Status of the endangered wildlife species of Phu Canh nature reserve, Hoa Binh province

Abstract

Phu Canh nature reserve is located in Da Bac district, Hoa Binh province. Although the reserve only covers an small area of 5,644 ha, it plays an important role in the conservation of biodiversity resources and supports many rare wildlife species that have high conservation value in terms. During a survey from September to October 2012, a
total of 27 mammal species in 14 families, 4 oders, 60 bird species in 23 families, 6 orders, 22 reptile species in 10 families, 2 orders, and 14 amphibian species in 6 families, 1 order were recorded. The number of species recorded during the survey is much higher than the previous preliminary investigation. Many species are rare and endangered and listed in the Vietnam Red Book, IUCN Red List and Decree 32/2006/ND-CP. However, the populations of those endangered species such as Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), mainland serow (Capricornis milneedwardsii) contain few individuals. Some animal species have become locally extinct in r ecent years. This suggests that if conservation efforts are not implemented soon, the populationss of the endangered wildlife species residing in protected areas may decline rapidly.