Implementation time: 2021 Partners: Dien Bien People's Committee; Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Abstract: Dien Bien is a mountainous province at the northwestern border region of Vietnam. This is a home to many ethnic minority groups with diverse cultures. Dien Bien is a province with various topography but mainly mountainous terrain, with a number of valleys and alternating rivers, streams along with limestone karst in some areas. It is the separation that creates numerous topographies, landscapes and biodiversity. The combination of nature and culture has created special tourism values for Dien Bien province. Nowadays, Dien Bien is well-known to tourists and travellers with the Dien Bien Phu victory. However, Dien Bien has many more natural and cultural values that can be utilized to develop tourism and help visitors have the opportunity to understand and experience more. Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) is formulating the Dien Bien tourism development plan. The plan’s purpose is to improve livelihoods for  communities through tourism while promoting natural and cultural values. During this process, CCD focuses on orienting community-based tourism and ecotourism activities to provide the disadvantaged with opportunities to learn, work and increase their income. Such activities also help to raise public awareness and responsibility towards nature, environment and culture.

Implementation time: 2021 Partners: Quang Ninh People’s Committee Abstract: Binh Lieu is a remote mountainous district of Quang Ninh province. Recently, community-based tourism (CBT) is focused by the district to utilize the natural and cultural potentials of ethnic minority communities. Binh Lieu has majestic mountains with grand waterfalls created by its steep slope. With magnificent scenery along the frontier with China, border landmarks are the most famous destination in tourists' minds when Binh Lieu tourism is mentioned. In addition, ethnic minority communities such as Tay, Dao, San Chi scattered all over the district. They preserve diverse yet genuine customs, cuisine, architecture,… that could be unforgettable for tourists and travellers. Recognizing these unique potentials, the Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) in collaboration with the government of Binh Lieu district to formulate a tourism development plan to advance the tourism potentials into practices. During this process, CCD focuses on community-based tourism and eco-tourism activities to provide the disadvantaged with opportunities to learn, work and increase their income. Such activities also help to raise public awareness and responsibility towards nature, environment and culture.

Dien Bien is Vietnam’s well-known historical place for the world with a climax of the Dien Bien Phu Victory.  Dien Bien has also known as a splendid land, a valley where Thai ethnic culture originates. In addition, the mountainous areas surrounding the Muong Thanh valley with its magnificent scenery and the unique culture of many ethnic minority groups in the Northwest. However, that priceless natural, cultural, and historical values have not been used effectively to attract tourists, thereby increasing income for the community and boosting the socio-economic of the Northwest region. Promoting those hidden charms, the Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) is supporting Dien Bien province to strategize and formulate a tourism plan for 2021-2026. The plan will detail the “Vietnam Tourism Development Strategy by 2030” and concretize the Dien Bien province’s resolution on turning tourism into a strategic and most important economic development tool. Tourism and its supporting services will help to increase the value chain, improve production, services, and consumption. Tourism also helps to promote the recognition of the province’s natural cultural values to the public and the world. Tourism will help the public to know Dien Bien beyond a land of victory but a province with its magnificent natural landscape, diverse cultural of ethnic people such as the Thai in Muong Thanh valley, the H’mong in the Tua Chua Karst Plateau, and other ethnic groups in the far Westernmost corner of Vietnam. Photo 1: Dien Bien province: a view from the  Pha Din pass Photo 2: Ta Sin Thau occasional fair Photo 3: The magnificent Landscape of Tua Chua district Photo 4: The Da river in Dien Bien province Photo 5: Traditional folk dance of the Ha Nhi people Photo 6: Land on the clouds – Landscape of the Vietnam’s far West corner Photo 7: CCD’s team discussed Provincial Leader and Department of Culture, Information and Tourism

The Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD), Xuan Lien Nature Reserve, and One Tree Planted are conducting a reforestation program for the Chu River watershed with the active participation of local communities. On June 17, 2021, the reforestation program was broadcasted on Thanh Hoa province’s Radio and Television. The documentary showed the strong interest and support of Thanh Hoa and Thuong Xuan People’s Committee to the meaningful program. The reforestation program aims to recover the degraded forest and improve watershed forest protection of Chu River, eventually securing water resources for local communities in Western and Northwestern regions of Thanh Hoa province. Reforestation Xuan Lien Nature Reserve is one of CCD’s activities aimed to increase forest cover, enhance ecosystem services and improve biodiversity conservation in Vietnam’s strategic watershed and conservation landscapes. CCD is working closely with local stakeholders, protected areas and protection forests to promote reforestation and restoring natural forests with strong engagement of local communities and local authorities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9W2S2giiMw

Tourism has become an important source of income in many countries. Tourism not only creates jobs, generates income but is also an effective tool that facilitates the service chains and goods consumption to leverage economic and social development. In addition, tourism could positively support the development, such as boosting creative ideas and new, smart businesses, creating new services and improving infrastructure development and transportation. In addition, tourism also helps to improve access to information, promote cultural exchanges, education, sustain and preserve the local cultural values. Binh Lieu district is a remote mountainous district of Quang Ninh province. Binh Lieu is well known for its spectacular mountainous landscapes and majestic features of a border region. In addition to these natural values, there are traditional cultures of the Dao, Tay and San Chi ethnic groups with their unique lifestyle and customs. The nature and culture values make Binh Lieu district a land of tourism potentials that could be used to attract tourists and travellers. Therefore, having a proper development plan and adaptive practices would ensure the district’s advantages in using its tourism potential as an effective development tool to boost local economy and sustain livelihoods, especially for ethnic minority communities. Recognizing these unique potentials, the Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) in collaboration with administrative apparatus of Binh Lieu district to formulate a tourism development plan to advance the tourism potential into practices. The plan would not only help tourism development, but to support poverty reduction, socio-economic improvement and gender equity. The tourism plan, with a vision to 2030 will help transform the district’s economic and services structure, thus creating more jobs, increasing incomes and awareness of the local community, and more importantly, helping the district achieve sustainable development goals. Photo 1: The “Dinosaur Spine”/“Dinosaur Backbone” at Hoanh Mo commune (Photo: Dung Bui/CCD) Photo 2: A grand view at Khe Moi hamlet, Dong Van commune (Photo: Vi Bui/CCD) Photo 3: A Dao woman is embroiding a traditional costume (Photo: Vi Bui/CCD) Photo 4: A San Chi ethnic woman at local market (Photo: Dung Bui/CCD) Photo 5: A traditional collate of the Tay ethnic minority (Photo: Vi Bui/CCD) Photo 6: The planning team at the Cao Ba Lanh summit (Photo: Vi Bui/CCD) Photo 7: Assoc. Prof./PhD Pham Hong Long sharing tourism development ideas at Binh Lieu District People’s Committee (Photo: Vi Bui/CCD)

The World Environment Day this year is to focus on the theme “Reimagine. Recreate. Restore” the ecosystem with the aim to heal the damage of ecosystems, including forest ecosystems. In response to World Environment Day 2021, CCD, Xuan Lien Nature Reserve and One Tree Planted launched a reforestation program. The project will plant at least 20,000 native trees to restore 45 ha of degraded forest and bare land in the Xuan Lien. The project will help to improve environment protection, reduce risks from disasters, restore habitats for wildlife and protect strategic upstream watershed forests including the Chu River. The reforestation program not only received support from local authority and Xuan Lien but also received the active participation of local communities. On the launching day, more than 30 local people, including women from the Thai ethnic group joined the reserve’s and CCD’s staff in transporting seedlings and planting trees. CCD has been working with protected areas, protected forests, and donors on afforestation to restore forest ecosystems that will benefit endangered wildlife, improve forest cover, and resilience to extreme weather and climate change. The reforestation event is one of the CCD’s efforts to support Government Vietnam’s goal to plant 1 billion new trees in 2025.   Join us in environmental protection and wildlife conservation at CCD’s website  https://ccd.org.vn/

Lorises are nocturnal and arboreal primate (in contrast to many other species of the primates), so studying them is often difficult and time consuming. Up to the present, there are few researches have been done to study the species in Vietnam. Lack of necessary information on the species’ populations and threats limits conservation efforts. Under the cooperation program between the Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) and Xuan Lien Nature Reserve (Xuan Lien) on conservation of endangered fauna and flora species, in April 2021, a research team of CCD and Xuan Lien conducted a survey of loris in the southern section of the reserve. The research team carried out night spotting activities on 08 routes, with a length of 30.8 km, and 12.1 hours of the continuous survey. During the survey, the team recorded a total of 08 pygmy lorises ( Nycticebus pygmaeus ). The lorises were recorded in different habitat types, but mainly in secondary forest and mixed bamboo forest. The group did not record any loris in old growth forest (primary). In particular, out of the 08 individuals recorded this time, there were 03 lorises recorded in Acacia plantation ( Acacia mangium ), this is also a new record of loris in this type of forest. Acacia plantation is considered an unsuitable area for wildlife, especially primates. This new record shows the adaptation of loris to the changes in vegetation in their ranges. However, this is a plantation which will be cleared-cut in a 5-year cycle, so, how will these lorises survive? Or maybe, the loris only comes to feed in the acacia forest but do not live permanently in this habitat. During the survey, no Bengal slow loris ( Nycticebus bengalensis ) was recorded. It seems that Bengal slow loris has become very rare. Through previous surveys efforts, we only recorded 02 Bengal slow lorises, which was significantly lower than 30 recorded of the pygmy lorises for the same survey efforts. During the survey, interviews with local people showed that lorises are a target species for hunting and trafficking, although some local villagers still caught lorises to keep as pets, they usually die after several weeks. CCD will continue its cooperation with Xuan Lien to promote the research and provide better information about the lorises population, especially for the Bengal slow loris, and opportunities for recovery of these species. Furthermore, we will work with the reserve to organize more awareness-raising activities to enhance conservation knowledge for local people. The awareness events will not only improve public awareness but also to reduce wildlife poaching and increase community responsibility for the conservation of loris, and other endangered animals in the Reserve. Photo 1: A pygmy loris ( Nycticebus pygmaeus ) recorded in the acacia forest Photo 2: A pygmy loris ( Nycticebus pygmaeus ) recorded in the mixed bamboo forest Photo 3: Harvesting acacia forest in Hón Can during the survey Photo 4: Field research team of CCD and forest ranger of Hón Can station

The booming of wildlife poaching and trafficking lead to a serious declining for turtles and tortoises in Vietnam. Most of the species are now facing serious threats include extinction risk.  Because of the trafficking, some species are now considered to be extinct in their former known ranges. Considered as one of the important biodiversity conservation area in northern Vietnam, Xuan Lien Nature Reserve (will be called as Xuan Lien hereafter) is home to many endemic and endangered species of wild fauna and flora. In particular, the dominant habitats of Xuan Lien are evergreen forest in the low-mountain and mixed bamboo forest, which are ideal habitats for many species of tortoise and turtles. Photo 1: Four-eyed turtle (Sacalia quadriocellata) in Xuan Lien Continuing our collaboration with the Xuan Lien on conservation of turtles and tortoises in Xuan Lien Nature Reserve, in April 2021, a research team from Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) and  Xuan Lien conducted a field survey for turtles and tortoises in Hon Can and Song Khao. In this survey, the team not only focus on field survey but also piloting turtle monitoring using radio tracking equipment. The aim of the piloting was to test the equipment and gather experience to prepare a long-term monitoring for releasing of post-seizure turtles and tortoises. Photo 2: Tracking for turtles using radio tracking device In this survey, 02 Indochinese box turtles ( Cuora galbinifrons ), 01 Keeled box turtle ( Cuora mouhotii ) were spotted in Hon Can area, and 01 Four-eyed turtle ( Sacalia quadriocellata)  was spotted in Song Khao. All these turtles are listed as Critically Endangered and Endangered by Vietnam Red Data Book and the IUCN Red List.  The team also attached transmitters to 03 turtles to track their movement patterns and evaluate the overall equipment effectiveness in the field. These survey results reconfirm the diversity of tortoises and turtles in Xuan Lien and radio tracking tool is working well with the reserve terrain and vegetation. However, during the survey time, the team also recorded some information that illegal poaching and trafficking of turtle and wildlife from the reserve by local community. Thus, to improve protection for wildlife and enhance local community’s responsibility for endangered wildlife, Xuan Lien should promote more field patrol, awareness campaigns in local villages to raise awareness and reduce poaching and trafficking. Photo 3: Transmitter attached to Keeled box turtle (Cuora mouhotii) CCD will continue our collaboration with Xuan Lien to implement the turtle surveys and use radio tracking to monitor and evaluate the habitat and viability of released turtles in the wild.   CCD will also assist Xuan Lien to carry out more awareness-raising activities to raise awareness and reduce poaching and impacts of human activities on wildlife species in this important reserve.

On March 2021, Center for nature Conservation and Development in collaboration with Xuan Lien Nature Reserve conduct a field surveys to identify the population and distribution of turtles, tortoise and Lorises in Xuan Lien. The surveys were conducted in the forest sector no. 498, 495 and 507, in the upstream of Hon Mong, Hon Ca and Vung Bo streams in Xuan Lien reserve.  The main habitat of these areas is mixed woodland-bamboo forests which is considered as ideal habitat of turtles, tortoise and Lorises. Due to the survey time was early spring and the weather was still cold, it was not the right time for turtle and lorises active. So there were hardly no signs of the targeted species in these areas. However, our team also recorded some animals in the study sites including Indochinese flying squirrel ( Hylopetes phayrei);  Asian small clawed otter ( Aonyx cinereus ), Common palm civet ( Paradoxurus hermaphroditus ), Phayre’s leaf monkey ( Trachypithecus phayrei ), Northern white-cheeked gibbon ( Nomascus leucogenys),  Stump-tailed macaque ( Macaca arctoides ), muntjacs, wild boar and many other reptiles and amphibians. Our team also observed several animal traps (then removed them) and shelters of local people who entered the core zone of the reserve to catch fish, frogs and small animals. The findings indicated that the study area is an important conservation stronghold in the reserve but it also is one of frequent impacted areas by local people. Turtles, tortoise and the lorises are fully protected by Vietnamese regulations, for instance, most of the turtles, tortoise species and the both loris species distributed in Xuan Lien are on the protected lists in Decree No. 06/2019/ND-CP and Decree No. 64/2019/ND-CP. Therefore, it is necessary to implement more patrol and protect activities to minimize the human impact in this reserve. CCD will continue its cooperation with Xuan Lien to provide more information on species diversity as well as opportunities for conservation and population recovery for these species. Meanwhile, CCD will cooperate with Xuan Lien to organize more awareness raising activity to enhance conservation knowledge for local people. The awareness will not only improve public awareness but also help to reduce illegal wildlife poaching and increase community responsibility for the conservation of turtles, loris and other endangered animals in the Reserve. Photo 1: CCD’s staff was setting camera traps in survey transects Photo 2: CCD team in a nocturnal survey Photo 3: CCD’s staff was conducting turtle survey Photo 4: CCD’s staff was conducting turtle survey Photo 5: Research team was going to study sites

Situated near the southern margin of the Red River Delta, the Trang An Landscape Complex is a spectacular landscape of limestone karst peaks permeated with valleys, many of them partly submerged and surrounded by steep, almost vertical cliffs. The property also contains temples, pagodas, paddy-fields and small villages with their unique culture and lifestyle. The complex is one of 1121 world heritage sites. Trang An Landscape Complex become the most attractive tourist destination in Ninh Binh province; the province therefore has made great efforts to enhance management and preserve it to become a national tourist destination. However, this place is facing challenges in harmonizing the heritage conservation and economic development. Therefore, in February 2021, Ninh Binh Department of Tourism in collaboration with UNESCO Vietnam and the Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) held a seminar on “Promoting tourism quality at a Trang An Landscape Complex”. As a technical support body, CCD will facilitate a research and development of a sustainable community-based tourism model in this complex. CCD also shared methods which will be used and approach to promote sustainable tourism activities to ensure the integrity of natural and cultural values. In addition to the work on community-based tourism in Trang An Landscape Complex, CCD is also working with other provinces, protected areas, national parks to develop ecotourism & community-based tourism plans/strategy. CCD aim to ensure that tourism plans will strategically be developed, managed, and well-practiced to ensure that tourism will become a sustainable livelihoods option for local communities in mountainous and Protected Area’s buffer zone. More importantly, CCD will facilitate the tourism development to become effect tool in raising public awareness about nature and biodiversity conservation, reducing people’s dependence and impacts on the protected area and its natural resources. Photo 1. Representative of UNESCO and Ninh Binh Tourism Department Photo 2. The CCD’s expert share information at the seminar Photo 3. The CCD’s expert share information at the seminar

The Siamese rosewood ( Dalbergia cochinchinensis ) and Vietnamese rosewood ( D. oliveri ) are among the most threatened trees in Vietnam. Illegal logging and trade in timber of these two species to supply the high-end furniture market are ongoing even though they are protected by law. Therefore, its’ urgent to improve management for the remaining population and strengthening in-situ conservation as well as having and intense recovery plan for the rosewood with the aid from scientific research. Pertaining from the urgent needs, from 2019-2021, the Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) implemented a series of research to document management practices and identify distribution, population of the  Dalbergia cochinchinensis  and  D. oliveri  in Vietnam. The research particularly focused on four specific sites that were considered as the most important areas for the species namely: Dak Uy rosewood reserve (Kon Tum), Bu Gia Map (Binh Phuoc), Cat Tien (Dong Nai) and Yok Don (Dak Lak) National Parks. On 11 March 2021, CCD held a consultation workshop to share findings of the research and consult with stakeholders on a Non-detriment findings report for the two rosewood species and draft rosewood conservation plan for Vietnam. Participants include conservation experts from NGOs, Government agencies, research Institutes and universities Workshop’s participants highlighted the important of the information shared and urge for more discussion on rosewood management and conservation issue as this workshop was the only meeting on rosewood in Vietnam.  Participant also commented on research method, and how finding should be presented to highlight the urgency of logging and illegal trade. It also recommended that findings should be published in conservation journal for broader audience; information should also be prepared as a policy brief then send to Government Agencies to raise concern about the important of rosewoods conservation and urge for government program on rosewood conservation and replanting. CCD will continue its endangered plant conservation program and focus its effort on supporting conservation of  Dalbergia  species as well as other threatened taxa through strengthening capacity for stakeholders, enhancing in-situ conservation and facilitate an effective recovery program in their natural habitat. Photo 1: Group photo. Photo by: Trang Le/CCD Photo 2: Mr. Nguyen Manh Ha – CCD’s Director was introducing workshop and participants. Photo by: Trang Le/CCD Photo 3: Representative of research team was presenting survey findings. Photo by: Trang Le/CCD Photo 4: Participants were discussing during break time. Photo by: Trang Le/CCD

Continuing the training series to improve capacity for staff, Center for Nature conservation and Development (CCD) held a training on photography and photo editing. Dr. Pham Hong Long and some experienced researchers enthusiastically shared the basic techniques and skills in photography, especially skills and practice in the field. CCD is a nature conservation and research organization with many activities in the field. Therefore, quick action and correct technique will be an important condition to have quality photos. Having good skills in photography and video will help our staff to have lot of useful materials. Picture is also a good evidence of the intervention effectiveness and resources for reporting. Besides, having impressive and unique materials can also be useful for promotion and dissemination of the nature beauty more effectively to the public then gain their support for wildlife and nature conservation.