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A Preliminary Wildlife and Habitat Survey of the Xe Sap Proposed

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A Preliminary Wildlife and Habitat Survey of the Xe Sap Proposed A Preliminary Wildlife and Habitat Survey of Xe Sap National Biodiversity Conservation Area and Mountains to the South, Salavan Province, Lao PDR Conducted April to May 1996 Final report to the Centre for Protected Areas and Watershed Management, Department of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Lao Peoples’ Democratic Republic R.J. Timmins and Chantavi Vongkhamheng Vientiane 1996 WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY, New York A Preliminary Wildlife and Habitat Survey of Xe Sap National Biodiversity Conservation Area and Mountains to the South, Salavan Province, Lao PDR Conducted April to May 1996 Final report to the Centre for Protected Areas and Watershed Management, Department of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Lao Peoples’ Democratic Republic R. J. Timmins and Chantavi Vongkhamheng Vientiane 1996 WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY P. O. Box 6712 Vientiane Lao PDR Copyright © WCS and DFRC, 1996. Reproduction of material from this document for education or other non-commercial purposes is authorised without the prior permission of Wildlife Conservation Society, provided the source is acknowledged. The findings, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this document represent those of the authors and do not imply the endorsement of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Department of Forest Resource Conservation (DFRC) or affiliated organisations. Revisions and updates to taxonomy have been made since this document was originally produced. The designation of geographical entities in this document, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of WCS or DFRC or affiliated organisations, concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. 2 CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY RECOMMENDATIONS PART 1: SURVEY AREA 1.1 BACKGROUND 1.2 GEOGRAPHY 1.3 HUMAN SETTLEMENT 1.4 ACCESS PART 2: SURVEY DESCRIPTION 2.1 METHODOLOGY 2.2 PARTICIPANTS 2.3 OTHER INFORMATION SOURCES 2.4 LIMITATION PART 3: FINDINGS WITH RESPECT TO HABITAT 3.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION 3.2 SIGNIFICANCE OF AND THREATS TO HABITAT PART 4: FINDINGS WITH RESPECT TO WILDLIFE 4.1 SIGNIFICANCE OF AND THREATS TO WILDLIFE 4.2 KEY SPECIES ACCOUNTS PART 5: FINDINGS WITH RESPECT TO HUMAN USE 5.1 GENERAL OVERVIEW 5.2 NATURAL RESOURCE USE 5.3 ROAD LINK WITH VIETNAM 5.4 VIETNAMESE INCURSION 5.5 EFFECTS OF THE AMERICAN-INDOCHINESE CONFLICT PART 6: DISCUSSION: THE XE SAP NBCA AND THE PROPOSED PHOU AJOL EXTENSION, A NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE REFERENCES ANNEXES ANNEX 1: MAPS AND PLACE NAMES ANNEX 2: TERMINOLOGY AND CONVENTIONS 2.1 KEY SPECIES 2.2 NOMENCLATURE AND SYSTEMATICS ANNEX 3: STATUS OF BIRD SPECIES RECORDED DURING THE SURVEY ANNEX 4: STATUS OF MAMMAL SPECIES IN THE SURVEY AREA 3 Tables Table 1: Dates, locations, observers and survey effort of the Xe Sap NBCA and proposed Phou Ajol extension areas. Table 2: Records of Key Species from the Xe Sap NBCA and areas to the south, and a preliminary assessment of their importance. Table 3: Village and other locality names of the Xe Sap NBCA and proposed Phou Ajol extension areas; names in local use related to names and locations on the RDP Lao Service Geographique d'Etat, 1: 100 000 maps. Table 4: Bird species recorded during the survey. Table 5: Mammal species in the survey area. Figures Figure 1: Topographic map showing the Xe Sap NBCA and the proposed Phou Ajol extension. Figure 2: Local geography and areas surveyed, of the Xe Sap NBCA and the proposed Phou Ajol extension. Figure 3: Forest cover of the Xe Sap NBCA and the proposed Phou Ajol extension. ABBREVIATIONS c., approximate[ly] CPAWM, Centre for Protected Area and Watershed Management (formerly NONC) GNT, Globally Near-Threatened GT, Globally Threatened NBCA, National Biodiversity Conservation Area NHD, National Historical Decline sensu Thewlis et al. in prep. NOFIP, National Office of Forest Inventory and Planning RAR, species Regionally at Risk (for birds sensu Treesucon and Round 1990, for mammals sensu Salter 1993) Meanings of commonly used Lao words in place names: Ban, village Phou, mountain Xe, large river Nam, river/stream Houay, [seasonal] stream ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The survey was funded by a grant from the MacArthur Foundation. We are particularly grateful to the staff of the Provincial and District Agriculture and Forestry Offices in Salavan, Sekong and Dakchung, for their assistance in planning of fieldwork. The staff of the Centre for Protected Areas and Watershed Management are thanked for their unflagging assistance and advice, in all aspects and stages of the WCS Wildlife and Habitat Inventory Project, particularly, Chanthaviphone Inthavong, Vene Vongphet, Saleumsy Phithayaphone, Sivanavong Siwathvong, Boonhom Sounthala and Khamkhoun Khounboline. Cover Illustration: Malayan Sun Bear Ursus malayanus drawn by Ray Burrows 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The survey was conducted between 28 April and 24 May 1996. The primary aim was to determine the conservation importance of the Xe Sap NBCA area, and also that of further areas to the south. It became apparent that a large extent of forest, covering a large high altitude massif, the Phou Ajol, lies outside and to the south of the Xe Sap NBCA. Investigation of this forest area has led us to propose that it be designated as an extension to the Xe Sap NBCA, as it is of high biodiversity conservation value, probably equal to and possibly even greater than the existing NBCA. The Xe Sap NBCA covers 1335 sq. km of the provinces of Salavan and Sekong along the border with Vietnam. To the south the proposed Phou Ajol extension covers an additional 1536 sq. km in the province of Sekong. Both areas are mountainous with twelve peaks over 1900 m, the highest being Phou Ajol, and form the catchments of the Xe Pon, the Xe Bang Hieng, the Xe Kong and the Xe Kaman rivers. Both areas are contiguous with forest over the border in Vietnam. All major valleys and the lower slopes are apparently settled and have been generally heavily degraded. In some areas slopes over 1000 m have been cleared for cultivation. To the south of the proposed Phou Ajol extension, the Dakchung Plateau has also been extensively degraded. However on the plateau’s northern edge recent forest clearance is minimal, and appears to be directly due to the reliance of local communities on rice paddy cultivation. Encroachment is also apparently occurring from Vietnam The remaining forest over most of the area is Evergreen. On Phou Ajol the higher ridges and slopes above c. 1500 m change in character with Fokienia trees becoming prominent. At the highest elevations, c. 1800 m+ the peak is cloaked in Mossy Montane Forest. Extensive areas, mainly outside proposed boundaries, appear to be covered in secondary vegetation types, including low scrub, taller secondary growth, bamboo, and secondary forest. On the Dakchung Plateau there are also secondary pine formations and grasslands. At least 32 Key Species are known from the area, these include two Globally Threatened bird species; Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata and Black-hooded Laughingthrush Garrulax milleti and probably also Yellow-billed Nuthatch Sitta solangiae and a further three Globally Near-Threatened species. Mammal species included Globally Threatened gibbon species Hylobates, Douc Langur Pygathrix nemaeus and Malayan Sun Bear Ursus malayanus, in addition the recently discovered Large-antlered Muntjac Megamuntiacus vuquangensis and a small as yet unidentified muntjac species Muntiacus were also found. These highly important bird and mammal species were all found in the proposed Phou Ajol extension. The area is intrinsically important because its high altitude forest is the largest of four such areas within the NBCA-PPA system. This value is further enhanced because the area forms part of the Southern Annamites, a biogeographic region with several endemic taxa. The proposed Phou Ajol extension is particularly important in both of these respects. Rates of forest clearance are probably relatively high in several areas, but particularly on the northern edge of the proposed Phou Ajol extension. Hunting is probably extensive, as in the majority of Lao NBCAs. Levels of snaring on the lower slopes of Phou Ajol, and Ban Ayun at the northern end of the Dakchung Plateau, are perhaps some of the highest found during recent surveys. Other potential threats to the area include proposed road links with Vietnam, and possibly incursion by Vietnamese. The area probably has a conservation value greater than that of several existing NBCAs including Xe Bang Nouan NBCA and Phou Xiang Thong NBCA, although it is unlikely to be as important as Nakai- Nam Theun NBCA. It’s conservation priority cannot yet be adequately assessed. Further surveys should be a high priority. RECOMMENDATIONS 5 Recommendations are given from the standpoint which accepts the exceptional value of the Xe Sap NBCA in comparison with the most important NBCAs within Lao, and where the primary aim is to maintain this value for the long-term. The proposed Phou Ajol extension should be added as shown in Figure 1 and the area managed with the intent of protecting, maintaining and enhancing it’s conservation value. Considerably more wildlife and habitat survey work is necessary to: Determine the extent and levels of disturbance of remaining forest types. Determine important areas of wildlife populations and communities. Determine areas and species critically threatened by human activity. Surveys should also cover areas of pine, although they are of lower priority. The first priorities for protection are Crested Argus, Douc Langur, gibbon, bears, and perhaps large hornbills if they still occur. Further inquiries should be made about the presence of Saola. If the species occurs it should be given similarly high priority for protection. The status of the unnamed species of small muntjac, requires further investigation and possibly measures for its conservation. The snaring of ground birds should be controlled, particularly in the southern Phou Ajol area.
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