Nowadays, the public’s recognition is important as habitat of wild birds is shrinking and changing, considering the fact that wild birds are considering as specialties; mist nest rampants on supply markets; the lack of or misunderstanding of bird release; etc.   In response to International Migratory Bird Day, Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) in collaboration with the Vietnam Wild Bird Research and Conservation Association, Department of Nature Conservation and Biodiversity, Xuan Thuy National Park organized the event "WELCOMING THE MIGRATORY BIRD SEASON 2022". The activity aims to propagate the need for the conservation of wild and migratory birds in Vietnam and encourage and promote the participation of all people in the protection of wild birds. The program will take place on October 07 – 08, 2022 with the following main contents: 🔊Disseminate Directive 04/CT-TTg dated May 17, 2022 of the Prime Minister on a number of urgent tasks and solutions to conserve wild and migratory birds in Vietnam. 🖼Displaying photos of beautiful migratory birds in Vietnam. 💬Stakeholder discussions on issues of wildlife protection, conservation of migratory birds and resting places, bird habitats, and public participation in such efforts. 📸Beautiful photo contest of migratory birds at Xuan Thuy National Park. Join CCD and its partners in efforts to protect birds and wildlife in Vietnam.

On September 29, 2022, at FTE Ba Dinh hotel, repesentatives from Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) participated in workshop: “Identify the role and strengthen the capacity to advocate policies in preventing illegal wildlife trade and consumption for Vietnamese conservation organizations”. The event was held by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in cooperation with Media Center of Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONREMEDIA). (from left to right):Picture 1: Overview of the workshopPicture 2: Dr. Nguyen Manh Ha - Director of CCD is sharing the inadequacy of wildife conservation policies in VietnamPicture 3: Dr. Nguyen Truong Son from Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR) is sharing recommendations on amending wildlife conservation policies in Vietnam(Photo credit: CCD) The event held a platform for NGOs to openly share advantages and disadvantages in criticism, studies, opportunities, analysis, and recommendations on wildlife protection policies. Thus, NGOs proposed funding from WWF and other stakeholders to effectively advocate governmental policies. The workshop facilitated the participation and action of the National Assembly, government and public in preventing poaching, trading and consumption of wildlife in 2022 – 2030 period.

From July 13 to 15 of 2022, Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD), Xuan Lien Nature Reserve and foreign experts from Dalton State College (USA), Nature museum Senckenberg (Germany), Parc animalier de Sainte-Croix (France) cooperated to conduct field survey, assess habitat and threats to turtles and tortoise. The cooperation aimed to improve the effectiveness of monitoring and studying turtles and tortoises. From left to right: Impressed tortoise ( Manouria impressa ), Indochinese box turtle ( Cuora galbinifrons ), and Big-headed turtle ( Platysternon megacephalum ) While in the forest, study team found 03 species, including Indochinese box turtle ( Cuora galbinifrons ), Impressed tortoise ( Manouria impressa ), and Big-headed turtle ( Platysternon megacephalum ). These animals are classified as Critically Endangered and Endangered in IUCN* Red List of Threatened Species (2022). Simultaneously, the team used radio tracking equipment to monitor the trail and activity of Indochinese box turtles ( Cuora galbinifrons ), thus evaluate its adaptability and development. Survey team record signs of adaptability and development of each turtle and tortoise species For the forthcoming activities, CCD will cooperate with individuals, organizations, and Xuan Lien Nature Reserve to conduct surveys on other areas for thorough assessment of Testudines in the Reserve. In addition, CCD and Xuan Lien will organize communication events to raise the public awareness and responsibility in protecting wildlife at Xuan Lien.

The Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) is an toolkit designed to assist forest management units in effective biodiversity conservation and patrol data management. In Vietnam, SMART tools are standardizing in biodiversity data management and forest protection, at every special-use forest and protection forest (Decision No. 197/QĐ-TCLN-ĐDPH by Vietnam Administration of Forestry). In order to facilitate the implementation of SMART tools, Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Agency, Department of Special-use and Protection forest management, and Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) were in cooperation to organize a SMART training course on "The implementation of SMART in protected area management, patrolling and reporting to advance the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation" , from June 30 to July 02 of 2022, at Cuc Phuong National Park. The course is a part of the project "Strengthening partnerships to protect globally significant endangered species in Vietnam" (WLP). The training supported trainees to better understanding, practicing and extricating from any confusion or difficult circumstances during the application of SMART tools The training course received participation of nearly 30 technical and law enforcement officers of 14 national parks and nature reserves within northern Vietnam. At the event, attendees were shared data models, patrol packages building while practice installing and configuring SMART tools, on-site collecting and managing patrol data, as well as exporting reports. In addition, the course discussed on difficulties and worked for solutions during the implementation process of SMART tools. CCD will coordinate with Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Agency and Department of Special-use and Protection forest management to deploy SMART tools training courses for national parks and nature reserves in the Central and Southern regions. CCD has putting efforts to the standardization of SMART tools, the establishment of the SMART network and sustainable development of biodiversity in Vietnam.

Pu Luong Nature Reserve situated within the border of Ba Thuoc and Quan Hoa districts, in the northwestern Thanh Hoa. The integration of habitat between Ngoc Son – Ngo Luong Nature Reserve and Cuc Phuong National Park forms notable ecosystem of limestone mountain forest of Pu Luong Nature Reserve, featuring the rich biodiversity, magnificent landscape and culture of Thai, Muong ethnic communities. From left to right: 1. The integation between nature and people's lives at Pu Luong2. The grand view on Pu Luong summit The significant illustration which attract tourists is Pu Luong’s landscape embedded with signs of terrace fields integrated with special ecosystems on limestone mountain forest. Such image can be found in Don, Bang, Kho Muong, Hieu villages, etc., bringing an distinctive experience for tourists. As the result, Pu Luong is receiving interests and raising its tourist traffic, but mainly focusing on communities at the buffer zone of the Reserve, with few connection with its nature. To harness potentials of Pu Luong Nature Reserve, Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) cooperate with the Reserve to formulate tourism development plan in the 2022 – 2030 period. The plan will support the orientation of Pu Luong’s tourism products toward professional, diverse, and saturated with its unique features. CCD's team surveys and assesses tourism potentials at Pu Luong CCD puts efforts in promoting tourism to be a reliable tool in advancing public awareness and responsibility in protecting nature and environment. In addition, tourism should create more jobs, sustain livelihoods, reduce the dependence and anthropogenic impacts on forest and nature resources.

The Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) is an toolkit designed to assist forest management units in effective biodiversity conservation and patrol data management. In Vietnam, SMART tools are standardizing in biodiversity data management and forest protection, at every special-use forest and protection forest  (Decision No. 197/QĐ-TCLN-ĐDPH by Vietnam Administration of Forestry). In order to facilitate the implementation of SMART tools, Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Agency, Department of Special-use and Protection forest management, and Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) were in cooperation to organize a SMART training course on "The implementation of SMART in protected area management, patrolling and reporting to advance the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation" , from June 30 to July 02 of 2022, at Cuc Phuong National Park. The course is a part of the project "Strengthening partnerships to protect globally significant endangered species in Vietnam" (WLP). The training course supported participants from theory to practice and extricated from difficulties while using SMART tools (photo credit: Le Thanh An) The training course received participation of nearly 30 technical and law enforcement officers of 14 national parks and nature reserves within northern Vietnam. At the event, attendees were shared data models, patrol packages building while practice installing and configuring SMART tools, on-site collecting and managing patrol data, as well as exporting reports. In addition, the course discussed on difficulties and worked for solutions during the implementation process of SMART tools. The training course supported participants from theory to practice and extricated from difficulties while using SMART tools (photo credit: Le Thanh An) CCD will coordinate with Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Agency and Department of Special-use and Protection forest management to deploy SMART training courses for national parks and nature reserves in the Central and Southern regions. CCD has putting efforts to the standardization of SMART, the establishment of the SMART network and sustainable development of biodiversity in Vietnam.

COVID-19 has made tremendous impact on Vietnamese tourism over last 2 years, in regard for the relentless effort toward immunity and new normal, tourism is having a chance to thrive. Although the pandemic toll is eased, travel agencies and other tourism parties is rebooting the business, facing new challenges and require more thoughtful planning and adaptive plans with such circumstances. CCD’s team at the seminar In reference to the event, Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) held a seminar of tourism trends in post-COVID era and career orientation for students of Tourism Management branch at Saigon International University (SIU) on May 14. The session included: (i) the overview of global tourism status prior and subsequent to COVID-19 pandemic appearance; (ii) tourism and tourism product trends in post-COVID 19; (iii) attainable jobs and professions for graduated students of SIU; (iv) essential information and skills for students at the seminar. On the Q&A session, CCD’s team and students discussed on student’s eligibility for specific profession in tourism study and other subject of interest. SIU’s students actively discussed and openly shared in the seminar Through the seminar, CCD and students of SIU expect to contribute to post-pandemic adaptation of Vietnamese tourism and be a part of the tourism movement towards sustainable development.

Implementation time: 2021 - 2022 Partner: Cat Tien National Park Cat Tien National Park was established in Decision No. 08/CT dated 13/01/1992 of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers (now the Government) to conserve the natural forest with high biodiversity value in Vietnam. With the phenomenal characteristics of geography, landscape, biodiversity, rare and endemic wildlife genetic resources for Vietnam and the world, on 10/11/2001, UNESCO/MAB recognized Cat Tien National Park as the 411th Biosphere Reserve of the World,  an important link in the global system of biosphere reserves. On 30/06/2011, Cat Tien Biosphere Reserve was expanded to Dong Nai Cultural Reserve and renamed Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve. On 04/08/2005, the Ramsar Convention Secretariat recognized Bau Sau wetland as the 1,499th Ramsar Site of the World and the 2nd of Vietnam. On 27/12/2012, the Prime Minister decided to classify Cat Tien National Park as a special national monument of scenic beauty. In addition to the landscape values and biodiversity, Cat Tien National Park also contains the cultural values of nearly 20,000 people with 33 ethnic groups living in 36 communes and towns bordering the Park such as Nam Cat Tien commune, Tai Lai commune, Dac Lua commune,... Many local ethnic villages still retain traditional cultural values in their architecture designs, traditional products, lifestyles and local customs. With the unique value of tourism resources, especially in terms of landscape, biodiversity and environment, Cat Tien National Park has long become a ecotourism destination known by many people with unique tourism products such as nocturnal animal watching, gibbon watching, bird watching, visiting ancient trees... attracting more than 50,000 domestic and international tourists in 2019. However, due to objective facts, tourism staffs at Cat Tien National Park and local communities need trainings on tourism skills and operation to match the requirements for ecotourism, community-based tourism development of the Park. Within the framework of the project "Conservation and development of forest ecosystem biodiversity resources in Cat Tien National Park" funded by AfoCo, the Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) has cooperated with Cat Tien National Park to carry out an assessment of tourism training needs and capacity building for staff and communities of buffer zone communes Cat Tien National Park. Based on the assessment results, CCD will coordinate with Cat Tien National Park to develop documents and plan training to improve knowledge and skills for officials and communities in the buffer zone of the Park in order to improve the capacity of ecotourism, community tourism associated with unique natural and cultural experiences.

Vietnam is considered as one of the 25 highest levels of biodiversity countries in the world with about 20,000 species of plants, 3000 species of fish, more than 1000 species of birds, and over 300 species of mammals (Loc et al., 2018)*. However, many wild animal and plant species have been facing extinction due to overexploitation, illegal hunting and harvesting, land-use conversion, forest fire, environmental pollution, natural disasters and climate change, and invasive species (Loc et al., 2018). Amongst the threatened plant species, Dalbergia cochinchinensis and Dalbergia oliveri are the ones that have been heavily exploited and traded not only in Vietnam but also in many natural distribution areas of these species around the world for increasing demand, especially for exporting to high-grade wood markets in East Asia. Under the financial support of the European Union and CITES Secretariat, CCD has conducted a series of research such as a review of taxonomy, field survey on abundance and stocking of wild populations, threat assessement, mapping of distribution areas, development of an identification manual and mobile App, compiling of a non-detriment finding report, and development of a proposed management and conservation plan. The proposed plan for management and conservation of D. cochinchinensis and D. oliveri will help effective protection and restoration of the existing wild populations, afforestation of D. cochinchinensis and D. oliveri for the colonization in the historical distribution areas, and inclusion of these two species into Vietnam’s official afforestation and forest rehabilitation programs with native species. From left to right: 1. One of the field surveys on Dalbergia cochinchinensis ; 2. Population survey for Dalbergia oliveri; 3. Dalbergia oliveri is regenerating near the stream. (Copyright CCD - 2020) CCD will keep working with forestry authorities at national and provincial levels, especially at protected areas which are natural distribution of  D. cochinchinensis and D. oliveri to facilitate consevation and recovery activities of these species. For more information on the news of this plan, please find it at: https://cites.org/eng/news/viet-nam-considers-conservation-plan-two-valuable-tree-species (*) Loc, P. K., Yen, M. D., & Averyanov, L. (2018). Biodiversity in Vietnam. Global Biodiversity , 1 , 473–502. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429487743-14

In recent years, Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) has been conducting studies and implementing conservation plans on endangered wild animals at Xuan Lien Nature Reserve. The scope of work has been applying to primates, turtles and tortoises, viverrids, pangolins, other small predators, and endemic plant species, with the major support from local communities in conservation and resource management as a whole. As part of CCD’s mission, in April 2022, communication events were carried out within the buffer zone of Xuan Lien Nature Reserve. The chain events provided information on Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys) , viverrids, turtles, and tortoises. In the sessions, CCD’s team shared conservation status, level of protection and legislation to handle wildlife crime. In the end, local people/students and CCD/Xuan Lien’s staffs openly discussed on historical - current status and practical solutions to assist the conservation of corresponding threatened species. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Local people and students are interested in wildlife conservation at Xuan Lien (photo credit: CCD) In addition to the in-situ conservation which focuses on species populations and their habitats, CCD also highlights the participation of local communities, students by helping them to understand the role and values of the forest and biodiversity, thereby actively participating in and supporting nature conservation.

In March 2022, Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) cooperated with Xuan Lien Nature Reserve to organize a training course on implementing Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART tools) to advance management, patrolling, monitoring, and biodiversity research. The training course pertain to the conservation project funded by Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF). Picture 1: SMART mobile training by CCD’s team (photo: Le Thanh An)  The training focused on setup SMART system, standard data model, data collection method and form using SMART Mobile for Xuan Lien Nature Reserve to advance the process of managing, synthesizing, and reporting. Along with theoretical contents, participants practiced on establishing data models, collecting and entry data, retrieving, exporting reports and uploading to the database of the Reserve. Picture 2 and 3: Training on updating information and retrieving reports (photo credit: Le Thanh An) After the course, CCD will continue to provide technical support to Xuan Lien Nature Reserve and ranger stations in configuring, updating, and modifying the data model to meet their management and conservation goals. In addition, CCD also supports Xuan Lien to develop and implement regulations on management and using of SMART tools to improve accuracy, timeliness, transparency, and efficiency in management, patrolling, biodiversity monitoring and periodic reporting for the Reserve.

In March of 2022, the Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) in collaboration with Xuan Lien Nature Reserve (NR) organized a training course to provide information, methods, and skills in study viverrids for staffs and rangers of the Reserve. The training course focused on providing knowledge on studying and monitoring skills for viverrids species, applying new technologies, tools along with training in data analysis and reporting. during the course, participants exchanged, shared information and skills on conservation status, habitat and threats to viverrids and other small carnivores in the reserve and conservation opportunity to reduce threat such as poaching and trafficking. The course was the first course on small carnivore for staffs and rangers of the Reserve. With the provide information and skills, thereby providing more effective conservation activities for wildlife in this important reserve. From left to rightPicture 1: Sharing conservation status of the Viverridae Picture 2: Staffs of Xuan Lien Nature Reserve in the training course The training course is part of the Viverridae conservation project in Xuan Lien Nature Reserve that implement from 2021 to 2023. The project aims to enhance reserve’s staff capacity and improve effectiveness of protection, reduce threats then to assist the recovery of the threaten viverrids; the project also focusses on raising people's awareness on viverrids and others wildlife in Xuan Lien. CCD will continue to cooperate and support Xuan Lien NR in carrying out investigation, advancing technical proficiency and developing plans to preserve and restore viverrid and small carnivore populations in the Reserve.