The Challenge Continues...
Photo: An early morning in the Tung Vai forest taken from the FFI field station
It has been almost 4 months since I Set foot in Vietnam, and I can’t believe how quickly that time has flown by! I have been based at the Fauna and Flora International (FFI) office here living with friends in the centre of Hanoi. Unfortunately however my time working in the forest collecting data has been very limited.
The first hurdle was caused by a last minute decision (literally the day before) from the provincial government, stating I must be accompanied at all times by a border security member. This was not unreasonable based on the fact that I would be working right on the border of China and Vietnam (which I also later found out is still riddled with landmines!). But, the timing of this little caveat was what caused the most pain as ensuing Vietnamese ‘elections’ followed shortly by Vietnam’s Obama-rama would all of the state’s security personnel. In effect delaying the start of the of my data collection by 3 weeks.
Eventually, we were off in a 4wd packed with large stacks of old newspapers and high concentration alcohol to start our herbarium collection, food provisions, research gear and photography equipment. I also travelled with Minh and Dung, FFI employees that would help liaise and translate for me and members of the local council. During the drive 9 hours Northwest from Hanoi the city life quickly fades away as the mountains begin to grow. Eventually towering over us at the grand entrance to the Dong Van Karst Global Geopark opening into an expansive flat valley walled in by Vietnam’s trademark rugged karst mountains
True to the rumours karst mountains are tough to get around in, the worst was what I now refer to as ‘leaf bridges’ after snow bridges in crevasse fields. These nasty little traps are created by soil and leaves building up on thin roots that cover sometimes sizeable crevasses in the karst terrain. When stepped on these act like a giant booby trap for anyone that unwittingly steps on one. Usually sending the victim plunging a metre or more down into a jagged rock hell! So, with a falling rate of about once every hour we spent long days from dawn to dusk using trails and making our own in search of the illusive Tonkin snub-nosed monkey.
I was aware that it would be tough work and my experience in the past working with unhabituated chimps had prepared me for days of hiking without finding the one thing you’re looking for in a vast jungle. However big you feel going into these places, you can rest assured that you feel a little smaller for each day that you don’t see any primates. This was likely the result of two things, the tiny population (about 40 individuals) we were trying to locate and a history of hunting in the area (that may still continue), which makes monkeys more cautious and quiet as a behaviour modification to prevent being found. But with full credit to Mr Thanh (of local Tay ethnicity from Ban Thanh village) our chief guide, Minh my translator, Duong a local FPD worker (also Tay), various other CCT and the border patrol staff we kept at it and searched all the sites where these monkeys had been seen in the past 5 years or so.
Photos: 1. Minh (translator), and Duong (FPD) keeping an eye out for monkeys, 2. Mr. Thanh, Mr Vuong (local guides), Minh and border patrol escort taking a well earned rest on a fallen tree near Ta Van commune, 3. Mr Thanh and myself hanging out at milestone 286 marking the border between Vietnam and China
As you walk through the forest in Tung Vai you start to realise the extent to which farmers have made their footprint on the forest. The cultivation of cardamom spice on the forest floor has been the main culprit in what appears to be large-scale habitat degradation and fragmentation. Where farmers remove all low growing trees completely which stops forest regeneration and thins the canopy to give crops more light. Essentially the only places that were left untouched by under-canopy farming was on the steep and rocky, inarable areas. And sadly even in these areas we saw that logging was continuing, seemingly unabated.
Photos: 1. Beautiful view, that tells the story of the agriculture pressures and highly populated areas surrounding the Tung Vai forest, 2. A mid sized pine tree that was cut down only hours before our arrival, located less than 100m from a spot where the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey has been seen in the past
This is an ominous sign for the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey who relies on ‘arboreal pathways’ that are just like trails, only made from connecting branches. Most species will use the same routes throughout their lives and rely on them to access food and interact with other groups. This means that even if some areas do have plentiful food and canopy cover, it may be useless because the connectivity to these areas via arboreal pathways has been destroyed.
It was not cardamom harvest season but I was told that during this period the forest has many more people that live in the small bamboo huts that accompany cardamom plantations while they collect and protect their harvest. It is also common for the farmers to carry and use guns to hunt without discrimination whatever animals they can to minimise their expenditure of being away from home. This is a scary fact, and in reading past reports for FFI’s internal archives, interviews with these farmers and hunters seems to identify scarcity as the factor that has limited the hunting if Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys in recent years rather than awareness for the fragility of the species’ existence.
It has been a few months since my last post and unfortunately I am to be the bearer of bad news. During the 2-week survey we didn’t find any decent evidence that this population is still present in the Tung Vai Forest. A month long study previous to my own also came to a similar conclusion. This doesn’t mean that the monkeys have completely vanished from the area but it could mean that the population is much smaller than originally thought. The plan now is to wait for an emergency, large scale survey that will be conducted in September or October by FFI staff later this year to get an accurate measure of the population there. From the outcome of this survey we will then decide whether the population is large enough to justify continuation of conservation spending and efforts in the Tung Vai Forest for the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey. As yet we are still hopeful the monkeys are alive and well, but to outline the seriousness of the situation this loss would approximate to losing one quarter of the population (from 200 to 150) leaving the Khau Ca population of just over 100 the only remaining viable population.
It is unclear what this means for the proposed Species and Habitat Conservation Area but as it has already been approved I am hopeful that the plans may still go ahead. This is important to consider even in the case that the population in Tung Vai has disappeared because we know this site is suitable for the support of a Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkey population. As such it would be an ideal location for re-introduction should the population at the Khau Ca site continue to grow, which, as mentioned in the past is limited to only 1000-2000ha. Not only would it be important for the monkey population but the diverse and rich fauna and flora that still live in the forest which I was lucky enough to see (pics below). Ziegler's Crocodile Newt (Tylototriton ziegleri
In any case I will be beginning a new research project looking at the largest remaining population living at the Khau Ca site, which I hope will provide useful information on daily and yearly ranges. This will be useful for the future conservation of the species in understanding the habitat requirements for this threatened species.
Photos: 1. Unknown and bewildering plant 2. Ziegler's crocodile newt, (Tylototriton ziegleri) thrives in the TVF forest while in most parts of it's range populations are decreasing 3. Forest crabs are commonly encountered during a day surveying 4. A snake caught yawning through the trees 5. A bird glimpsed amongst a mixed species feeding flock passing through the canopy 6. Aphid relative 7. Mangolia grandis one of only 50 known wild trees in existence (one of the world's rarest trees) in the heart of Tonkin snub-nose monkey habitat 8. One of many beautiful orchids (Calanthe argenteo-striata) found in the forest.
I would like to thank FFI and my other sponsors The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund and the Primate Society of Great Britain as well as all the other independent donors that have contributed to the cause of Tonkin snub-nose monkey conservation. I will continue to do my best to justify the kind support I have received.
