Thanh Hoa works to conserve northern white-cheeked gibbons

In the central province of Thanh Hoa, this move aims to assess changes in populations, habitats, and factors affecting populations and species to develop sustainable biodiversity preservation solutions associated with the conservation of white-cheeked gibbons in Xuan Lien Nature Reserve forests.

A northern white-cheeked gibbon. (Source: moitruong.net.vn)

Pham Anh Tam, director of the management board, said that during the three-year implementation of the project, rangers will investigate and identify threats from communities in buffer zone villages, as well as the current status of populations and habitats where they are distributed, and factors that affect the habitat of white-cheeked gibbons in the reserve.

They will also review and develop a monitoring program for this animal’s populations associated with the use of the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) in the area.

According to the Management Board of the Xuan Lien Nature Reserve, the northern white-cheeked gibbon is a rare primate listed in the Vietnam Red Book, as the number of this species has suffered a serious decline due to habitat loss and hunting.

In Vietnam, this species is only distributed in national parks and reserves in the northern central provinces of Ha Tinh, Nghe An, and Thanh Hoa, and the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau.