest loss, and the promotion of community
management, have been swept aside by the Prime Minister at the stroke of his pen.
BirdLife’s Site-support Group at Stoung Chikreng was simply too weak to exert any
local influence and simply had the land pulled from under its feet. Arguably,
conservation bodies like BirdLife should have been working more closely with
government and donors to discourage such a land-use policy change in the first place.
Indeed, BirdLife believes that leveraging support from the bilateral and multilateral
donors in Cambodia with a shared interest in the Ton Le Sap lake will prove a key
route in achieving long-term conservation gains for grasslands and other threatened
habitats in Cambodia.
Finally, before we declare this another lost conservation cause, consider this; the Ton
Le Sap grasslands are man-made: If destroyed, they can be re-established. This is
also not the first time there has been attempts at growing irrigated paddy within the
Great Lake’s inundation zone. The occupying Vietnamese promoted it after their
1978 invasion and many of these areas have reverted to grasslands suitable for
Floricans. So it failed then and perhaps it will fail now.
Jonathan C. Eames
Programme Manager
BirdLife International in Indochina

2 BirdLife International in Indochina
Features
Searchforthekouprey:trailrunscoldforCambodia’snational
animal
A recent study by wildlife researcher Lic Vuthy has reiterated dire assumptions about the existence of Cambodia's fabled
national animal - the kouprey.
In The Existence of the Kouprey in Cambodia, published in the Forestry
Administration's annual report, Vuthy analyzed more than six decades of reports
and field studies to discern the status of the semi-mythical forest ox once described
as "Southeast Asia's version of the Loch Ness monster."
His findings - although hardly surprising - are enormously unfortunate. Vuthy
concluded that the last proven sighting of a kouprey was in 1983, and that the
species completely vanished some time during the late 1980s.
The report echoes the opinions of international wildlife experts who have been
skeptical about the animal's survival for many years.
"It is highly likely and probable that kouprey are biologically extinct in the wild,"
said Hunter Weiler, adviser to the Department of Forestry and Wildlife. "The best
case scenario is that there is a handful of individuals scattered around, dying one by
one. I think the kouprey is probably gone, but you can't confirm a negative."
But Vuthy's grim report, which represents the least positive government-sponsored
assessment to date, has been disputed within the Forestry Administration and by a
government that has been reluctant to tackle an indelicate question: what does a
country do if its national animal becomes extinct?
"Lic Vuthy's report does not have enough information," Forestry official Chheang
Dany told the Post. "I believe the kouprey is still alive. In fact, we have just sent a
team of 30 experts to Rattanakkiri to investigate. They will complete their study by
August."
"Most people in the government don't want to believe that the kouprey is gone. It's
an emotional and political decision, not one based on fact," Weiler said. "It's kind of
like the abominable snowman and a lot of other things - there is a lot faith and
ingrained belief behind it but no cold, hard evidence."
Mystery and mishap nothing new
Controversy, mystery and mishap are nothing new for the elusive kouprey. Since it
was identified by Western science in 1937, the species' tragicomic history has
included heavily armed expeditions, a billion-dollar genetic jackpot - and heartpounding
peril.
The search for the stealthy mammal has lured journalists, scientists, big game
hunters and adventurers. Over the years, the infrequent forays into the kouprey's
war-torn region have been met with disease, land mines, gunplay and, for the most
part, frustration.
In Quest for the Kouprey, a definitive 1995 article on the subject, author Steve
Hendrix wrote "the most painful of all [has been] the excruciating near-successes of
fresh tracks, second-hand reports and botched captures. To show for it all, science
has amassed a kouprey collection amounting to little more than a couple hundred
pounds of bones and a few feet of grainy film footage."
"It's a bit like looking for the Yeti or Bigfoot, this animal," British biologist James
MacKinnon said after his own efforts to locate a kouprey. "First, it was just
The Babbler - May 2006
Dr. Charles H Wharton, a US
conservationist, who in 1951 le
a 90-man group-including 60
government soldiers- on a two
– month excursion in the
Choam Ksan and Koh Ke are of
Preah Vihear and Siem Reap
provinces. He caught on film six
separate group of kouprey – the
only existing footage.
Wharton estimated that there
were then roughly 400 to 500
head of kouprey west of
Mekong, 200 to 300 in Lomphat
wildlife sanctuary and 50 in the
Samrong district of Kratie
province.

3 BirdLife International in Indochina
extremely rare and then it was shrouded in mystery through 30 years of warfare. It's become sort of a symbol of
conservation in Indochina."
The most successful kouprey specialist was the late Dr Charles H Wharton, a US conservationist better known for his book
Natural Environments of Georgia. A World Wildlife Federation report claims "The best, most complete field data on the
kouprey was obtained by Charles Wharton in field work in the 1950s." But Wharton's 2003 obituary in the Atlanta-Journal
Constitution made no mention of his pivotal role in one of Cambodia's greatest mysteries.
In 1951 Wharton led a 90-man group - including 60 government soldiers-on a two-month excursion in the Choam Ksan
and Koh Ke areas of Preah Vihear and Siem Reap provinces. He caught on film six separate groups of kouprey -the only
existing footage. Wharton estimated that there were roughly 400 to 500 head of kouprey west of the Mekong, 200 to 300
in Lomphat wildlife sanctuary and 50 in the Samrong district of Kratie province. According to wildlife experts almost
everything known about kouprey behavior stems from Wharton's visits and the resulting 1957 film The Forest Cattle
Survey Expedition to Southeast Asia - a tour de force of nature documentaries. According to Vuthy's report, after
accepting the film from Wharton in 1964, Prince Norodom Sihanouk "designated the kouprey as Cambodia's National
Animal and declared Kulen Prum Tep, Lomphat and Phnom Prich as wildlife sanctuaries for kouprey conservation."
The same year, Wharton launched an unlucky mission to capture live kouprey for captive breeding. He was able to
capture five, but lost them all: two died and three escaped. "It's amazing the bad luck, the problems that have
surrounded the kouprey," Wharton said in an interview with International Wildlife magazine. "It's almost like the thing has
some sort of an ancient spell over it that man is not to learn about or capture this animal. Turmoil between the 1960s and
1980s halted kouprey expeditions. In 1982, a group was spotted near the Thai border, but according to Vuthy the search
effort was called off after a land mine critically injured the group's guide.
The most eccentric hunt
The most eccentric - and heavily armed - hunt for the animal came in 1994. Former Post reporter Nate Thayer led a
motley band of 26 mercenaries, armed soldiers and journalists - including Ker Munthit of AP, Michael Hayes of the Post
and British photographer Tim Page - into Cambodia's remote northeast. In a subsequent Post article Thayer wrote "After
compiling a team of expert jungle trackers, scientists, security troops, elephant mahouts and one of the most motley and
ridiculous looking groups of armed journalists in recent memory, we marched cluelessly into Khmer Rouge-controlled
jungles along the old Ho Chi Minh trail."
The two-week, 150 km field survey - called the Cambodian Kourpey Research Project - made no sightings of kouprey but
estimated optimistically that evidence suggested a herd of fewer than a dozen still existed in a small region of Mondulkiri.
"There were several early casualties from heat prostration and other manifestations of badly-out-of-shape bodies addled
by long histories of drug and alcohol abuse," wrote Thayer, who funded the $30,000 expedition.
The last kouprey survey was led by Weiler in January 1999, along the Sre Pok river. Again the trip yielded no evidence of
kouprey but did result in a film, Search for the Kouprey. "To my knowledge, that was the last kouprey-specific
expedition," Weiler said. "I personally think, and many NGOs agree, Kouprey searches are a waste of time and money.
Any areas it was in the past or might still be have been surveyed within the last decade and are looked over almost
monthly."
Key dates in the hunt for an elusive beast
1937: The kouprey (Bos sauveli) species is "discovered" by the director of Vincennes Zoo in Paris after a calf
captured in Preah Vihear province grows into an animal unknown to Western science. It is the last large mammal on
earth to be given a new classification until 1992. The only kouprey studied in captivity, it starves to death during the
World War II German occupation of France.
1940: Harvard University published a report that defines the kouprey as genetically separate from all other known
mammals and belonging to its own genus. The report claims that the kouprey is a Pleistocene ancestor of domestic
cattle.
1951: US biologist Dr Charles H Wharton leads a 90-man expedition into Cambodia and studies a dozen different
groups of kouprey on film. The brief observations form the basis of modern knowledge about kouprey behaviour.
Wharton estimates 500 kouprey exist in the wild.
1964: Head of State Prince Norodom Sihanouk, who kept a kouprey in the Royal Gardens as a child, declares the
kouprey Cambodia's national animal, and designates sanctuaries in Preah Vihear, Ratanakkiri, and Mondulkiri. Also in
1964, Wharton leads a disastrous mission to capture kouprey for captive breeding; his crew captures five and then
loses them all - two die and three escape.
The Babbler - May 2006

4 BirdLife International in Indochina
1965-1967: World Wildlife Fund (France) former president Pierre Pfeffer makes five extensive expeditions to
Indochina, during which he observes several herds of around 15 kouprey and obtains the only still photograph of the
animal on record. These are the last recorded kouprey sightings by a scientist.
1975-1979: A wild-meat supplier tells a government researcher that, during the war, he killed six kouprey from a
population of 30 in Preah Vihear.
1982: A small herd of kouprey is spotted along Cambodia's border in Thailand. A massive search is forced to turn
back when a tripped landmine injures the guide and the follow-up government expedition concludes the kouprey
returned to Cambodia.
1988: An International Workshop on the Kouprey Conservation Program is held in Hanoi during January, attended by
researchers and donors from around the world. Workshop guesstimates suggest 27 kouprey remain in Vietnam, 40 to
100 in Laos, and fewer than 200 in Cambodia. An action plan, prepared and published by two major wildlife
conservation groups, calls for surveys in all three countries.
1989-90: Surveys take place in Daklak Province and in southern Laos, with negative results. University of Hanoi
biologist Ha Dinh Duc conducts a search along Cambodia's border with Vietnam but the work is cut short when the
group comes under fire from Vietnam exiles. Duc is shot from the back of an elephant but survives with wounds to
the face and chest.
1994: Journalist Nate Thayer leads the first full-scale ground hunt for kouprey in eastern Cambodia, which is
unsuccessful. At the same time, the Cambodia Wildlife protection office and several NGOs sponsor an aerial survey for
kouprey in eastern Cambodia. A total of 5,238 sq km is surveyed, involving 34.7 hours flying, but no success.
1995: Noel Vietmeyer, a National Academy of Science specialist in finding economic value in tropical fauna, tells
International Wildlife Magazine " [The kouprey] is the holy grail. It's probably the most genetically valuable species on
earth... Here's an animal with thousands of years of survivability in the harshest habitats built into it, one that could
improve the lot of half of the domestic cattle on earth, maybe all of them..."
1999: Wildlife Protection Office international adviser and kouprey enthusiast Hunter Weiler conducts an official
expedition to Eastern Mondulkiri with the Wildlife Protection Office. Documented on film, it results in a movie, Search
for the Kouprey, but no kouprey sightings are recorded. He prepares a paper on the status of wild cattle in Cambodia,
which states, "The author reluctantly concurs with the local officials and hunters - the kouprey is finished."
2000-2006: Extensive general wildlife surveys involving camera trapping are carried out in the kouprey's former
range. The surveys, conducted by the Wildlife Protection Office and Ministry of Environment, find no kouprey.
2001: Deputy Director of the Wildlife Protection Office Men Soriyun publishes Status and Distribution of Wild Cattle in
Cambodia in Tiger Paper. Regarding kouprey, he concludes "it is highly unlikely that any breeding population still
occurs and the species should be considered effectively extinct in the wild."
2004: The Cambodian government officially redesignates the kouprey the National Animal.
2005: A full-size statue of a kouprey is placed near Wat Phnom. Former forestry administration researcher Lic Vuthy
releases an exhaustive review of all available kouprey reports, including interviews with ex-hunters, and concludes
that the last credible first-hand reports of kouprey sightings in Cambodia occurred in the 1980s. All subsequent
reports have been second and third-hand anecdotes.
2006: Hunter Weiler tells the Post further grants of funds for kouprey-specific surveys "open the door for wasting
scarce conservation money on all sorts of half-baked safaris to go out anywhere in former kouprey range... with little
realistic possibility of finding anything."
Text by Charles McDermid and Cheang Sokha, Phnom Penh Post, Volume 15, Number 8, April 21- May 4, 2006
The Babbler - May 2006

SPECIAL REPORTS
BOEUNG PREK LAPOUV, TAKEO PROVINCE, CAMBODIA:
A Rare Wetland of the Lower Mekong Basin
By Tran Triet, University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam and International Crane Foundation, USA
Introduction
Covering an area of roughly
five million hectares, the
Mekong River Delta is a vast
wetland complex, consisting of many
different types of wetland ecosystems,
from coastal salt and brackish to
inland freshwater wetlands. Of the
total area of land and water surface,
approximately four million are
in Vietnam and one million in Cambodia.
Wetlands of the Mekong
Delta have long been used and
altered by people. Most of the seasonally
inundated grasslands of the
Vietnam part of the Mekong Delta
have been turned into farmland,
mostly rice paddies. The development
took place in the last 10 to 15
years at a very fast pace without
proper concerns for habitat and
biodiversity conservation. The result
is a massive surplus of rice and a
tremendous loss of wetlands and the
associated biological diversity. Recent
instability of the international rice
market has badly affected rice-producing
farmers in the
Mekong Delta. As
the price of exporting
rice plummeted,
Mekong Delta farmers
painfully watched
their income from
rice production
shrink.
Fortunately, a
few remnant wetlands
were protected,
such as the
Tram Chim National
Park (7,600 ha) in
Dong Thap Province
and several other
smaller wetland protected
areas in Long
An and Kien Giang
Province, Vietnam.
These protected areas are all located
in the downstream part and may not
represent all different freshwater wetland
habitats of the Mekong Delta.
Other remnant wetlands of high conservation
values, especially those that
have not been well represented in
existing protected areas should be
located and preserved (Triet et. al.
2000).
In 1998, satellite tracking data
collected under a joint research
project between the International
Crane Foundation (ICF) (Wisconsin,
USA) and the Yamashina Institute in
Japan revealed that a flock of Sarus
cranes (Grus antigone sharpii) stayed
in a grassland area on Takeo Province,
Cambodia, near the border
with Vietnam, during the dry season.
That information led to an aerial reconnaissance
followed by a ground
survey conducted in March 2001 by
the ICF and the University of Natural
Sciences (UNS) - Ho Chi Minh City.
The team found approximately
17,000 ha of natural wetlands lo-
Figure 1. Location of Boeung Prek Lapouv Sarus Crane Conservation Area.
cated in the southeast corner of
Takeo Province, on the west side of
the Bassac River, belonging to two
districts namely Koh Andeth and
Borei Chulsar. Field observations
made during the survey suggested
that the Takeo grassland might play
an important role in wetland conservation
in the Lower Mekong Basin
as it represented seasonally inundated
grasslands of the upper part
of the Mekong Delta - a wetland
ecosystem that has been almost
eradicated elsewhere in the Mekong
Delta (Tran Triet, 2001a).
Two other surveys (in November
2001 and May 2002), were conducted
by ICF and UNS in collaboration
with the Wildlife Conservation
Society-Cambodia Programme,
Birdlife International-Cambodia
Programme, Wildlife Protection
Office-Cambodia, Ministry of Environment-Cambodia
and the Royal
University of Agriculture, Phnom
Penh, Cambodia. The main objective
of these surveys was to gather
A S E A N B I O D I V E R S I T Y
27

SPECIAL REPORTS
Figure 2. A Landsat ETM image of Boeung Prek Lapouv area, taken on 7 February 2003
(False color composite 4,3,2. UTM zone 48, WGS84).
more data on hydrology, vegetation,
water birds and wetland resource
utilisation of the area. The
wet season survey in November
2001 revealed that wetlands there
supported extensive mats of floating
vegetation – a type of wetland
vegetation that is extremely rare in
the Mekong Delta (Tran Triet and
Seng Kim Hout, 2001). Previously,
floating vegetation also occurred in
the Plain of Reeds, but had become
totally extinct due mainly to changes
in wetland hydrology caused by the
development of intensive irrigation
channels (Ngan et. al., 1985; Le
Cong Kiet, 1993; Tran Triet, 1999).
Since 2001, the Wildlife Protection
Office of the Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fishery-Cam-
bodia, with support from Birdlife International-Cambodia
Programme
has coordinated efforts to seek protection
status for the area. A proposed
boundary was established encompassing
an area of 9,250 ha
(Figures 1 and 2); the area was
named the Boeung Prek Lapouv
Sarus Crane Conservation Area (S.
Austin, Birdlife International-Cambodia
Programme, pers. comm.).
Hydrology
Boeung Prek Lapouv (BPL) is
located on the floodplain southern
side of the Bassac Channel. Not
much is known about the hydrology
of the area, but the following general
pattern can be recognised. At
the beginning of the flood season,
BPL received water mainly from the
over-bank flow of the Bassac and
partly from local rainfall and sheet
flow from the adjacent higher lands.
As measured in November 2001,
floodwater depth was about three
meters in the grasslands and about
four meters or deeper in depressed
areas (lotus and water lily swamps).
BPL was generally low in Electrical
Conductivity (638 – 770 ìS/cm)
neutral in pH (6.77 – 6.25) and high
in Dissolved Oxygen (5.1 – 7.1 mg/
l). Floodwater receded via sheet flow
to the Ha Tien Plain in Vietnam and
eventually to the Gulf of Thailand.
BPL is flooded and becomes dry
earlier than the downstream part of
the Mekong Delta. Floodwater also
rises and falls faster in BPL as com-
pared to areas further downstream.
Unlike the Bassac Marsh, which is
almost inundated all year round, BPL
is quite dry during the dry season
except for numerous small streams
and ponds located within the area.
Located near the main river channel
and away from the sea, BPL’s soils
are not as acidic, nor as saline as
those of the Ha Tien Plain or the
Plain of Reeds. Those soil and water
conditions support a type of floating
vegetation, which is now quite rare
in the Mekong Delta.
Vegetation
In the wet season, the whole area
of the Takeo grassland is a floating
mat of vegetation. There are more
than 30 aquatic plant species found
in the floating mat. The following
species are most commonly seen:
Echinochloa stagnina, Polygonum
tomentosum, Ipomoea aquatica,
Hymenachne acutigluma, Leersia
hexandra and Pseudoraphis
brunoniana. The living mass of these
plants forms the main component of
the floating mat. Echinochloa and
Hymenachne stems measured up to
10 meters long. Common plant
species, but of lesser abundance, in
the floating mat are: Oryza
rufipogon, Ischaemum rugosum,
Ludwigia adscendens, Commelina
,

sp., Salvinia cucullata, Eichhornia
crassipes, Cyperus iria, Monochoria
hastate, Nymphoides indica,
Sacciolepis interrupta and Paspalum
scrobiculatum.
The major plants that form floating
mats have adopted an interesting
habit to help them cope with fast
rising floodwater. When floodwater
receded, floating mats lay on the
ground. In dry and hot conditions,
biomass from the previous year
decomposed quickly and provided
available nutrients for new shoots that
re-sprouted from old stems. The new
shoots rooted mostly on the loose
semi-decomposed mats and did not
anchor firmly on the ground soil. The
whole mat was then ready to float
again when the next floodwaters
came. Some plant species germinated
when floodwater dropped to
a suitable level and then grew
quickly, completing their life cycle
within the dry part of the year. These
plants often have shorter stature than
when they grew in “less difficult”
environmental settings. There are also
other strategies that help plant species
to adapt to flooding conditions;
some plants develop structures such
as float devices (Ludwigia adcendens)
and large hollow stem (many species
of grass); some grow adventitious
roots at water surface level, and
some stems elongate fast enough to
stay above water.
Large woody trees were not seen,
except cultivated trees planted along
dykes or in some artificial high
grounds. Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)
and water lily (Nymphaea spp.)
swamps occurred commonly in the
grassland. These are depressed
areas that still hold water in the dry
season. Many of these lotus-water
lily swamps were connected by small
streams that formed a network of
dry season water bodies. Large mats
of water hyacinth (Eichhornia
crassipes) were seen in open water
areas near the Koh Andet District.
These water hyacinth mats were
probably moved from Takeo and
Bassac Rivers by floodwater. In the
grassland area, however, water
hyacinth was found only in small
clumps. The exotic weed Mimosa
pigra was seen quite often in the BPL
grassland. This is a highly invasive
weed, which is currently a major
threat to many tropical wetland systems.
The characteristics of seasonally
inundated grassland in Takeo are
quite different from those of downstream
areas. Grasslands of the Plain
of Reeds and of the Ha Tien Plain
are now mostly emergent vegetation;
there are no floating vegetables.
Plant species composition is
characterised by the presence of
many acid-tolerant plants such as
Eleocharis dulcis, E. ochrostachys,
Lepironia articulata, and Xyris indica.
Due to the connection with the sea,
the downstream areas also have
plants that are saltwater-tolerant such
as Paspalum vaginatum and Scirpus
littoralis. In contrast, plants in Takeo
were rarely seen, and salt-tolerant
grassland plants were not observed.
Floating vegetation was reported
to have existed in the Vietnam part
of the Mekong Delta before, particularly
in the Plain of Reeds (Le
Cong Kiet, 1993), but has been
eradicated entirely due to habitat loss
and hyrdrological changes. A dense
network of canals, developed for
promoting rice cultivation in Vietnam,
tremendously altered the natural
hydrological regime in such a way
that floating vegetation can no longer
be supported. Canals moved water
in and out of the floodplains very
quickly, resulting in an abrupt change
in water level and a much shorter
water retention period. Canals facilitated
land reclamation and agricultural
intensification. As a result,
most of the natural grasslands of the
Mekong Delta in Vietnam have been
lost in the last two decades. Only a
small area of grasslands was preserved
in Tram Chim National Park
and in some smaller protected
wetlands. Currently, efforts are being
made to conserve remnant grasslands
in the Ha Tien Plain, an area
SPECIAL REPORTS
located near the BPL grassland (Tran
Triet, 2001b).
Birds
The Takeo grassland is one of
the important dry season areas for
the Eastern Sarus crane (Grus
antigone sharpii). Satellite tracking
data received from cranes captured
in Tram Chim National Park in Vietnam
in 1998 showed that the Takeo
grassland was one of the places
where the Sarus crane stopped on
their migration from northeastern
Cambodia to the Mekong Delta
(www.savingcranes.org)/. Bird surveys
conducted by Birdlife International
in collaboration with various
Cambodian agencies confirmed
the presence of a large flock of
Sarus crane (more than 100 individuals)
in BPL (Seng Kim Hout et.
al. 2002). A total of 52 bird species
was recorded in BPL, including
27 water birds (Seng Kim Hout
et. al. 2002). Besides Sarus crane,
other birds of special concern are
Oriental darter (Anhinga
melanogaster), Spot-billed pelican
(Pelecanus philippensis) and
Painted stork (Mycteria
leucocephala); the area is qualified
as an Important Bird Area (IBA)
because it “regularly holds significant
numbers of a globally threatened
species, or other species of
global conservation concern” (Seng
Kim Hout et. al. 2002).
In a November 2001 survey, a
nesting colony of Grey heron (Ardea
cinerea) was found in Pruek Sa
Pagoda, located near national
Highway No. 2 to Kirivong District,
Takeo Province, about 29 km from
the Takeo provincial town. Within
a few hectares of the Pagoda’s
backyard, 155 nests were counted
hanging on 34 trees of seven different
tree species. Hundreds of
Grey herons were observed in the
colony (Tran Triet and Seng Kim
Hout, 2001). As agricultural intensification
continues in the surrounding
area, the BPL grassland will
become more and more important
29

SPECIAL REPORTS
Figure 3. Local people collect grasses to feed cattle during the flood season.
to wetland wildlife, particularly
water birds.
Wetland Management
Resource Utilization
Fishing is the most important
resource activity in the BPL grassland.
There are two fishing seasons
per year: dry season fishing
from January to April and wet
season fishing from September to
December. The fishermen interviewed
in the field reported that
each day in the wet season, from
100 to 120 fishing boats were
operating in the Takeo grassland.
Each boat paid a season fishing
license of US$250 to US$350
depending on the location and the
type of fishing gears used. Smaller
boats, which caught fish by nets or
hooks, paid a smaller fee – US$30
to US$50 per season.
For dry-season fishing, the area
was divided into fishing lots and
leased to fishermen. Dry season
fishing license fees run from
US$200 for small lots on stream
sections to US$25,000 for large lots
on swamps. People used large
motor pumps to pump water out of
swamps, ponds and streams to
catch all the fish, including the
smallest ones. This fishing practice
caused an excessively dry condition,
depleted fish stocks and severely
affected other aquatic organisms
as well as the fauna that
depends on these water bodies as
sources of food and water. The
current practice of dry season fishing
seems to be detrimental to
wetland life. Takeo authorities
should strengthen fishing regulations
to prevent such a destructive practice.
Besides fishing, collecting
grasses, lotus, and water lilies are
also important resource utilisation
activities. In the wet season, the local
communities collect grasses from the
Takeo grassland to feed their livestock
(Figure 3). Lotus and water lilies
(Nymphaea spp.) are also collected
and sold in nearby markets in Vietnam.
Irrigation Development
According to the Agricultural
Service of Takeo Province, in 2001
the province had 240,000 ha of rice
fields, which could be divided into:
wet season rice fields located mostly
in the north and western portion of
the province (area: 183,000 ha;
average yield: 1.5-2 tons/ha), and
dry season rice fields located in the
south and east of the province (area:
57,000 ha; average yield: 4-7 tons/
ha) (Tran Triet and Seng Kim Hout,
2001). Before 1984 there was almost
no resident in Borei Chulsar
District. Since then, however, people
from Samrong and Tramkok districts,
northwest of the province, have
settled in the Borei Chulsar district.
The pressure to expand farmland
increased as more and more settlers
moved in.
Since 1995, the Program of
Rehabilitation and Support to the
Agricultural Sector of Cambodia
(PRASAC), funded by the European
Union, has been an important instrument
to improve rice production
in six provinces: Takeo, Kampong
Chnang, Kampong Cham,
Kampong Speu, Prey Veng and Svay
Rieng. Through irrigation development,
agricultural extensions and
credit programmes, the PRASAC
project has significantly increased
crop yields and expanded farm
Photo by Tran Triet, November 2001

lands, thus improving the livelihood
of rural communities. In Takeo, Phase
one of the PRASAC project (1995 –
1998) dug 110 km of canals, irrigated
20,247 ha of farm lands and
facilitated the expansion of 7,000
ha of rice fields, accounting for an
extra production of 130,000 tonnes
of rice per year. Within the concerned
BPL grassland, the PRASAC project
dug three large canals: Canal 96,
Canal 98 and Canal 92. In Phase
two (1999–2003) the PRASAC
project will dig another 85 km of
canals in Takeo province, including
three large canals in the area. The
project aims at improving rice yield
to eight tons per hectare per year
through double rice cropping (Tran
Triet and Seng Kim Hout, 2001).
The digging of many irrigation
canals in and around the proposed
BPL protected wetland has serious
implications on the management of
the area.
1. The canal may drain the area
faster and therefore reduce
inundation time (which is preferred
by rice growers). Shorter
inundation would affect the
crane’s use of the wetland and
severely affect the floating
vegetation (through changing
the growing period and thus
the flowering and fruiting season).
2. Channelised water will increase
water turbidity, which
in turn will affect aquatic life.
When visiting BPL in the flood
season, one will easily
recognise a marked difference
in water turbidity between the
BPL grassland and the surrounding
areas. Water inside
the grassland is very clean
compared to the dirty water
elsewhere in the area. Increasing
water turbidity not only
threatens many plankton communities
but may also have
detrimental impacts on the
floating vegetation as it may
interfere with the rate of or-
ganic matter decomposition
as well as the germination and
re-sprouting of aquatic plants.
3. Some proposed canals are
located within the boundary
of the protected area. They
certainly will facilitate agriculture
and therefore will make
conservation management
more difficult, not to mention
other human activities that
may cause further disturbances
to the wildlife of the area.
The floating vegetation of BPL is
very fragile and when it is broken,
the restoration, as experienced in
other parts of the Mekong Delta,
may very well be impossible.
Conclusion
The conservation value of BPL is
guaranteed by the uniqueness of its
wetland ecosystem. It is one of a few
remnants of the seasonally inundated
grassland, which once covered vast
areas of flood plains in the Mekong
Delta, and is probably the last extensive
remnant of floating vegetation
in the area. Conserving the BPL
wetland should therefore be of high
priority. It may be more productive
for Takeo Province not to depend
solely on intensive rice agriculture.
Instead of reclaiming all of the flood
plain areas for rice cultivation, decision
makers may consider a model
of diversified agriculture that is
linked to the conservation of this
important wetland area. Maintaining
and improving fishing activities,
better managed harvesting of other
wetland resources, and promoting
eco-tourism are among the activities
that may help local communities
co-exist with the BPL wetland
and its wildlife.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the
Department of Forestry and Wildlife of
the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries, the Department of Nature
Conservation of the Ministry of
Environment, the Forestry faculty of the
Royal University of Agriculture-
SPECIAL REPORTS
Cambodia, the Birdlife International-
Cambodia Programme and the Wildlife
Conservation Society- Cambodia
Programme for their collaboration
during the field surveys. The author is
especially thankful to Nguyen Phi Nga
(University of Natural Sciences – Ho
Chi Minh City) for his valuable field
assistance. Funding for the surveys was
provided by the John and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation and Eleanor
Briggs.
References
Le Cong Kiet. 1994. Native Freshwater
Vegetation Communities in the
Mekong Delta. International Journal of
Ecology and Environmental Sciences
20: 55-71.
Ngan, P.T., D.T. Dung, N.H. Van,
and N.T. Liem, 1985. Vegetation of
the Plain of Reeds. State Program 60-
02. 1986. Basic Survey of the Mekong
Delta, Stage I. National Committee of
Science and Technology, Hanoi,
Vietnam.
Seng Kim Hout, Say Sayoeun,
Pech Bunnat, Song Chan Socheat
and Andrew Tordoff. 2002. A Rapid
Field Survey of Three Wetland Sites in
Takeo Province, Cambodia. Department
of Forestry and Wildlife of the Ministry
of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries,
Department of Nature Conservation of
the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife
Conservation Society and Birdlife
International, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Tran Triet. 1999. Freshwater Wetland
Vegetation of the Mekong Delta: A
Quantitative Study of the Relationship
between Plant Species Distribution and
the Physical Environment. PhD Dissertation,
University of Wisconsin-Madison,
USA.
Tran Triet. 2001a. Memos of Takeo
Grassland Survey 17-17 March 2001.
International Crane Foundation,
Wisconsin, USA.
Tran Triet (ed). 2001b. Proceedings
of the workshop “Conservation and
Utilization of Biodiversity Resources of
the Ha Tien – Kien Luong Wetlands”,
Rach Gia, 17-19 June 2001. College
of Natural Sciences, Vietnam National
University – Ho Chi Minh City.
Tran Triet, R.J. Safford, Tran Duy
Phat, Duong Van Ni and E.
Maltby. 2000. Wetland Biodiversity
Overlooked and Threatened in the
Mekong Delta, Vietnam: Grassland
Ecosystems in the Ha Tien Plain.
Tropical Biodiversity 7(1): 1-24.
Tran Triet and Seng Kim Hout
2001. Memos of Takeo Grassland
Survey 8-10 November 2001. International
Crane Foundation, Wisconsin,
USA.
A S E A N B I O D I V E R S I T Y
31

BirdingASIA 4 (2005): 15–22
SPECIAL REPORT
BirdLife in Asia—a 10-year overview
RICHARD GRIMMETT
This article was commissioned from the BirdLife International Asia Division in order to keep OBC members up-todate
with the work of BirdLife in the region. We hope this will inspire many readers to support the BirdLife
Partnership in its mission to save the rarest birds of the region and their habitats.—The Editors
The BirdLife Partnership
It has been just over a decade since BirdLife
International was established, evolving in 1994
from the International Council for Bird Preservation
with a history dating back to 1922. BirdLife is a
global partnership of independent bird and nature
conservation organisations that have come together
based on a shared sense of conservation approach
and priorities. BirdLife’s global secretariat is based
in Cambridge, United Kingdom, with regional
offices throughout the world, including a modest
one for Asia based in Tokyo.
In Asia, the BirdLife Partnership brings together
some of the largest and most dynamic conservation
organisations in the region—well known and often
with close links to OBC—with a combined public
membership of over 70,000 (Table 1). In addition,
BirdLife country programmes are operational in
Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, and programme
activities have recently commenced in China and
East Timor. Regionally, the BirdLife Partnership is
brought together as the BirdLife Asia Council. This
was chaired from 1994 to 2003 by Noritaka Ichida
of the Wild Bird Society of Japan, and is now
chaired by Lim Kim Keang of Nature Society
(Singapore). A number of BirdLife Partners in
Europe are also active in supporting work by the
Partnership in the region, most notably the Royal
Table 1. The BirdLife Partnership in Asia.
Territory/
geographical
region Organisation
Russia Russian Bird Conservation Union (RBCU)
Japan Wild Bird Society of Japan (WBSJ)
Taiwan Wild Bird Federation Taiwan (WBST)
Hong Kong Hong Kong Birdwatching Society (HKBWS)
Philippines Haribon Foundation
Thailand Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST)
Malaysia Malaysian Nature Society (MNS)
Singapore Nature Society (Singapore) (NSS)
Indonesia BirdLife Indonesia
Nepal Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN)
Sri Lanka Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL)
India Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS)
Pakistan Ornithological Society of Pakistan (OSP)
Society for the Protection of Birds (BirdLife in the
United Kingdom), Vogelbescherming Nederland
(BirdLife in the Netherlands), and the Danish
Ornithological Society (BirdLife in Denmark).
BirdLife’s ten-year strategy, adopted by the
Partnership in 2004, has four interrelated themes:
saving species, protecting sites, conserving habitats
and empowering people.
Saving species
As a foundation for saving species, it is of course
essential to know which species are threatened with
extinction, where they occur, their ecological
requirements, the threats they face, and the
conservation measures previously taken and still
required. BirdLife has led the way in Asia by
ensuring that this foundation is now firmly in place,
with the recent publication of Threatened birds of
Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book
(BirdLife International 2001), which reviews in
detail the status, distribution and ecology of
threatened birds in the region, and of Saving Asia’s
threatened birds: a guide for government and civil
society (BirdLife International 2003), which, by
building directly on the earlier work, sets out clearly
the bird and habitat conservation priorities in the
region. The Red Data Book work was based on
input from thousands of amateur and professional
birders and conservationists, and received valuable
input and support from OBC and its members.
BirdLife’s work on threatened bird species is fed
into the official IUCN Red List, and provides a focus
for the conservation work of enthusiasts, NGOs,
research institutions, and governments across the
region. As many OBC readers will know (via, e.g.,
Collar 2001), the conclusions from this work are
depressing: one in eight (12%) of all bird species
in the Asian region is globally threatened; a total
of 323 bird species are at risk of extinction over
the next 100 years. Lowland forest and wetland
birds, in particular, are in trouble. These reviews
are available, in downloadable format on
www.rdb.or.id/ with the Red List kept up-to-date
on an annual basis (see: www.birdlife.org/).
Over the past decade, BirdLife has taken direct
and significant action for over 50 (or just under
half) of the Critical and Endangered species

identified in the Red Data Book, and has greatly
improved prospects for many of these (Table 2,
while not intended to be comprehensive, presents
some of the highlights). These are almost all
“flagship species”, where conservation benefits
extend to a wider range of other fauna and flora,
as well as to threatened habitats more generally.
Particularly rewarding has been our work for
Black-faced Spoonbill, a flagship species for highly
threatened east Asian coastal wetlands; for Javan
Table 2. Critical and Endangered species where BirdLife is making a difference in Asia
Species Action and impact
White-eared Night-Heron Rediscovered in Vietnam in 2001, resulting in the establishment of the South Xuan Lac
Species and Habitat Conservation Area
White-shouldered Ibis Discovery of largest-known flock at Siem Pang, northern Cambodia, where site conservation
work is underway; study of Borneo population supported
Giant Ibis Rediscovered in Vietnam in 2003; significant new populations discovered at Siem Pang,
northern Cambodia, where site conservation work is underway; PhD study on ecology
underway in Cambodia
Black-faced Spoonbill Action Plan prepared (Severinghaus et al. 1995); comprehensive research, education and
conservation programme implemented; population now 1475 birds from a low of around
300 in the early 1990s as a result of improved knowledge and a genuine increase in numbers;
revised Action Plan in preparation
Pink-headed Duck Search underway in Myanmar
White-rumped, Indian and Regional and Cambodia Action Plans in place; supplementary feeding and satellite tracking
Slender-billed Vultures underway in Cambodia; research into impact of diclofenac, as well as suitability of alternative
drugs, with Indian government now committed to banning diclofenac; establishment of
captive populations as emergency measure, as well as research and monitoring in India;
important populations located in Cambodia and Myanmar
Philippine Eagle NGO alliance established in Philippines; site action, surveys and education underway in Luzon
Javan Hawk-eagle Action Plan prepared (Sozer et al. 1998); greatly improved knowledge of status and
distribution; nest-site protection and tighter controls on bird trade; increased awareness and
interest; strengthening of protected area network in Java
Orange-necked Partridge Now known from ten sites in Vietnam
Edwards’s Pheasant Now known from four sites in central Vietnam and conservation work underway at all of them
Imperial Pheasant Specimen material provided by BirdLife assisted researchers determine the species to be
of hybrid origin
Red-crowned Crane Crane reserves established and feeding stations maintained by WBSJ in Hokkaido;
conservation of other sites improved through Crane Flyway Network
Okinawa Rail Population monitoring, research and protection work in Yambaru
Talaud Rail Establishment of Karakelang Wildlife Sanctuary
Great Indian Bustard Surveys and regular monitoring, and advocacy of conservation measures at state and
federal level in India, although population continues to decline
Bengal Florican Surveys and monitoring and advocacy of conservation measures in protected area
management in Indian and Nepal; PhD study underway in Cambodia; IBA Local
Conservation Group established at Stung/Chi Kreng IBA, Cambodia
Lesser Florican Surveys and regular monitoring and advocacy of conservation measures at state and
federal level in India
Javanese Lapwing Search underway in Java
Sociable Lapwing Survey in India; Action Plan underway
Spoon-billed Sandpiper Action Plan underway
Jerdon’s Courser Population surveys in Sri Lankamalai Sanctuary, and new site discovered. Ecological
studies underway
Chinese Crested Tern Protection efforts for Matsu Islands; supported rediscovery in mainland China; Action Plan
underway
Mindoro Bleeding-heart Local government regulations and land-use planning, plus improved protection, for
Sablayan in Mindoro
Wetar Ground Dove Discovery in East Timor
Timor Green Pigeon Sizeable populations discovered in East Timor; progress with protected area system
including proposed Conis Santana National Park

Hawk-eagle, symbolic of Java’s remaining hill
forest and an inspiration to the islands’ emerging
conservation movement; and the ongoing struggle
to conserve lowland habitat for Gurney’s Pitta in
southern Thailand and Myanmar. For these species
and their habitats, BirdLife has made a significant
difference to their conservation prospects. A huge
disappointment has been the failure to prevent the
slide towards extinction of Bali Starling in the wild,
despite the completion of an Action Plan and
Table 2 ... continued. Critical and Endangered species where BirdLife is making a difference in Asia
Species Action and impact
Red-and-blue Lory Establishment of Karakelang Wildlife Sanctuary; trade controls in North Sulawesi
(Indonesia) and Mindanao (Philippines)
Chattering Lory Establishment of national park in Halmahera
Yellow-crested Cockatoo Action Plan prepared (PHPA/LIPI/BirdLife International-IP 1998); legally protected from
trapping and trade in Indonesia; added to CITES Appendix I in 2004; designation of
Manupeu-Tanahdaru and Laiwangi-Wanggameti National Parks in Sumba, Indonesia.
Sizeable populations discovered in East Timor
Sangihe Hanging-parrot Improved forest conservation with local communities and government at Sahendaruman,
North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Flores Hanging-parrot Local government planning and forest conservation by local communities at Mbeliling,
Flores, Indonesia
Black-headed Coucal Local government regulations and land-use planning, plus improved protection, for
Sablayan in Mindoro
Blakiston’s Fish-owl Monitoring and species protection work in Hokkaido
Forest Owlet Rediscovered following Red Data Book review; greatly improved knowledge of status and
distribution
Mindoro Tarictic Local government regulations and land-use planning, plus improved protection, for
Sablayan in Mindoro
Okinawa Woodpecker Population monitoring, research and protection work in Yambaru
Gurney’s Pitta Despite considerable conservation efforts, population and area of habitat at Khao Nor
Chuchi declined between discovery in 1986 and 2000; in recent years encroachment of
habitat has been much reduced, and population has increased following intensive activities
by BCST , RSPB and OBC. Sizeable population rediscovered in Myanmar in 2004, which is
estimated to be up to 8,000 pairs, and work underway to establish Lenya National Park
Black Shama Support for population assessment and site conservation in Cebu
Rufous-breasted Laughingthrush Surveys and ecological research
Collared Laughingthrush Chu Yang Sin National Park established
Grey-crowned Crocias Rediscovered in Vietnam in 1994; Chu Yang Sin National Park established
Caerulean Paradise-flycatcher Supported rediscovery by Action Sampiri in 1998, followed by comprehensive status
assessment; improved forest conservation with local communities and government at
only known site Sahendaruman, North Sulawesi
Flores Monarch Local government planning and forest conservation by local communities at Mbeliling,
Flores, Indonesia
Sangihe Shrike-thrush Improved forest conservation with local communities and government at Sahendaruman,
North Sulawesi
White-browed Nuthatch Forest conservation measures with local communities in Namataung (Mt Victoria) National
Park, Myanmar with the Biodivesrity and Nature Conservation Association
Sangihe White-eye Improved forest conservation with local communities and government at Sahendaruman,
North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Rufous-throated White-eye Rediscovered on Buru, Indonesia, in 1995; proposal for wildlife sanctuary submitted to
Indonesian Government
Black-winged Starling Jurong Bird Park persuaded in 2004 to manage its captive stock (the only currently known
viable population in the wild or captivity) according to conservation objectives
Bali Starling Action Plan published (Jepson et al. 1997); wild population has continued to decline
despite support for protection in the wild, education and awareness, and captive-breeding
Flores Crow Local government planning and forest conservation by local communities at Mbeliling,
Flores, Indonesia

assistance with education and awareness activities
and a wide-range of species protection initiatives.
Thankfully there are good populations of this
species in captivity, giving hope that a thriving freeflying
population in Bali Barat National Park, in
Indonesia, will be possible again one day.
A particular focus at present is on South Asia’s
Critically Endangered vultures, which are in serious
decline due to poisoning by the veterinary drug
diclofenac; East Asia’s cranes, through coordination
and promotion of the Crane Flyway
Network; and southern ocean albatrosses where
BirdLife is working with governments and the
fishing industry to mitigate the impact of the East
Asian long-lining fishing fleets.
BirdLife’s work has also led to the discovery of
three species new to science: Golden-winged
Laughingthrush Garrulax ngoclinhensis, Chestnuteared
Laughingthrush Garrulax konkakinhensis and
Black-crowned Barwing Actinodura sodangorum
(Eames et al. 1999a, Eames et al. 1999b, Eames and
Eames 2001), and twelve new subspecies (Eames
2002, Eames et al. 2002). Noteworthy also, and not
mentioned below, was confirmation of the survival
of Damar Flycatcher Ficedula henrici in 2001 on
Damar, eastern Indonesia, after a period without
records which took in the whole of the twentieth
century (Trainor 2002).
Protecting sites and conserving habitats
If we are to protect the most important sites for
birds, an essential first step is to know where these
sites are, why they are important, and their current
conservation status. A first documentation of these
areas was completed in 2004 with the publication
of an inventory of Important Bird Areas in Asia:
key sites for conservation (BirdLife International
2004), along with a number of impressive and more
detailed national inventories (e.g. for India, Nepal
and parts of Indonesia). “Important Bird Areas”
(IBAs), like threatened species, are identified on the
basis of objective, standardised criteria, for
threatened species, restricted-ranges species (which
occur within an Endemic Bird Area), biomerestricted
species, and species which congregate in
significant numbers such as seabirds and
waterbirds. The Asian review documents a total of
2,293 IBAs, covering 7.6% of our region. Of these,
939 IBAs (43%) are included within formal
protected areas, 325 (14%) are partially included,
and 976 are without any formal protected area
designation (Figure 1 showing IBAs in Asia).
BirdLife’s 2004–2008 Asia programme will focus on
promoting awareness about this site network, at
national and regional levels, ensuring IBAs are
recognised by national governments and
international agencies, monitoring IBAs across the
region, and developing the Local Conservation
Group approach to safeguard IBAs through locally
based conservation action. BirdLife will continue
to advance major conservation initiatives at a wide
range of sites across the region, and in particular to
promote the designation of IBAs as protected areas.
One of the goals of the IBA programme is to
assist Asian governments meet their obligations to
international conservation treaties such as the
Convention on Biological Diversity and the Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands. BirdLife has recently
identified 1,111 IBAs which meet the Ramsar criteria
for designation as Wetlands of International
Importance (Ramsar Sites) (BirdLife 2005); to date,
only 120 (or 11%) of the IBAs identified as meeting
the criteria have been officially designated by
governments, and the findings were promoted at
the Conference of Parties held in Uganda in
November 2005.
BirdLife is also working with institutions such
as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and
Japan Bank for International Cooperation to ensure
that IBAs are safeguarded in development planning
and project implementation. Using IBA information,
this has led to projects being amended and in some
cases cancelled, with infrastructure such as roads
and power lines being re-routed. Our long-term aim
is that all IBAs will be adequately taken care of
through government policies and land-use plans.
BirdLife is active in supporting the Asia-Pacific
Migratory Waterbird Conservation Strategy, which
includes the establishment of site networks
(“flyway” networks) for geese and ducks,
shorebirds, and cranes. The Wild Bird Society of
Japan (BirdLife Partner in Japan) coordinates the
Crane Flyway Network and over 20 sites are now
included in this network.
Since 1994, BirdLife has improved the
conservation status and prospects for a large
number of IBAs across the region. In Vietnam and
Indonesia, for example, BirdLife has worked closely
with the relevant government agencies to help
expand their national protected area systems,
where our work has tended to follow a pattern of
site surveys, consultation with local stakeholders,
and presentation and promotion of protected area
proposals to local and national governments. In
these two countries alone, BirdLife has helped to
expand the area of forest under conservation
management by over 650,000 ha (or 6,500 km²)
(Table 3 presents the highlights). A current focus
is to assist the newly established government in
East Timor with the setting-up of a first protected
area system there, the designation of new protected
areas in Tanintharyi Division, Myanmar, and the
establishment of a first-ever private forest reserve
in the lowlands of Sumatra, Indonesia.

Figure 1. The location of Important Bird Areas in the Asia region.

Table 3. New protected areas in Indonesia and Vietnam where BirdLife has made a significant contribution towards designation
since 1994
Site name/country Area (ha) Importance
Manupeu-Tanahdaru National Park, 87,984 Lowland and hill forest, with important populations of the threatened
Sumba, Indonesia Red-naped Fruit-dove Ptilinopus dohertyi, Sumba Hornbill Aceros everetti,
and Yellow-crested Cockatoo Cacatua sulphurea
Laiwangi-Wanggameti National Park,
Sumba, Indonesia
47,014 Lowland to montane forest, with similar species to Manupeu-Tanahdaru
Karakelang WildLife Sanctuary, Talaud 34,905 Lowland and hill forest, with populations of the threatened Talaud Rail
Islands, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Gymnocrex talaudensis, Grey Imperial Pigeon Ducula pickeringii, and Redand-blue
Lory Eos histrio
Aketajawi-Lolobata National Park, 167,300 Lowland and hill forest, supporting populations of the threatened
Halmahera, North Maluku, Indonesia Chattering Lory Lorius garrulus, White Cockatoo Cacactua alba, Sombre
Kingfisher Todiramphus funebris, Purple Dollarbird Eurystomus azureus,
and Dusky Friarbird Philemon fuscicapillus
Chu Yang Sin National Park, 59,278 Hill and montane forest, supporting populations of the threatened
Dak Lak Province, Vietnam Germain’s Peacock-pheasant Polyplectron germaini, Collared
Laughingthrush Garrulax yersini and Grey-crowned Crocias Crocias langbianis
Ke Go Nature Reserve, 24,801 Lowland forest, supporting populations of the threatened Vietnamese
Ha Tinh Province, Vietnam Pheasant Lophura hatinhensis and Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata
Kon Ka Kinh National Park, 41,710 Hill and montane forest, supporting populations of the threatened
Gia Lai Province, Vietnam Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush Garrulax konkakinhensis
Kon Cha Rang Nature Reserve, 15,900 Hill and montane forest, supporting populations of the threatened
Gia Lai Province, Vietnam Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata and Masked Finfoot Heliopais personata
Phong Dien Nature Reserve, 41,548 Lowland and hill forest, supporting populations of the threatened
Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam Edwards’s Pheasant Lophura edwardsi and Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata
Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, 41,424 Hill and montane forest, supporting populations of the threatened
Kon Tum Province, Vietnam Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata, Golden-winged Laughingthrush
Garrulax ngoclinhensis and Black-crowned Barwing Actinodura sodangorum
Dakrong Nature Reserve, 40,526 Lowland and hill forest, supporting populations of the threatened
Quang Tri Province, Vietnam Edwards’s Pheasant Lophura edwardsi and Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata
Xuan Lien Nature Reserve, Vietnam 23,610 Lowland and hill forest supporting a population of Short-tailed Scimitar
Babbler Jabouilleia danjoui
Lo Go-Xa Mat National Park, Vietnam 18,765 Upgraded to national park status following recommendations made by
BirdLife. Supports restricted-range species characteristic of the Southern
Vietnamese Lowlands EBA.
Yok Don National Park, Vietnam [115,545] The area was expanded following recommendations made by BirdLife and
others. Supports Giant Ibis, Masked Finfoot and Green Peafowl Pavo muticus
The IBA network is a minimum set of sites which
need to be conserved; but to achieve conservation
of these would represent a massive step forward in
preventing species extinction as well as conserving
other species with restricted ranges or that
concentrate in large numbers at critical stages in
their lifecycle.
BirdLife recognises, however, that conserving
important sites will never be enough if
environmental degradation and biodiversity loss are
to be halted and reversed. Many threatened species
are widely dispersed throughout all of, or at key
stages in, their life cycle. Furthermore, there is an
increasing sense that a broader suite of commoner
species are declining (but not yet globally
threatened), especially those of agricultural and
forest habitats. Data from Japan for example are
revealing an alarming decline in forest-dwelling
summer migrants which winter in the tropical
forests of South-East Asia. Populations of these and
other species can only be maintained if their habitats
in the wider environment are conserved. Here the
challenges are enormous and the forces at play are
inextricably linked to the ever-expanding regional
and global economy. Higher levels of consumption
and globalisation of markets are having a direct
impact on the extent and quality of habitats in the
Asia region. Demand for commodities such as palm
oil, coffee, sugar, etc., are continuing to fuel the
clearance and degradation of forests. It is a shocking

fact that the paper industry in South-East Asia
continues to remain far too reliant on the pulping
of tropical forest. Diverse agricultural landscapes
in countries such as India, with their abundant bird
life, will lose their biodiversity values as higher
standards of living drive agricultural intensification.
The looming threat of global warming is likely to
add another perhaps overwhelming dimension to
the nature and scale of the crisis facing birds and
their habitats in the region.
Over the past decade BirdLife has sought to
influence agricultural, wetland and forest policies,
particularly the wise use of wetlands and efforts
towards sustainable management of tropical forests.
The Malaysian Nature Society, for example, has
worked on indicators for sustainable forest
management, and BirdLife Indonesia has recently
assisted the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry with
the passage of a decree which makes it legally
possible for forest concessions to be taken on for
conservation rather than purely exploitation
purposes. BirdLife (particularly through the work
of the RSPB) is increasingly engaged in efforts to
tackle the environmental impact of global trade and
the threat of global warming. Over the next decade,
BirdLife will need to give greater attention to the
bigger issues affecting birds in the wider
environment.
BirdLife believes passionately that conservation
effort for birds, biodiversity and the environment
are inextricably linked to advancing human welfare
and economic security. The BirdLife Partnership
works together for birds and people, and as agents
of change people are the most important target for
BirdLife’s work.
Empowering people
Central to the BirdLife strategy is the aim to help
build the individual and institutional capacity of
organisations in the BirdLife Partnership, and more
widely to promote an awareness and appreciation
of birds and the environment. Without growth in
organisations, conservation efforts and achievements
will not be sustained, and without a
significant growth in public support we cannot hope
to address the current scale of threats to birds and
their habitats.
That first sparkle of interest in birds and
birdwatching can often be the starting point for a
life-long concern for the environment. Field guides
can play an important part in igniting an interest in
birds, yet until recently they were not affordable,
nor available in relevant languages, in most Asian
countries. The Wild Bird Society of Japan supported
the publication of a Chinese-language field guide to
the birds of Taiwan, and this publication
undoubtedly helped promote birdwatching and
conservation there. WBSJ followed this with a
Korean- and English-language field guide to the birds
of Korea. Since 1994, working with support from
the World Bank, BirdLife has brought into existence
a wide range of other local-language field guides
covering Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia (with
separate technical guides to the Greater Sundas,
Wallacea and Papua, and popular guides to the birds
of Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan, and Sulawesi).
Hindi, Gujarati and Urdu versions of the Birds of
northern India have recently appeared, whilst
Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu
editions of the Birds of southern India are in
preparation. Also in the pipeline are field guides to
the birds of Pakistan and East Timor. In addition to
field guides, BirdLife has produced local-language
books on field census techniques for Indonesia,
Vietnam and Cambodia, thereby helping to build
technical skills in bird surveys, monitoring and
research.
Through training courses, workshops and study
tours, BirdLife has directly helped with the
development of a number of organisations in the
BirdLife Partnership, most notably Bird Conservation
Society of Thailand, Bombay Natural History Society,
and Bird Conservation Nepal. BirdLife’s presence
in Indonesia has given rise to an independent
national NGO, BirdLife Indonesia, and contributed
significantly to a thriving local NGO movement. This
is something that was barely imaginable during the
Soeharto era. BirdLife is now helping with the
development of the Biodiversity and Nature
Conservation Association, which has recently
registered as a national NGO in Myanmar. In India,
the Bombay Natural History Society has helped to
build the Indian Bird Conservation Network, which
is bringing local bird clubs and other like-minded
organisations together around an agenda for species
and IBA research and conservation. BirdLife and
the Hong Kong Birdwatching Society have recently
embarked on a programme to support the emergence
of local birdwatching and conservation societies in
China. As a result of BirdLife’s work, there has been
meaningful growth in the bird conservation
movement in Asia over the past decade.
Conservation education and public awareness
are central to the work of all organisations in the
BirdLife Partnership. The Bombay Natural History
Society, for example, manages education centres in
Mumbai and Delhi, attracting thousands of
schoolchildren a year. Bird Conservation Society of
Thailand and Wild Bird Federation Taiwan hold
annual birdwatching fairs, and there are annual
raptor watches for the public in Taiwan, Malaysia
and Indonesia. On a bigger scale, BirdLife has held
almost annual World Bird Counts or World Bird
Festivals in Asia to promote birdwatching and

conservation to a wider audience, Together the
BirdLife Partnership is reaching out to hundreds of
thousands of people a year, giving hope that the
conservation movement in the region will swell over
time.
Gaps in the programme
Whilst there have been some great achievements
by BirdLife in Asia over the past decade, one cannot
help but feel disappointment at what we have not
been able to tackle, and the continuing downward
trend in both extent and quality of bird habitats
throughout the region. We are still far from turning
the corner in the degradation of Asia’s environment
and biodiversity. For example, there are a number
of “lost” species outlined by Butchart et al. (2005)
where there is little or nothing to report, and the
continuing loss of forest on Borneo and Mindanao,
the reclamation of intertidal flats along the South
China Sea coast, and the serious plight of many
traded songbirds and parrots throughout Indonesia
have not received the attention they deserve.
BirdLife and OBC
Since its formation, OBC has made a fantastic
contribution to the conservation of birds and their
habitats in the Asia region. OBC has provided small
grants of great strategic value which have helped
to improve knowledge, or support direct action, for
threatened species and their habitats. OBC’s
commitment to Gurney’s Pitta conservation in
Thailand, when there seemed little more that could
be done (except look for viable populations in
Myanmar) stands out in my mind. It is hoped that
BirdLife’s priority-setting work, such as the Red Data
Book and IBA inventory, will continue to provide a
foundation and the justification for OBC investments
in people and conservation in the region. Many OBC
members contributed to the Red Data Book and
Important Bird Areas work, and it is vital that this
support continues. Many OBC members are
members of and active in organisations in the
BirdLife Partnership. Those who are not should
certainly consider signing up. Those members based
in the region might consider engaging with or
supporting IBA Local Conservation Groups as a way
of contributing directly towards conserving the
region’s important sites. The wealthier members of
OBC should consider supporting BirdLife globally
by becoming members of the Rare Bird Club.
BirdLife Secretariat staff have served, and continue
to serve, on OBC Council, which helps to maintain
a shared sense of priorities, and close personal and
institutional linkages. Long may the two
organisations continue to work in tandem for Asia’s
birds and habitats!
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to colleagues Nigel Collar, Mike
Crosby, Jonathan Eames, Lim Kim Keang and Asad
Rahmani for very valuable comments on an earlier
draft of this article.
References
BirdLife International (2001) Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife
International Red Data Book. Cambridge, U.K.: BirdLife International.
BirdLife International (2003) Saving Asia’s threatened birds: a guide for
government and civil society. Cambridge, U.K.: BirdLife International.
BirdLife International (2004) Important Birds Areas in Asia: Key sites for
conservation. Cambridge, U.K.: BirdLife International. (BirdLife
Conservation Series No. 13).
BirdLife International (2005) Important Bird Areas and potential Ramsar
Sites in Asia. Cambridge, U.K.: BirdLife International.
Butchart, S. H. M., Collar, N. J., Crosby, M. J. & Tobias, J. A. (2005) “Lost”
and poorly known birds: top targets for birders in Asia. BirdingASIA
3: 41–49.
Collar, N. J. (2001) Asian birds on the brink. Oriental Bird Club Bull. 34:
60–65.
Eames, J. C., Le Trong Trai & Nguyen Cu (1999a) A new species of
Laughingthrush (Passeriformes: Garrulacinae) from the Western
Highlands of Vietnam. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 119: 4–15.
Eames, J. C., Le Trong Trai, Nguyen Cu & Eve, R. (1999b) New species of
barwing Actinodura (Passeriformes: Sylviinae: Timaliini) from the
western highlands of Vietnam. Ibis 141: 1–10.
Eames, J. C. and Eames, C. (2001) A new species of laughingthrush
(Passeriformes: Garrulacinae) from the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 121: 10–23.
Eames, J. C. (2002) Eleven new subspecies of babbler (Timaliinae) from
Kon Tum Province, Vietnam. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 122: 109–141.
Eames, J. C., Steinheimer, F. D. & Ros Bansok (2002) A collection of birds
from the Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia, including a new species
of Arborophila cambodiana. Forktail 18: 67–86.
Jepson, P., van Balen, S., Soehartono, T. R. and Mardiastuti, A. (1997)
Species Recovery Plan: Bali Starling. Bogor: PHPA/BirdLife
International-Indonesia Programme.
PHPA/LIPI/BirdLife International-IP (1998) Yellow-crested Cockatoo
recovery plan. Bogor: PHPA/LIPI/BirdLife International–Indonesia
Programme.
Severinghaus, L. L., Brouwer, K., Chan, S., Chong, J. R., Coulter, M. C.,
Poorter, E. P. R. and Wang, Y. (1995) Action plan for the Black-faced
Spoonbill Platalea minor. Taipei: Wild Bird Society of Taiwan (Bird
Conservation Research Series no.10).
Sözer, R., Nijman, V., Setiawan, I., van Balen, S., Prawiradilaga, D. M. and
Subijanto, J. (1998) Javan Hawk-eagle Recovery Plan. Bogor: KMNLH/
PHPA/LIPI/BirdLife International–Indonesia Programme.
Trainor, C. (2002) An expedition to Damar Island, south-west Maluku,
Indonesia. Oriental Bird Club Bull. 36: 18–23.
Richard Grimmett, BirdLife International Asia
Division, Toyo-Shinjuku Building 2nd Floor, 1-12-15
Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0022, Japan. Email:
grimmett@birdlife-asia.org

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BirdLife International in Indochina
Regional news
China Urged to End Illegal Timber Imports
London-based environmental watchdog Global Witness says China must act on a pledge to end the illegal import of
Burmese timber. In a press release issued recently, the group accused the regional superpower of felling trees in other
countries, while protecting its own forests. It also said, however, that China appears to have finally decided to crack down
on the flourishing cross-border timber trade.
Mike Davis of Global Witness said in the press release that the Chinese Government’s move “represents a welcome, if
overdue, first step” but that they now need to act on that pledge.
A recent article in China’s People’s Daily Online quoted State Forestry Administration spokesperson Cao Qingyao as saying
that China enforces rigid control over imports and will firmly crack down on illegal deforestation and illegal imports. It was
also announced that China has committed itself to “only allow in timber from Burma which has been lawfully licensed.”
The Global Witness release said that it had found evidence of ongoing illegal logging during an investigation in February:
“At least 150 loaded log trucks are crossing the border from Burma into China every night.” Illegal cross-border timber
trade between Burma and China now stands at more than 1.5 million cubic meters per year, according to the report, with
an approximate value of US $350 million.
“The Burmese and Chinese Governments must move decisively to close the gap between the increasingly encouraging
rhetoric and the reality on the ground,” said Davis, adding that “they must convert their promise into action.”
In late January, Global Witness also revealed that Burma’s military junta had started cracking down on illegal logging, but
seemed motivated more by short-term political and security objectives than by concern for sustainable management of
forest resources.
New drug offers vulture lifeline
Vulture die-offs have had deep ecological consequences. It may still
be too late to save them. Photo: Tim Loseby
The Babbler - May 2006
By Khum Sam
Source: The Irrawaddy News Magazine Online Edition, March 09, 2006
A new report has sent a glimmer of hope for the
three species of Asian vulture threatened with
extinction. Slender-billed Gyps tenuirostris,
Indian G. indicus and Whiterumped Vultures G.
bengalensis in South Asia have suffered one of
the most rapid and widespread population
declines of any bird species; more than 97%
loss over the last 10–15 years. World Birdwatch
first warned of a suspected crash in numbers in
1998 (20(4): 6), and has kept readers up-todate
with the latest developments (see e.g.
World Birdwatch 26(1): 12–13). At first the
population collapse was believed to be caused
by a virus. But in late 2003, researchers from
Washington State University working with The
Peregrine Fund announced they had discovered
vulture deaths were caused by the use of a
veterinary drug called diclofenac. Used
throughout the Indian subcontinent, this nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) kills
vultures that feed on the dead bodies of recently
treated livestock. To combat diclofenac’s
devastating effects on vulture populations, the Indian Government announced in March 2005 its intention to phase it out.

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BirdLife International in Indochina
However, progress has been hampered by the lack of an alternative drug known to be safe for vultures yet effective for
treating livestock. In a report published in January 2006 in PLoS Biology, a team of scientists led by Gerry Swan of the
University of Pretoria found that meloxicam is an alternative to diclofenac that is harmless to vultures but is equally
effective in treating livestock. It has recently become available for veterinary use in India and could therefore be used to
replace diclofenac.
“This research is an excellent example of international collaboration in response to an urgent conservation problem,” said
Dr Debbie Pain, Head of International Research at the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) and a co-author of the paper. Publication
of the results was timely because the India government had just convened an international meeting to decide how to save
the endangered vultures. Removal of diclofenac from their food supply is a vital step, so the identification of an alternative
drug may have come just in time.
“It is essential that the Government of India acts quickly to make good use of this new information. Diclofenac must be
replaced by meloxicam as soon as possible and there are many things that government can do to speed this up,” said Dr
Asad Rahmani, Director of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS, BirdLife in India). The vulture declines have had
profound ecological and social consequences. Vultures play a vital role in environmental health by disposing of carcasses
and reducing the risk of disease.
Fellow-author Dr Rhys Green, Principal Research Biologist at the RSPB and a scientist at Cambridge University, said: “Dr
Lindsay Oaks discovered that diclofenac is the cause of the vulture declines just two years ago, so having found a practical
solution so quickly is encouraging. Even so, vulture populations are declining so fast that it could still be too late to save
them unless action is taken immediately.”
The two key steps necessary to save vultures from extinction are removal of diclofenac from their food chain, and the
establishment of conservation centres for captive breeding as a stop-gap measure until that is achieved.
BirdLife promotes opportunities to support
biodiversity conservation in Myanmar
The Babbler - May 2006
Source: World Birdwatch March 2006
On 17 January 2006, the document Myanmar: Investment Opportunities in Biodiversity Conservation was launched in
Yangon, Myanmar. The launch was attended by over 30 representatives of government departments, donor agencies,
academic institutions and NGOs, and was followed, the next day, by a smaller meeting in Bangkok, for interested
stakeholders who were unable to attend the launch in Yangon.
The two meetings were organised by UNDP Myanmar, who, together with the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF),
supported BirdLife to prepare the document, through a consultative process that represented the first attempt to reach
multi-stakeholder consensus on priorities for biodiversity conservation in Myanmar.
Speaking at the launch, Charles Petrie, the UNDP Resident Representative,
emphasised the contribution that biodiversity makes to Myanmar's natural wealth,
and recognised that several international donors, such as the EU member countries,
have taken the position that support for environmental protection should be exempt
from economic sanctions on the country.
On behalf of BirdLife, Jack Tordoff, Programme Officer of the BirdLife Asia Division
outlined the biological importance of Myanmar, which supports some of the most
intact natural habitats and species communities remaining in the Greater Mekong
Sub-region, as well as many endemic and globally threatened species. He went on to
point out that, "contrary to many people's expectations, there is a facilitating
environment for biodiversity conservation in the country, which is enabling
increasing engagement by international and national NGOs and academic
institutions". "However" he added, "the political climate has discouraged engagement
by donors, and a chronic shortage of funding opportunities remains a major obstacle
to conservation efforts in the country".
BirdLife hopes that the launch of this document will encourage more donors to invest
in biodiversity conservation in Myanmar, at a stage when it is still possible to avoid
the patterns of degradation and loss of natural ecosystems that have been witnessed
elsewhere in the region. Copies of the document can be collected from UNDP
Myanmar (6 Natmauk Road, Yangon) and BANCA - the BirdLife Affiliate in Myanmar
(A/6-2 Anawrahtar Housing, Hledan, Ward no 2, Kamayut Township, Yangon), or by contacting BirdLife International in
Indochina (birdlife@birdlife.netnam.vn).
Text by Dang Nguyen Hong Hanh, BirdLife Vietnam Programme

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BirdLife International in Indochina
Record funds for Gurney Pitta’s project
Birdfair organisers Tim Appleton and
Martin Davies present a record cheque to
BirdLife’s Michael Rands.
Photo: Richard Thomas/BirdLife
‘The tigers will come back if we protect them’
Dr. Alan Rabinowitz inspects the goods at an
animal market in Kachin State.
The Babbler - May 2006
During three days in August 2005, more than 18,000 birdwatchers and
wildlife enthusiasts visited the British Birdfair, at Rutland Water, UK, and
helped raise a record £200,000 (US$357,000) for BirdLife’s project in
Myanmar and Thailand to save Gurney’s Pitta Pitta gurneyi. Speaking at
the ceremony where BirdLife’s Director Dr Michael Rands was presented
with a cheque for the record amount, Martin Davies, Birdfair co-organiser,
commented “From the wetlands of Madagascar to the dry forests of Peru,
conservation projects have been directly helped by funds raised at the
BirdFair. “In 2006, Birdfair attention focuses on the islands of the Pacific
Ocean, home to some of the world’s most threatened parrots. Such
charismatic birds really help to highlight some of the challenges the
BirdLife partnership faces around the world.”
The Saving the Pacific’s parrots project will focus on five countries
(Samoa, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Fiji and New Caledonia) and will
deliver practical action for parrot conservation and help build the capacity
of BirdLife’s partnership across the region.
Source: World Birdwatch March 2006
Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, an American wildlife biologist who has set
many milestones in his two decades working for the preservation
of tigers and other wild cats around the world, achieved yet
another hard-won goal on his most recent visit to Myanmar last
month.
During an expedition to Kachin State that lasted from January 15
to 24, the 51-year-old conservationist helped the Myanmar
government put the finishing touches on the establishment of the
Northern Forest Complex, a 13,500-square-mile reserve that links
four existing protected areas he helped create.
Those areas are Hkakabo Razi National Park, Hponkan Razi
National Park, Bumphabum Wildlife Sanctuary and Hukawng
Valley Tiger Reserve, all established in northern Kachin State to
protect a wide range of wildlife but especially to preserve tigers
from extinction.
"Our best estimate is that there are about 150 tigers in the
Hukawng Valley," said Dr Rabinowitz, who is the director for
science and exploration for the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife
Conservation Society. "There are also tigers in Tanintharyi
Division, and some in Htamathi [Sagaing Division] and other
places around Myanmar, so we think there are maybe no
more than 200 or 250 in the entire country."
He said Hukawng Valley and Tanintharyi Division are the only two
areas in Myanmar with a good number of tigers because they are
still wild and not easy to access.
"Malaria is a big problem in Hukawng Valley so not many people
live there," Mr Rabinowitz said. He said that last month's trip was
one of the best he has had since he first came to Myanmar in
1993 to conduct wildlife surveys. "I could already see people and things changing in the reserve. I saw less hunting. I saw
no guns - which is good," he said.

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BirdLife International in Indochina
However, getting to that point was far from easy for Dr Rabinowitz and others who worked on establishing the protected
areas, as the project has involved long negotiations with local villagers. "One of the rules is that we cannot make the
people who live there move out," he said. "If we're going to protect an area we must help the people and the wildlife."
Hukawng Tiger Reserve includes five townships, one of which (Tanaing) is entirely within the boundaries of the protected
area. "It's amazing!" he said. "A tiger reserve where the normal ways of life for the whole township are maintained. We're
taking a balanced approach . . . by asking locals how much land they use and how much they need."
"Conservation cannot work unless local people feel good about what is happening around them," he explained. Making the
reserves viable, however, has required local residents to change their behaviour in some areas, such as hunting. Dr
Rabinowitz explained that tigers are not endangered because people hunt them, but because locals have over-hunted
large mammals that tigers rely on as a food source. "Tigers need to kill big things to eat, so when locals kill all the sambar
deer, wild pigs and barking deer, the tigers starve," he said, adding that if they don't have food, they don't reproduce. He
said part of the conservation plan included differentiating development zones from wildlife corridors where it is illegal to
cut trees or hunt. "We're trying to decrease hunting so sambar deer can come back to a good number," Dr Rabinowitz
said. "Once the population is high, the deer and pigs will start coming into the development zones, where they can be
hunted by locals."
The main problem is not those who kill wildlife in order to eat, but those who kill for commercial purposes. The situation
has been made worse by the opening of gold mines in the area, as locals kill animals to sell to mineworkers. "We don't
have to stop the people who are killing wildlife in order to eat. What kills wildlife is commercialisation - commercial sale of
wildlife," Dr Rabinowitz said. "But now it's getting better," he said. "The gold mines are almost finished, and the
government plans to close them all by 2007."
In the meantime, he said villagers are being taught to raise domestic animals as a food source. "We're bringing in pigs,
and many of them have chickens already," he said. "But they don't know how to properly raise the chickens. They just let
them run around in the forest." "Many people are starting to raise goats, which is something new. Goat meat is very
good. And cows, but they don't know how to take proper care of them, so we are going to provide training." Dr Rabinowitz
pointed-out that another thing that keeps people from hunting is education, reasoning that once children are educated,
they do not want to stay in the forest anymore. "They don't want to live off slash-and-burn agriculture or hunting. They
want to get a job working with computers in an office, which is good for conservation," he said.
Dr Rabinowitz said that the government has been very helpful throughout the process of establishing the protected areas.
"The military inside the Hukawng Valley says they are protecting the wildlife corridors. No matter how much development
there is, the animals will still have big forested corridors they can use to cross from one side to the other." He said the
Hukawng Valley is the only protected area in Asia to have wildlife police. "We have 50 policemen, real policemen,
specifically called wildlife police who only work for the Hukawng Valley Tiger Reserve. Their job is to stop the sale of
wildlife meat in the markets," he said. "And if anyone is caught killing a tiger, they are put in jail."
With all this work behind him, Dr Rabinowitz said there is still more to be done to make sure the system is working.
"We're putting up camera traps to document whether more animals are coming back into these areas, and to see if our
efforts are working well," he said. "We should see changes in the tiger population within three to five years."
An added bonus is that the project should provide a huge boost to Myanmar's tourism industry. "The Hukawng Valley will
be a perfect place for tourists: People can ride elephants, take boat trips on the rivers, and live with the local people," he
said.
In the midst of his work in Kachin State, Dr Rabinowitz has not forgotten Tanintharyi Division in the southernmost part of
Myanmar. On his next visit to the country, he said, he will start working on establishing protected areas for tigers there as
well. "The tigers will come back if we protect them," he said.
The Babbler - May 2006
By Nyunt Win and Aung Tun, The Myanmar Times, February 6-12, 2006
An initial GIS analysis of forest categorisation in Vietnam
Since 2004, Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has been revising the National Forest
Strategy (NFS) for the period 2006 to 2020. In order to inform the NFS revision process, the Forest Sector Support
Programme Coordination Office commissioned an initial GIS analysis of the categorisation of Vietnam's forests for
production, protection and conservation purposes. This analysis was conducted between May and August 2005, by a team
from BirdLife International and the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute. The analysis was carried out on nationwide
GIS datasets, with the aim of producing an indicative, macro-level prioritisation of forests for conservation, protection and
production under two hypothetical scenarios: (i) forest strategy maintaining the status quo; and (ii) a strategy focusing on
environmental protection and conservation objectives.

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BirdLife International in Indochina
The purpose of the GIS analysis was to evaluate the relative environmental and biodiversity values of Vietnam's forest
estate under each scenario, and to identify key gaps or over-representation in the coverage of each of the three
categories of forest in Vietnam (i.e. production forest, protection forest and special-use forest). Based on the results of
the analysis, the team examined the implications of the two scenarios for the availability of land for different production
forestry purposes, as well as the potential social impacts of each scenario, in particular on the potential for alleviating or
reducing poverty and creating new employment opportunities.
The results of the GIS analysis revealed that the current distribution of production, protection and special-use forest
already comes fairly close to optimising the environmental values of Vietnam's forests (water-flow regulation, soil erosion
control, landslide prevention, carbon sequestration and storage, biodiversity conservation, etc.), while, at the same time,
maintaining a supply of raw materials for wood and non-wood industries. This indicates that, if the present environmental
values of Vietnam's forest estate are to be maintained, the combined area of protection forest and special-use forest
should not be reduced significantly from the present total.
Moreover, the results of the analysis indicated that, in order to optimise the environmental values of Vietnam's forest
estate, the total area of special-use forest (i.e. protected areas) should be increased from 2.2 to 3.7 million ha, through
the inclusion of forest areas supporting globally important biodiversity (which are mostly categorised as protection forest
at present). The North Central Coast and Central Highlands Agro-ecological Zones were shown to be the highest priorities
for expanding the national special-use forest system.
The authors of the GIS analysis recommended that, in order to maintain and enhance the environmental values of
Vietnam's forests, there should be no further establishment of plantations in special-use forests or on forestry land
classified as "critical" or "very critical" for watershed protection, and that future investment in protection forests and
special-use forests should focus strongly on protection of existing natural forest.
The Babbler - May 2006
Text by Andrew Tordoff – Programme Officer, BirdLife International in Indochina
BirdLife’s inputs in the development of the Biodiversity Law of
Vietnam
With financial support from the BirdLife/RSPB, the BirdLife International Vietnam Programme will prepare a background
paper on threatened and alien species to contribute to the development of the Biodiversity Law. This first Biodiversity Law
of Vietnam will be developed through a consultative approach, ensuring broad and wide participation of key organisations
and a wide range of citizens.
The background study on threatened and alien species in Vietnam includes the following specific tasks: (1) To conduct an
overview assessment of the status of threatened species and alien species in Vietnam, their threats, pressures and
responses; (2) To conduct an overall analysis in order to identify gaps and/or discrepancies in Vietnam’s legal framework
and stipulations on the management and conservation of threatened species, and control of alien species; (3) To conduct
a quick study on the legal provisions on the management and conservation of threatened species, and control of alien
species and lessons learnt for Vietnam; (4) To provide recommendations on provisions to be included in the Biodiversity
Law regarding the management and conservation of threatened species, and control of alien species; and (5) To facilitate
the Department of Environment (DoE)/Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) in the consultative
meetings/workshops (and provide inputs to 2nd and 3rd drafts, if requested) regarding proposed provisions on the
management and conservation of threatened species, as well as the habitats that support them, and control of alien
species during the Biodiversity Law drafting process.
The final outputs will be submitted to DoE by July 30, 2006. As planned, the 1st draft of the Law has to be ready then.
The National Assembly will begin consideration of the draft Biodiversity Law in early 2007.
Text by Dang Nguyen Hong Hanh, BirdLife Vietnam Programme

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BirdLife International in Indochina
Rare galliformes stamp set launched on 1 April
The Babbler - May 2006
On 1 April 2006, a stamp set depicting Vietnam’s
threatened endemic partridges and pheasants
(Galliformes) was launched by the Ministry of Post and
Telecommunications of Vietnam. In consultation with
ornithological experts from the BirdLife International
Vietnam Programme, the Ministry selected five Galliformes
to be depicted on the new stamp set. They are the Orangenecked
Partridge Arborophila davidi, Edwards’s Pheasant
Lophura edwardsi, Vietnamese Pheasant Lophura
hatinhensis, Germain’s Peacock-pheasant Polyplectron
germaini and Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata. All five
species have small populations that are declining because
of habitat loss and fragmentation and high levels of
hunting. The first three are regarded by BirdLife
International as Endangered, the others as Vulnerable. The
classifications vary depending upon how severe their threat
of extinction is considered to be.
This is the first time BirdLife and the Ministry have cooperated
to publish stamps depicting Vietnam’s spectacular bird life, and in recognition of BirdLife’s assistance, each
stamp carries the BirdLife International logo. BirdLife will continue to cooperate with the Ministry to produce more stamp
sets over the coming years, depicting threatened and migrant waterbirds, pittas and threatened birds of prey.
“The stamps will remind people of Vietnam’s rich and spectacular bird life, which is the envy of the rest of the world,” said
Ms. Pham Tuan Anh BirdLife’s Vietnam Programme Manager. “It’s our duty to conserve these magnificent species and
their forest homes—they’re a valuable part of our natural heritage.”
The Tourism Information Technology Centre under Vietnam’s
National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and BirdLife
International Vietnam Programme have signed an MoU to
implement a cooperative project on promoting the results of a
Japan Fund for Global Environment (JFGE) funded project to
enhance access to bird watching information in Vietnam. The
Centre and BirdLife will jointly establish a bird watching web page
hosted by the Centre and produce a bird watching site map in
Vietnam for the first time. The web-page and map will be
expectedly launched in June this year.
In March 2006, BirdLife organised a field survey on bird ecotourism
facilities at two selected sites namely Phong Nha Ke Bang
and Bach Ma National Parks, with the participation of
representatives of the Centre, tour operators and BirdLife. This
activity is also part of the JFGE-funded project. The trip has
actually created a better linkage among BirdLife, VNAT and tour
operators in promoting nature conservation through furtherance of
bird eco-tourism in Vietnam.
Text by Dang Nguyen Hong Hanh,
BirdLife Vietnam Programme
Text by Dang Nguyen Hong Hanh, BirdLife Vietnam Programme
Enhancing access to bird watching information in Vietnam
Landscape at Bach Ma National Park.
Photo: Richard Thomas/BirdLife

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BirdLife International in Indochina
Important Bird Areas news
Mount Lang Bianʹs shrinking forest comes under pressure from locals
and visitors (VN037)
Trees in the Bi Dup-Nui Ba Nature Reserve were
cut down by local people. Photo: Richard Craik
The montane evergreen and pine forest at Mount Lang Bian, the only easily accessible site for the Vietnamese endemic
Collared Laughingthrush Garrulax yersini, is coming under increasing pressure from both locals and visitors. Woodcutters,
charcoal burners and resin collectors are all taking their toll on the shrinking evergreen and coniferous forest that
surrounds the summit. Despite being located within the Bi Dup-Nui Ba Nature Reserve the collection of forest products by
the local population continues quite openly.
Meanwhile the growing numbers of tourists visiting Mount Lang Bian are also having a detrimental effect on the local
environment. Since the dirt road was surfaced a few years ago shiny new jeeps ferry tourists up the mountain to a lookout
point near the summit. Thankfully the final few kilometres to the summit where the best forest remains and where the
laughingthrushes and other local specialities are found is still a dirt trail and is used only by the more adventurous tourists
and groups of students. While being spared the racing Russian jeeps the summit trail is suffering in other ways. Discarded
polystyrene lunch boxes, plastic bags and bottles are dumped in areas that are popular for picnics among the pines while
a trail of litter leads through the evergreen forest all the way to the summit which is crowned with yet more piles
of garbage.
With hundreds of tourists visiting Lang Bian every day and a fleet of jeeps charging 150,0000VND (about US$10) for a
five minute journey to the summit it is a pity that some of this money is not be used to protect the forest and keep
the local environment clean. I wonder how much it would cost to employ a local person perhaps from the minority village
at the bottom of the mountain to walk the summit trail every day collecting the litter for proper disposal at the park
entrance. Litter could be collected from bins placed at regular points along the road and trails to the summit. Cat Tien
National Park now has litter bins and regular litter patrols throughout the park so it should be very easy to implement
something similar at Lang Bian which covers a much smaller area. Perhaps members of the local community could also be
employed as guardians of the forest to report cases of tree cutting or resin extraction.
The Babbler - May 2006
Discarded polystyrene lunch boxes, plastic bags
and bottles are dumped in areas that are popular
for picnics among the pines. Photos: Richard Craik
Text by Richard Craik, Ho Chi Minh City

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BirdLife International in Indochina
BirdLife/BANCA exploration of Mount Imawbun IBA
in North‐east Myanmar
The snow-clad and forbidding slopes of the Imawbun
range are home to Sclater’s Monal Lophophorus sclateri
and Blood Pheasant Ithaginis cruentus. Photo: J C Eames
The Babbler - May 2006
As part of the Darwin-funded project Building
constituencies for site-based conservation in Myanmar,
throughout March 2006 a Birdlife/BANCA team undertook
an ornithological survey of the Mount Imawbun area in
North-east Kachin State close to the border with Yunnan,
China. This was the first ornithological exploration of Mount
Imawbun since the legendary Verney Cutting expedition of
1938/39 (see From the Archives in this issue). The
objectives of the BirdLife survey included to make
representative bird skin collections from 500 and 3,000 m
(two elevations not sampled from Mount Ma Jed in 2005),
and to determine whether any Restricted-range species
typical of the Yunnan Mountains EBA extended into the
area. Although discovered too late to include in Important
Bird Areas in Asia the area qualifies as an IBA because it
supports significant numbers of Globally Threatened
species and supports a significant component of the
Restricted–range species that define the EBA. The survey
recorded seven of the 22 restricted-range species that
define the EBA. These were Blyth’s Tragopan Tragopan
blythii, Sclater’s Monal Lophophorus sclateri, Grey and
Beautiful Sibas Heterophasia gracilis and H. pulchella, White-naped Yuhina Yuhina bakeri, Yellow-vented Warbler
Phylloscopus cantator and Broad-billed Warbler Tickellia hodgsoni. The relatively few Restricted–range species recorded
reflects the fact that the team concentrated on higher elevations (above 3,000 m asl) where bird diversity is lower, and
only passed through more diverse forest at lower elevations which were sampled on nearby Mount Ma Jed in 2005.
Although the team did not find White-speckled Laughingthrush Garrulax bieti, or Yunnan Nuthatch Sitta yunnanensis, they
did find Brown-winged Parrotbill Paradoxornis brunneus which had been previously collected in north-east Kachin State.
Brown-winged Parrotbill Paradoxornis brunneus
(right) a Restricted-range species known from the
Eastern Himalayas and Yunnan Mountains EBAs.
Photo: J C Eames
Text by J C Eames, Programme Manager
BirdLife International in Indochina
Male Blyth’s Tragopan Tragopan blythii (left) trapped
by a Lisu hunter on Mount Imawbun March 2006.
Photo: J C Eames

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BirdLife International in Indochina
China logs Mount Imawbun IBA
A heavily laden Chinese logging truck begins its journey-back to
the international frontier. Photo: J C Eames
In February newly appointed Gurney’s Pitta research
scientist Aung Pyeh Khant, the RSPBs Dr Paul Donald, U
Htin Hla from BANCA and Jonathan C Eames from
BirdLife traveled to Tanintharyi Division to initiate a new
research project on Gurney’s Pitta funded by the
Darwin Initiative as part of the project entitled Gurney’s
Pitta research and conservation in Thailand and
Myanmar. This project will look at range, distribution
and habitat use by Gurney’s Pitta, initially within the
Ngawun Reserve Forest and the proposed Lenya
National Park. It will thus make an important
contribution to our knowledge of the species. Results
will feed into the species recovery plan and assist in
land-use planning and conservation management for the
proposed Lenya/Ngawun National Park. During their
short visit the team visited Ngawun Reserve Forest and
were delighted to discover that there appears to have
been no logging in the area since BirdLife’s last visit in
2004.
Text by J C Eames, Programme Manager
BirdLife International in Indochina
The Babbler - May 2006
Throughout the recent BirdLife/BANCA exploration
of Mount Imawbun, rampant logging by Chinese
contractors was very much in evidence. The
Chinese have established a vast network of
logging roads and daily the team heard
dynamiting as the logging road network was
expanded or saw heavily laden logging trucks
making there way back to the international
frontier. This logging is being undertaken with the
active support of so-called “cease-fire” groups and
knowledge of the Government of Myanmar.
Text by J C Eames, Programme Manager
BirdLife International in Indochina
New research project on Gurney’s Pitta underway in Myanmar
(MY49 and MY 50)
Jonathan C. Eames, Dr Paul Donald and Aung Pyeh Khant
help prop-up a Toyota Hi-lux in Ngawun Reserve Forest,
February 2006. Photo: U Htin Hla.

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BirdLife International in Indochina
One step closer to obtaining a decree for Boeung Prek Lapouv IBA
(KH039)
The Babbler - May 2006
Map of Boeung Prek Lapouv Sarus Crane Conservation Area
During a field trip to Boeung Prek
Lapouv IBA between 28 February
and 02 March 2006, Mr Men
Phymean, Director of Wildlife
Protection Office and Seng Kim
Hout, Project Officer of the BirdLife
Cambodia Programme conducted
two separate meetings with the
governors of Takeo province and
Borey Chulsar district regarding the
provincial agreement on relocation
of Dey Leuk village out of the core
area as requested by Mr Hun Sean,
Deputy Director of International
Cooperation Department and
Assistant to the Minister of Ministry
of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries (MAFF) in a discussion
meeting held on 3 February 2006
in MAFF. As a final result of the
discussion, the southern boundary
of the core area has been moved
northwards to exclude Dey Leuk
village. Moreover, MAFF have
suggested to the Forestry
Administration to now prepare a
draft sub decree. During the
meetings, Mr Men Phymean also
informed the governors of the
preparation of the draft sub decree
for Boeung Prek Lapouv IBA.
Text by Seng Vanna and Seng Kim Hout, BirdLife Cambodia Programme
Surveys for Bengal Florican in the Ton Le Sap floodplain KH016,
KH017, KH020, KH021
This year BirdLife is supporting University of East Anglia PhD student Tom Grey conduct a status assessment of the
Globally Endangered Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis in the floodplain of the Ton Le Sap. Wildlife Conservation
Society (WCS) and BirdLife staff have joined forces once more to participate in this survey. On 27 th March Tom sent us
this update from the field which is written in the context of the current land-grab and conversion of grasslands to irrigated
rice cultivation:
“Just a quick up-date from the first few days of the wider survey. It appears to have started well with all three teams
understanding and implementing the methodology well. We are starting by surveying the three grassland blocks in
Kompong Thom (Stoung/Kompong Svay; Baray and Santuk/Stung Chinit) so that when Tom Evans and Chamnan meet
the Kompong Thom provincial governor next week we have a good idea of what is left and saveable in the province. The
teams then head for Seam Reap and Banteay Meanchey before breaking for Khmer New Year [in mid April].
Updates on what we have found so far include quite a lot of Bengal Floricans with approximately half of surveyed squares
containing birds. The area which had been most surveyed by the time I left was Stoung/Kompong Svay. Here the
grassland patch is about 30 km long and 6 km wide. Everywhere we visited we found a consistent (if rather depressing
pattern). The furthest 1.5 km grassland from villages has already been converted into dry season [paddy]; the next 1.5-
2km or so contains some excellent looking grassland (with quite a few Floricans) but very obvious signs of deep water rice
dams being constructed whilst the final 2km or so nearest the village contains more sub-optimal degraded grassland. Last
year this site would have been well worth protecting - now it is probably beyond saving.

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BirdLife International in Indochina
The second area I visited was in Santuk district on the boundary of Kompong Thom/Kompong Channang provinces south
of Kruos Kraom and Veal Srangai. Here we saw only one (admittedly very large) dry season rice dam and Borey felt that
the fact that the area was on the border of two administrative provinces may make development more difficult (too many
people to bribe?). The habitat was however very different from other Florican sites being extensive long grass with quite
regular trees and scrubs (rather reminiscent of Spanish cork oak woodland). However the burnt open areas contained
Floricans and locals were very aware of the species presence here saying it was relatively common. Borey also saw
Greater Adjutant (gone the following day when I arrived) and locals reported regularly seeing White-shouldered Ibis in
one and twos. In all probability a very important area for conservation! Should be targeted for our efforts? - however
due to the nature of the grassland Florican densities are likely to be much lower than at say Stoung or Stoung/Kompong
Svay. Cheers, Tom”.
Recent BirdLife Activities at Boeung Prek Lapouv IBA KH039
This report presents the results of activities conducted by SSG members in Boeung Prek Lapouv IBA in Borey Chulsar and
Koh Andeth Districts, Takeo Province during 01-28 February 2006 and by Seng Kim Hout during 27 February-02 March
2006. There are now seven SSG members working in Boeung Prek Lapouv IBA. These members are divided into two
different teams. The education and awareness promotion team working in the villages of the two communes includes Mr
San Suong, chief of Kampong Krosaing commune, Mr Tep Sambun, chief of Administration Police Office to Chey Chouk
commune, and Mr Em Thon, chief of Banteay Sleuk village. The patrol team working in field to monitor illegal activities
has four members, namely Mr Say Sayoeun, Head of Andoung Tuek Forestry Administration Division, Mr Seng Vanna,
Officer of Fisheries Office in Takeo Province, Mr Dy Thon, Police Official of Police Inspection in Koh Andeth District, and Mr
Chan Sokhum, Police Official of Police Inspection in Borey Chulsar District.
In February 2006, the patrol team educated people from Prey Yuthka village, Prey Yuthka commune, Koh Andeth district.
The message provided by the team was that there was no walking across areas with feeding flocks of Sarus Cranes, no
grass burning and the use of electro fishing gear would not be allowed.
SSG members conducted monthly patrols in the whole Boeung Prek Lapouv IBA including eight times in February 2006 to
monitor illegal activities such as wildlife hunting, poisoning and trapping; illegal fishing activities; inundated forest clearing
and grass burning activities and land encroachment. The results achieved were as follows:
Mr Uch Chea, who cleared the inundated forest for making dry season rice in the protected inundated forest was arrested
and sent to Fisheries Branch based in Borey Chulsar district. This villager was asked to make a contract to stop this
activity.
The patrol team listed 30 people who came from Tuol Kandal village, Prey Khla commune, Koh Andeth district to grab land
in the protected inundated forest. The team made a report on this issue to the Takeo Provincial Department of Agriculture
for intervention to the provincial and relevant district offices. This activity of land encroachment was entirely stopped.
Besides illegal activity prevention, bird surveys were conducted in the area in February 2006. The bird species and
recorded numbers are in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Bird species and numbers observed in February 2006
No. Species Obs.
Number of birds observed in February 2006
01 03 05 11 19 21 22 23
1 Sarus Crane SSG 65 84 103 8 16 14 14
2 Bengal Florican SSG 1 ♂
3 Painted Stork SSG 71 48 36 36
4 Dater SSG 45 16 9
5 Glossy Ibis SSG 8
6 Black-headed Ibis SSG 16
7 Asian Openbill SSG 46
8 Little Egret SSG 210
9 Intermediate Egret SSG 51 24
10 Great Egret SSG 130 18
12 Grey Heron SSG 10 7
13 Javan Pond Heron SSG 36
14 Little Cormorant SSG 39
15 Lesser Whistling Duck SSG 5
The Babbler - May 2006
Text by Seng Vanna and Seng Kim Hout,
BirdLife Cambodia Programme

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BirdLife International in Indochina
Rarest of the rare
CR – Pink-headed Duck Rhodonessa caryophyllacea
2005 IUCN Red List Category (as evaluated by BirdLife International - the official Red List Authority for birds for
IUCN): Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct)
Justification This species has not been seen in the wild since 1949; it was always considered rare, and may have
been driven extinct by a combination of hunting and habitat loss. However, it cannot yet be presumed to be Extinct
until remote wetlands in northern Myanmar have been surveyed. Any remaining population is likely to be tiny, and for
these reasons it is treated as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct).
Family/Sub-family ANATIDAE
Species name author (Latham, 1790)
Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)
Identification 60 cm. Graceful, long-necked duck. Males have deep pink head and neck, blackish-brown centre of
throat, foreneck and most of remaining plumage. Rosy-pinkish bill. In flight, pale brownish-buff secondaries, narrow,
whitish leading edge to wing-coverts and pale pink underwing. Females have duller and browner body, pale greyishpink
head and upper neck with brownish wash on crown and hindneck and duller bill. Juvenile has duller brown body
than female, with fine, whitish feather fringes. Voice Males utter weak whistle, females a low quack. Hints Search
remote, overgrown wetlands in north-east India and northern Myanmar.
Population estimate Population trend Range estimate
(breeding/resident)
The Babbler - May 2006
Country endemic?

Project updates
Conservationists help local people to protect nature
in Central Vietnam
On February 17 th 2006, a national workshop was organised in Dong Hoi city, Quang Binh province by the Quang Binh
and Quang Tri Provincial Forest Protection Departments (FPDs) in collaboration with BirdLife International Vietnam
Programme. The workshop was held to mark the end of the MacArthur-funded project entitled “Conservation of
Important Bird Areas in Indochina: Strengthening Site Support Groups to conserve critical biodiversity” in
February 2006. It aimed to present the outcomes of this three-year project and share lessons learnt among the project
sites and other community-based conservation projects in Vietnam.
Local households at a ceremony to sign non-hunting
and non-logging agreements in November 2005 at Bac
Huong Hoa IBA, Quang Tri province.
Photo: BirdLife Vietnam
Site Support Groups (SSGs) are groups of villagers and
other local stakeholders who share a common commitment
to the conservation of an Important Bird Area (IBA). Under
the project, nine SSGs have been established so far at four
IBAs in Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces, and have
made considerable contributions to biodiversity
conservation at these sites. SSG is a new approach to
conservation in Vietnam. It has shown initial positive
results, such as non-hunting and non-logging agreements
signed by local households, reduced illegal activities at the
IBAs and increased alternative income generation activities
for local communities.
To continue the good work of the project, BirdLife and the
FPDs in the two provinces are currently preparing a number
of new projects.
Mr Le Trong Trai, coordinator of the project said, “BirdLife
is making efforts to extend the SSG model through various
new projects. For example, in Quang Tri province, besides
implementing the MacArthur-funded project, we are
implementing a project to improve local livelihoods, supported by the Dutch Government. We have also recently
received a grant from the British Embassy in Hanoi for a project to put in place a foundation for sustainable use of the
natural resources of Dakrong IBA by local communities. We also hope to secure funding to continue and expand
activities in Quang Binh province, so that the benefits of the SSG approach can be felt more widely”
Text by Dang Nguyen Hong Hanh, BirdLife Vietnam Programme
First comprehensive biological survey of Chu Yang Sin National Park
Montane pine forest in the Chu Yang Sin
National Park Photo: Nguyen Truong Son
In March 2006, a field expedition to survey and assess the
biodiversity status parts of the Chu Yang Sin National Park (CYS NP)
in Central Highlands of Vietnam was carried out by a joint team of
BirdLife staff, NP staff, and other scientists. This activity was a part of
the Global Environment Fund/World Bank (GEF/WB) funded
Integrating Watershed and Biodiversity Management in Chu Yang Sin
National Park, Dak Lak Province, Vietnam project. Information gained
during the survey will be a foundation for the establishment of a
biodiversity monitoring programme and management plan for CYS
NP.
Primary vegetation spreading out from 800m elevation to the Chu
Yang Sin peak (2,442m) remains undamaged. In these elevations,
rare and endemic conifer species of global conservation significance
were recorded, including Pinus dalatensis (Vulnerable), Pinus krempfii

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BirdLife International in Indochina
(Vulnerable), and Fokienia hodginsii (Near Threatened). The zoological survey results also indicated the conservation
importance of Chu Yang Sin National Park. In only a small area of c.
2,500ha surveyed, eight groups of Yellow-cheeked Gibbon Nomascus
gabriellae (Near Threatened), one group of Black-shanked Douc
Langur Pygathrix nemaeus nigripes (Endangered species) were
recorded. In addition, other primate species were recorded during
the survey, such as Stump-tailed Macaque Macaca arctoides
(Vulnerable) and Long-tailed Macaque Macaca fascicularis (Near
Threatened). A group of about three or four Gaur Bos gaurus
(Vulnerable) were also recorded. During the expedition, for the first
time, the bat and small mammal faunas were surveyed. As a result,
a mole (Talpidae) was found that might be a new species to science.
Six of ten species that originally qualified Chu Yang Sin as an IBA
were recorded during the survey: Collared Laughingthrush Garrulax
yersini (Endangered); Black-hooded Laughingthrush Garrulax milleti
(Near Threatened); Grey-crowned Crocias Crocias langbianis
(Endangered); Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler Jabouilleia danjoui (Near
Threatened); Germain’s Peacock Pheasant Polyplectron germaini
(Vulnerable); and Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata (Near
Threatened).
Despite of the fact that this site still qualifies as an Important Bird Area (IBA) in the Da Lat Plateau Endemic Bird Area
(EBA), the integrity of CYS NP and its biodiversity values are under severe human pressure, most seriously from
hunting/trapping activities by H’Mong people who spontaneously migrated to this area from mountainous provinces in
northern Vietnam.
NP staff learned new techniques during the
survey. Photo: Dang Ngoc Can
Through participating in this survey, the staff of CYS NP were trained in biodiversity survey and assessment skills. This
was the first time they had an opportunity to learn how to collect baseline biodiversity data. It was also a chance for
them to learn identification of many rare and endemic fauna and flora species in the NP. BirdLife’s experts were very
pleased at the enthusiasm and desire to learn of the NP staff who joined the field survey. In the future, these staff
themselves will carry out a biodiversity monitoring programme for the NP.
“At present, in April and May 2006, this team is undertaking an additional biodiversity survey in CYS NP, focusing on
fish and butterfly faunas. As both taxonomical groups are studied in the first time in Chu Yang Sin National Park,
BirdLife strongly hope that many new discoveries for science will be made during the survey”, said Mr Le Trong Trai,
BirdLife’s Conservation Planner for this project.
The Babbler - May 2006
A Blyth's Kingfisher Alcedo hercules recorded
during the survey. Photo: Nguyen Truong Son
Joint survey team of BirdLife staff, NP staff, and other
scientists. Photo: Nguyen Truong Son
Text by Le Trong Trai, BirdLife Vietnam Programme
Continued support for biodiversity conservation in Central Vietnam
To build on the initial success of the MacArthur-funded project mentioned above, and expand and enhance community
involvement in biodiversity conservation in Quang Tri province, BirdLife have been now implementing two projects: (1)
Strengthening Site Support Groups to Conserve Critical Biodiversity and Provision of Livelihoods at Dakrong Nature
Reserve, Vietnam funded by the Global Opportunity Fund/the British Embassy in Hanoi from January 2006 to March

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BirdLife International in Indochina
2008 and (2) Community stewardship of natural resources for biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation at
Truong Son Important Bird Area, Vietnam funded by DGIS-TMF/BirdLife from September 2005 to November 2007. The
projects help put in place a foundation for the sustainable forest management through the sustainable use of natural
resources by local communities and contribute to poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation at some selected
sites. The projects will also contribute to implementation of the national agenda for sustainable and participatory
environmental governance in Vietnam. Promoting community participation in participatory approach in natural resource
protection and management, which the projects try to do through functioning SSGs, is one the priority actions set out in
the Management Strategy for Vietnam’s Protected Area System 2003 – 2010.
On March 20, 2006 the BirdLife Vietnam Programme signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Quang Tri
Provincial Forest Protection Department (FPD) for the cooperation in implementing biodiversity conservation support
projects in the area. This MoU reaffirmed the close and long-standing relationship between BirdLife and the FPD to carry
out present and future activities of biodiversity conservation in Quang Tri province.
Continued SSG activity in the buffer zone of
Natmataung National Park
In the first three months of 2006, the SSGs in Hlalaungpan and
Khun-ein villages have bought and distributed improved potato
varieties and maize to all the households for their cultivation. To
date 10,000 coffee seedlings and 1,000 avocado seedlings are
being regularly watered and looked after in each village by a
motivated villager with nursery instructions explained by BANCA
staff. Meetings were held in January 2006 among BANCA staff,
Natmataung National Park staff, the SSGs and the patrolling team
in each village to boost patrolling against poaching, illegal
extraction of forest products, including wild orchids, forest fires and
encroachment for shifting cultivation. Water storage tanks and
nurseries installed by BANCA staff have been handed over to SSG
members in the two villages.
The Babbler - May 2006
Text by Ngo Van Tuan, BirdLife Vietnam Programme
Coffee seedlings ready for out-planting.
Photo: Aung Kyaw Nyunt
The SSGs in Hlalaungpan and Khun-ein villages are distributing improved potato varieties and maize to all the
households. Photo: Aung Kyaw Nyunt
In Hilaung, Oakpo, Makyauk-ar and Yalaungpan villages, patrolling equipment were supplied to patrolling teams with
the financial assistance of British Embassy (Yangon). The equipment included hats, headlights, raincoats, long pants,
inner long pants, inner long sleeved shirts, belts, water containers, knives, haversacks, socks, jungle boots, ball pens,
note books, batteries and a camera for each village for recording. The patrolling teams did appreciate the equipment
and promised to do intensive patrolling against poaching and illegal extraction of forest products. In addition, the

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BirdLife International in Indochina
Embassy also assisted these villages with school materials, including writing and sitting benches for students, tables for
teachers, chairs for teachers, wooden cabinets, black boards, exercise books, text books, pencils, erasers, rulers.
BANCA believes that environmental conservation cannot be undertaken by one individual, one agency, one
governmental department, one NGO or even one government or one country. Partnership for effective conservation
programmes is important. Besides, the role of the local people should not be under-estimated. That is why BANCA
strongly believes in conservation activities along with community development. The SSG concept has been well
implemented in the buffer area of Natmataung National Park. Hence the collaboration among BANCA/Natmataung
National Park/BirdLife International/British Embassy/ Hill Ecosystem Conservation Association (HECA- Kanpetlet),
Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation Association (IRUDANCA - Mindat) and six SSGs in the buffer
zone of the National Park, with the financial assistance mainly from the Darwin Initiative.
SSG members and BirdLife staff on a regular patrol. Photo: Aung Kyaw Nyunt
Strengthened Community Natural Resource Management
in Western Siem Pang IBA, Cambodia
Seasonal wetland (trapeangs) in Western Siem Pang IBA.
Photo: BirdLife Cambodia Programme
The Babbler - May 2006
Text by U Aung Kyaw Nyunt, BANCA
We are pleased to announce that from 1 April 2006 -
28 February 2007, DGIS through the BirdLife
Secretariat in Cambridge, will support a new project
entitled Strengthened Community Natural Resource
Management in Western Siem Pang IBA, Cambodia.
This project has as goal to significantly improve the
management of critical dry forest trapaengs in
Western Siem Pang IBA, thereby protecting
biodiversity and assisting local communities to reduce
poverty. The project has two objectives: To increase
capacity among local communities to sustainably
manage natural resources and develop best practices
skills; and, To facilitate the incorporation of natural
resource needs and priorities of local communities into
higher decision-making plans.
Western Siem Pang (WSP) IBA, a mosaic of open
deciduous forest and small seasonal wetlands
(trapeangs), is amongst the most important sites in
Cambodia for the conservation of globally threatened
bird species. WSP supports the only known viable
population of the critically endangered White-
shouldered Ibis Pseudibis davisoni and some of the largest recorded counts of Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris
and White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis in Indochina. Local human communities in WSP cultivate rain-fed rice in

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BirdLife International in Indochina
clearings in the forest, seasonally fish and water domestic cattle and water buffalo at trapeangs, collect forest products
(most notably extract resin from dipterocarp trees), and fish along the larger rivers and their associated tributaries.
With support from the MacArthur Foundation, BirdLife International Cambodia Programme has been working since 2003
to undertake a community based conservation project in Western Siem Pang IBA and adjacent Sekong River IBA. This
project has been working collaboratively with local partners to establish Site Support Groups (e.g., local police, relevant
natural resource department representatives, local military, government, etc.) that take responsibility for affecting sitebased
natural resource management. These SSGs have been taking actions to address locally identified conservation
issues, including patrolling, biodiversity and threats monitoring, and awareness raising for local community members.
The work of the SSGs to date has highlighted the strong links that exist between biodiversity and human livelihoods,
and the need to develop solutions that deliver poverty alleviation and development priorities and conservation benefits.
The Cambodia Programme has now secured support from the DGIS Small Grants for SSGs Programme for a project to
assist local communities at Siem Pang town to develop best management practices for natural resource utilization at dry
forest trapaengs and promote better community stewardship for natural resources in wider Western Siem Pang IBA.
This project will work directly through local Site Support Groups to identify households and individuals that rely most
heavily on critical trapaengs and seek to cooperatively develop and implement Community Resource Use Agreements.
These agreements will aim to sustainably manage resource extraction activities and instil local communities with a
greater sense of ownership and responsibility. Concomitantly, this project will work with local communities in Siem Pang
town to develop and assist a Community Development Committee whose aim is to meet periodically with the Commune
Council and district authorities to discuss and be informed of potential or proposed development initiatives affecting
Western Siem Pang IBA. In order to extend the impact of the project beyond the immediate project area, the lessons
learned and best practice approaches will be documented, and this experience will be shared with other SSG initiatives
in Cambodia and elsewhere.
The Babbler - May 2006
Text by J C Eames, Programme Manager, BirdLife International in Indochina
Project Review Trip to Western Siem Pang and Sekong River IBAs
From 07 - 10 February 2006, Mr Andrew Tordoff, lead a team to Western Siem Pang and Sekong River IBAs in Stung
Treng Province, North-East of Cambodia to review a three-year MacArthur-funded project entitled “Conservation of
Important Bird Areas in Indochina: strengthening site support groups to conserve critical biodiversity”. In the two
selected IBAs, the project focuses on strengthening the capacity of stakeholders to plan, develop and implement
conservation action, and establishing Site Support Groups (SSG). With the project’s support and assistance, the SSGs
have improved their capacity to design, develop and conduct community-based conservation activities to raise
community awareness and pride for the environment.
During this trip, the team had chance to meet Government authorities at provincial level in order to get their comments
and opinions about the project. The team had a meeting with Va Vuthara, Second Deputy Governor who has provided
strong support to BirdLife activities over the years. He congratulated the progress of wildlife conservation activities
implemented by BirdLife in Siem Pang District, Stung Treng Province. In addition, he highly appreciated BirdLife project
activities not only in terms of wild conservation but also in terms of taking part in building capacity of the local people
such as village chiefs, commune councils, and district officers who are also the SSG members. He affirmed that his
province would support BirdLife’s proposal to propose Western Siem Pang IBA as protected area to the Government. Mr
Dy Sokhom (Forestry Administration in Stung Treng Province) also expressed his thanks to BirdLife for its support in
capacity building to Forestry Administration officers, especially technical and equipment support in the law enforcement
activities of Forestry Administration in the Siem Pang Area.
The review team also conducted a meeting with relevant district authorities and NGOs in the area, such as YWAM (Youth
with a Mission). Participants expressed their concern about the Government’s plan in providing this area to a timber
company to convert this natural forest into a forest concession. Answering this concern, the review team had informed
that BirdLife in collaboration with the Forestry Administration would propose to the Government to establish a wildlife
and biodiversity protected area at the site in the nearest future.
To date, there is one SSG in Western Siem Pang IBA and one along the Sekong River IBA. Each SSG includes
community members, village chiefs, the chairman of commune council, local police, relevant natural resource
department representatives, local military, and the deputy district governor.
The SSGs have shown initial positive outcomes at the two selected sites. In 2005, they conducted wildlife and
biodiversity conservation awareness campaigns in 22 villages inside and around the IBAs, with the participation of 55
local authority’s officers, 67 arm-forces and 183 children at the grade three to six of two primary schools. When it
comes to patrolling activities, they confiscated nine long-tail macaques and traps, three parakeets, one eagle, and three
fishing cat cubs . All the confiscated species were then released in the deep forest and the traps were destroyed. Some
hunters were punished by forcing them to sign on agreement to stop hunting and trapping. Some 41 hunters agreed to
sign on this agreement last year. The number of illegal hunting and deforestation cases has decreased as local people

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BirdLife International in Indochina
are more aware of the need for sustainable natural resource use and so their behavior is changed positively. Mr Poung
Lon, the chief of Preak Meas commune and member of Western Siem Pang SSG, expressed his idea that, after 3 years
of project implementation in his commune, wildlife populations had increased and deforestation had begun to decrease.
He requested BirdLife to continue supporting the SSG’s activities and suggested adding activities to improve the
livelihood of community members in the next phase.
Mr Andrew Tordoff provided feedback about the positive results of wildlife and biodiversity conservation implemented by
the SSGs in Western Siem Pang and Sekong River IBAs. Wildlife population such as Vultures, White-shouldered Ibis,
Giant Ibis, Woolly-necked Stock, Lesser Adjutant and River Tern may have increased. The recorded count of Whiteshouldered
Ibis of 23 in January 2003, was 33 in November 2004 and 70 in November 2005. The reasons behind this
increased count remain unknown.
Vulture restaurant in Western Siem Pang IBA.
Photo: Kry Masphal
The Babbler - May 2006
SSG members at Sekong River IBA meeting at
project office.
Photo: BirdLife Cambodia Programme
Text by Chea Ngeth, BirdLife Cambodia Programme
The Royal Danish Embassy Phnom Penh (Danida) supports project
extension in Cambodia
Relevant stakeholders visit Beung Preak
Lapouv IBA. Photo: Seng Kim Hout
Flock of Sarus Cranes Grus antigone in
Beung Preak Lapouv IBA.
Photo: Seng Kim Hout
On 11 December 2002, Danida and BirdLife International in Indochina signed a funding agreement to implement a
three-year project entitled Community Participation for Conservation in Cambodia with the aim to sustainably improve
natural resource management at internationally important sites for conservation in Cambodia. This project has been
implemented since July 2004. We are delighted to announce that following discussions the Royla Danish Embassy has
agreed to extend project activities by a further year. The Addendum to the project agreement was recently signed by Mr
Mogens Laumand Christensen, Danida Resident Representative and Mr Jonathan C. Eames, Programme Manager of
BirdLife International in Indochina.

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BirdLife International in Indochina
The BirdLife Cambodia Programme is now implementing conservation activities in five priority IBAs namely Boeung Prek
Lapouv, Kampong Trach, Stung/Chi Kreng/Kampong Svay, Western Siem Pang Area, and the Sekong River thanks to
financial support from the Royal Danish Embassy (Danida) and other donor agencies.
Spotlight organization
The Babbler - May 2006
Text by Bou Vorsak, BirdLife Cambodia Programme
The Forest Resources, Environment, Development and Conservation
Association (FREDA)
The Forest Resources, Environment, Development and Conservation Association (FREDA) is a non-political, non-profit
and non-government organization founded in 1996 in Myanmar. It is currently composed of over 350 members from
various disciplines, comprising forests, biologists, veterinary scientists, engineers, journalists, businessmen and
students with an interest in community development and environmental conservation. FREDA is governed by 15member
Central Committee, whose Executive Committee oversees day-to-day operations. The existing Executive
Committee consists of retired Director Generals and Directors of the Forest Department, and a retired General Manager
of Myanmar Timber Enterprise. Since FREDA is strictly a non-government organization, all citizens of Myanmar over the
age of 18 years who are not in active service with the government are eligible for membership.
FREDA is primarily a forestry-based environmental organization. Its main objective is to assist sustainable forest
management, conservation of wildlife and the natural environment, capacity building and community development,
through integrated community-participatory projects with emphasis on poverty alleviation and environmental
restoration at grassroots levels.
In collaboration with international NGOs, FREDA is presently engaged in the implementation of the following activities:
• The Surviving Together Programme to protect wildlife at Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park; supported by David
Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF), UK.
• Study on Sustainable Forest Management based on Community Participation through Development of Economic
Incentives and Capability of Community Organizations to help alleviate rural poverty and establish community
forests in Kalaw township, Shan State; in collaboration with the Japan Overseas Forestry Consultants
Association (JOFCA).
• Mangrove Reforestation Project in Bogalay Township of Ayeyarwady Delta to restore depleted mangrove forest
areas and improve livelihoods of local communities by establishing community forests with people’s
participation; in collaboration with Action for Mangrove Reforestation (ACTMANG), Japan.
• Community Development Programme in Kalaw Township, Shan State to improve income, health, education and
environment of the ethnic community; supported Georg Kraus Stifung of Germany.
• Human Resource Development Programme to support outstanding scholars of local universities studying for
BSc, MSc and PhD in various fields related to natural environment, supported by the Nagao Natural
Environmental Foundation of Japan.
The Forest Resources, Environment, Development and Conservation Association
Telephone: ++95-1-243827. Fax: ++95-1-254074.
E-mail: freda@mptmail.net.mm / website: www.fredamyanmar.org
Address: Suite 707, 7th Floor, MWEA Tower, 288/290, Shwedagon Pagoda Road, Dagon Township, Yangon, Myanmar.

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BirdLife International in Indochina
Publications
Conservation of key coastal wetland sites in the Red River Delta: an assessment of IBAs ten years on
Nguyen Duc Tu, Le Manh Hung, Le Trong Trai, Ha Quy Quynh, Nguyen Quoc Binh and Thomas, R., (2006). BirdLife
International Vietnam Programme, Hanoi, Vietnam. 60 pp.
The Babbler - May 2006
This report has been produced as a result of work funded by the Keidanren Nature
Conservation Fund (KNCF) through BirdLife’s Asian Division as part of the
Conservation of Important Bird Areas in Asia: follow-up actions for IBAs in Vietnam,
Timor-Leste and Mongolia Project.
BirdLife International Vietnam Programme conducted a series of field surveys to
reassess the biodiversity status of six coastal IBAs in the Red River Delta. Results
of those surveys were in the report entitled Conservation of key coastal wetland
sites in the Red River Delta: an assessment of IBAs ten years on.
The coastal zone of the Red River Delta supports large inshore fishery and
aquaculture industries which are dependent on the maintenance of the ecological
integrity of the mangrove forests, intertidal areas and associated habitats. As a
result of an increasing human population coupled with economic growth, utilisation
of natural resources has become intensive throughout the coastal zone and may no
longer be sustainable.
Project fieldwork was implemented during a five-month period between November
2005 and March 2006. The study, which was fisrt comprehensive assessment on
the biodiversity conservation status in the Red River Delta since 1996, confirmed
the single most important site for conservation in the Red River Delta is Xuan Thuy
National Park, followed in order by Thai Thuy, Tien Hai, Tien Lang, Nghia Hung and
An Hai.
With an increasing human population and over-exploitation of natural resources, it was predictable that sites without
appropriate management would have fared badly since 1996. Nevertheless, it was particularly disappointing to see the
decline in Nghia Hung. In 1996, BirdLife recommended this site was worthy of designation under the Ramsar
Convention; today it would fail to meet the relevant criteria. Like other sites in the Red River Delta, it has mainly
suffered because of over-hunting and habitat loss caused by over-exploitation of its natural resources.
Specific conservation management recommendations for each IBA are presented. However, addressing the major issues
of continuing habitat loss and over-hunting are urgent conservation priorities if the globally important biodiversity in the
Red River Delta is to be conserved for future generations.
Building Grassroots Support for Conservation: Lessons learned from BirdLife’s Site Support Groups in
Cambodia and Vietnam BirdLife International (2006). BirdLife International Vietnam Programme, Hanoi, Vietnam. 24
pp.
In April 2006, BirdLife published a Site Support Group Case Study report, an output
of a project funded by the MacArthur Foundation. The report presents BirdLife’s
experience with the SSG approach in Cambodia and Vietnam, with the objective of
informing the development and implementation of similar conservation initiatives in
these countries and elsewhere.
Recognising the importance and urgency of saving the unique ecosystems of the
Annamese Lowlands and Cambodian Dry Forests, the MacArthur Foundation
provided funding in 2003 for this project. With BirdLife International as the
implementing partner, the past three years have seen proactive community and
stakeholder engagement to establish pilot SSGs at the local level. This project is
contributing towards the wider goal of establishing a network of well-managed
Important Bird Areas (IBAs) – keys sites for the conservation of birds and other
biodiversity – throughout Asia.
BirdLife hopes that the launch of this report will help promote the SSG approach that
has been showing positive results in biodiversity conservation in the region. You can
download the available soft-copy of the report from the website of BirdLife
International in Indochina (www.birdlifeindochina.org) or contact Ms. Do Bao Quyen
at birdlife@birdlife.netnam.vn for free hard-copies.

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BirdLife International in Indochina
Book reviews
Monographie des Faisans
[Monograph of the Pheasants]: Volume 1
By Hennache, A. and Ottaviani, M. (2005). Edition W.P.A France, Clères,
France. ISBN 2-9512467-1-4. 357 pp
This impressive book, published in 2005 by World Pheasant Association France, is the
first of a two-volume series, which reviews the available knowledge on all currently
recognised pheasant species at the beginning of the 21st Century. The book begins with
a series of general but detailed introductory chapters on the state of taxonomic
knowledge, in situ and ex situ conservation, captive breeding, and regulations on trade
and husbandry of pheasants. These chapters are followed by an introduction to each
pheasant genus, with a detailed account of each species. This volume covers the genera
Ithaginis, Tragopan, Pucrasia, Lophophorus and Lophura, while the genera Crossoptilon,
Syrmaticus, Phasianus, Catreus, Chrysolophus, Polyplectron, Rheinardia, Argusianus,
Pavo and Afropavo will be covered in the second volume. The species accounts are
illustrated by beautiful photographs of birds in captivity and the wild, and clear maps,
showing the relative distributions of species within each genus. Details on description,
distribution, sub-species, nomenclature, habitat, diet, behaviour (social and non-social), mating display, nesting,
predation and competition, status and conservation, legal status, captive population, and husbandry are provided for
each species, in French.
Of particular interest for students of Indochinese ornithology, the authors treat Imperial Pheasant as a hybrid between
Edwards's Pheasant Lophura edwardsi and Silver Pheasant L. nycthemera, based on mitochondrial DNA analysis plus
cross-breeding experiments using captive birds. A photograph of one of the offspring from the cross-breeding
experiments, phenotypically similar to wild caught Imperial Pheasants from Vietnam, is presented in the book, together
with a photograph of the immature Imperial Pheasant captured in Dakrong district in February 2000. The treatment of
Imperial Pheasant as a hybrid is followed by BirdLife International.
Of further interest, the authors treat Vietnamese Pheasant as a subspecies of Edwards's Pheasant, rather than a
separate species (as followed by BirdLife). On the basis of morphological studies of captive birds, the authors observe
that the key character distinguishing Vietnamese Pheasant from Edwards's Pheasant (i.e. white central tail feathers in
the former) is variable in number and degree of symmetry, and that the only constant characters are shared with
Edwards's Pheasant. Recent cross-breeding experiments and mitochondrial DNA analysis lend weight to the hypothesis
that white central tail feathers are an expression of either a mutant recessive gene or a rare allele that has become
fixed in an isolated population. From a conservation perspective, the implications of this taxonomic treatment are not
huge. Edwards's Pheasant is currently assessed as globally endangered by BirdLife International, and, even if
populations of Vietnamese Pheasant were included, this assessment would not change. Whether separate species or
conspecific, Edwards's and Vietnamese Pheasant remain high priorities for conservation.
The Babbler - May 2006
Text by Andrew Tordoff – Programme Officer at BirdLife International Asia Division
Evaluation of the Implementation
of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Vietnam
by Vietnam Environment Protection Agency (2006) 20 pp
Being introduced in 1992, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is considered as
a commitment of the international community to conserve and utilize the world’s
biodiversity in a sustainable way and to equally share benefits provided by this special
resource.
Vietnam ratified this Convention in 1994. Since then, the Government of Vietnam has
paid great attention to and significantly invested in the improvement of its capacity in
both terms of human and material resources, aiming at realizing its commitment and
obligations to the Convention. More importantly, the country aims at the conservation
and sustainable use of its highly prosperous and valuable biological resources. A series
of priority actions and initiatives has been introduced and implemented. These include
designing, improving and enforcing policies and laws related to biodiversity; extended
planning, establishing and managing protected areas; making researches, educating and

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BirdLife International in Indochina
raising awareness of the society on biodiversity protection and so on. Such efforts have helped to effectively conserve
the country’s biological resources, ensuring the environmental safety, making a good contribution to the task of poverty
alleviation and realizing the objectives of comprehensive and sustainable development of Vietnam.
This publication provides the readers with adequate amount of information about the process of implementing the
Convention on Biological Diversity in Vietnam. Major achievements, the obstacle that need to be overcome and the
tasks that need to be fulfilled in the future in order to effectively enforce the Convention will also be mentioned.
A Wetland Inventory for Myanmar
Davies, J., Sebastian, A.C. & Chan, S. (2004). Ministry of Environment Japan. ISBN 974-93639-0-6. 591pp
This document is a wetland inventory for Myanmar. The inventory was carried out
between 2000 and 2004, and represents the first attempt to provide systematic
documentation of the wetlands of Myanmar. The undertaking was developed and
coordinated by the Wild Bird Society of Japan (WBSJ), in collaboration with the Nature
and Wildlife Conservation Division (NWCD) of the Forest Department, Myanmar. Funding
was provided by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOEJ).
Field surveys were conducted over the course of three years. The 99 sites covered in the
inventory are divided into two categories: those that were visited by the survey team
and those that were surveyed by staff of NWCD. Additional information on these latter
sites were compiled from literature and from available information provided by sources
within Myanmar.
The sites covered by the survey team were chosen primarily based on information from
the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) coordinated by Wetlands International, the only
recent indicator of site significance available. While the presence of waterbirds is a good
indicator of site significance, it is not the only criterion. The inventory acknowledges that
there are likely to be wetlands that have not been covered by the AWC, or do not
support significant numbers of waterbirds, but are significant representations of
Myanmar’s wetlands.
The inventory will be an important decision-making tool for Myanmar. It also lays the way for future work. It is hoped
that this effort will spur initiatives to further knowledge on what is undoubtedly one of the richest frontiers of natural
history in Asia.
Staff news
Vietnam office
throughout the region.
The Babbler - May 2006
John Pilgrim started work as Conservation Advisor with
BirdLife International in Indochina, based in Hanoi, at the
beginning of April. After an educational background in ecology
in England, he combined his main interests in ornithology and
tropical forests by participating in extended fieldwork projects
in Indonesia, Kenya, and Papua New Guinea. John gained his
first experience with BirdLife International in 1999 during the
collation of Threatened Birds of the World. This was followed by
almost six years employment with Conservation International,
including the last few years with the Global Conservation Fund
where he used his knowledge of global biodiversity and
conservation planning to assist in funding decisions and the
design of funded projects. In his new position, John will help
BirdLife programme staff in Indochina to directly apply these
skills to the design, implementation, monitoring and reporting
of a variety of policy, conservation planning, and protected area
projects. Through such strengthened capacity, we hope that
BirdLife can play a more effective role in conservation

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BirdLife International in Indochina
Do Bao Quyen has been working as an Administrative Officer in BirdLife Vietnam
Programme since January 2006, undertaking a range of administrative and logistical duties
for the smooth operation of BirdLife Office in Vietnam.
Graduating from Faculty of English Study, College of Foreign Languages, Hanoi National
University she had four year working experience as a secretary for a Japanese
Construction Company before joining BirdLife Vietnam Programme team. She hopes to
improve her skills to contribute to the development of BirdLife.
Nguyen Thi Luong Duyen and Vu Thi Minh Phuong two dedicated and long-serving members of staff, have recently
left us to take up new posts. They were recently involved in implementing a MacArthur-funded project based in Quang
Binh and Quang Tri provinces. In their time with us they both made an important contribution to the development of the
BirdLife Vietnam Programme. We wish Duyen and Phuong every success for the future.
Myanmar office
BirdLife welcomes two new members of staff in Myanmar, Aung Pyeh Khant who is leading the Gurney's Pitta research
team since March 2006 and Khin Maung Soe who is his assistant.
The Babbler - May 2006
Aung Pyeh Khant was born in 1971 in Than Taung, Kayin State. In 1995, he
completed his BSc (Hons) in Zoology from Yangon University. He then continued his
masters degree in Zoology. During that time he joined general wildlife surveys and
wildlife trade surveys along the Myanmar-Thailand and Myanmar-China border for
WWF-Thailand and TRAFFIC as a volunteer.
In May 2001, he began another masters degree in the field of Remote Sensing and
Geographic Information System (GIS) at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and
completed it in December 2002. During his study at AIT, he also worked for a
UNHCR-WWF pilot project of ‘Early Warning-Impact of Refugee on Protected Areas’
along the Myanmar-Thailand border. Later then he worked as a research associate
for National Space Development Agency of Japan under a project of Greater Mekong
Sub-region Development Program.
In 2003, he moved to National Science and Technology Development Agency of
Thailand and worked as a Research Associate for Biodiversity Research and Training
Programme. In June 2004, he continued his PhD in Biology at Mahidol University,
Thailand. During his study there, he also worked as a GIS consultant for the Wildlife
Conservation Society and World Bank’s North-east Thailand Economics Development
Project and Thailand Environmental Monitoring Program.
U Khin Maung Soe was born in Saw Township, Magwe Division. He is now 40 years old.
He obtained his B.A (Geography) degree from Magwe University. He joined the Forest
Department of Myanmar in 1986 as a forester in Shwesettaw Wildlife Sanctuary. Eight
years later, he was promoted to become a park ranger. In 1999, he became a range
officer. After one year working in Popa Mountain National Park, he served as a park
warden (range officer) in Minsonetaung Wildlife Sanctuary for three years and was
transferred back to Shwesettaw Wildlife Sanctuary as a range officer. He left the
Forest Department in October 2005 and then became an active member of Biodiversity
and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA). He has been contracted by BirdLife
International as an Assistant Project Officer, to assist research on Gurney's Pitta in
Tanintharyi Division.
U Khin Maung Soe has vast experiences to resolve park issues based on training
courses he has attended, namely: (a) Two-year basic forestry course in 1994-96 at
Myanmar Forest School, Pyin Oo Lwin; (b) Training course on handling of forestry
operation equipment at Central Forestry Development Training Center in 1997; (c)
Tiger conservation training course in Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park in 1998; (d)
Training course on conservation and management of wildlife and wild plants held at Guwahati, Assam, India in 1999;
and (e) Training course on protected area management held at Hlawga Park, Yangon.

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BirdLife International in Indochina
Cambodia office
Sean C. Austin In February we said goodbye to Sean Austin after nearly three years working as Cambodia Country
Programme Manager. He has taken a new position in The Nature Conservancy in Palau. He can be reached at his new email
address: scaust1@hotmail.com.
Kry Masphal also left BirdLife on 31st January 2006, after three years working as project officer on a MacArthur-funded
project. He will continue his Master Degree of Environment Management in South Korea. His new email address is
masphalsnu@yahoo.com
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Sean and Masphal for their dedication and contribution to the
development of BirdLife’s conservation projects in Cambodia. We wish Sean and Masphal good luck and great success
for the future.
From the Archives
This photograph taken at Htawgaw in Kachin State in 1938 or 1939, shows the members of the Verney-Cutting
Expedition. This team undertook the first major biological and botanical exploration of the Imawbun area. The same
area that BirdLife/BANCA have been working as part of a Darwin-funded project. The total bird collection numbered
1,505 specimens and was described by Dr Ernst Mayr as “certainly a brilliant achievement for a single expedition.” They
are, form left to right, J K Stanford, Frank Kingdon-Ward, Arthur Vernay and Harold Anthony. Not shown is Suydam
Cutting, who took the photograph and from whose 1947 book, The Fire Ox and Other Years the photograph is
reproduced.
The Babbler - May 2006