Oryx Vol 38 No 3 July 2004 Conifer conservation in Vietnam: three potential flagship species Aljos Farjon, Philip Thomas and Nguyen Duc To Luu Abstract Discoveries of new species and new records new genus and species in the Cupressaceae, was of species are the order of the day in Vietnam, a country described in 2001 and is restricted to limestone outcrops with a high level of biodiversity and many areas still on the border with China. All three species are of high largely unexplored. In recent years many conifers have conservation concern due to their rarity and because of been discovered for the first time in the country, and this threats to their survival from expanding cultivation, paper focuses on three of these. The Vulnerable Pinus felling and fires. We discuss the suitability of these three krempfii is an endemic of exceptional scientific interest. conifers as flagship species to promote forest conserva- tion in Vietnam. We also discuss the problems involved The globally Vulnerable Taiwania cryptomerioides, a in the protection of these species, and the efforts that are conifer of ancient lineage in the Cupressaceae previously currently being undertaken to conserve them. only known to occur with certainty in Taiwan and the border region between Myanmar and China, is a new Keywords Conifers, endemism, extinction, flagship discovery for Vietnam, where it is Critically Endangered. species, Pinus krempfii, Taiwania cryptomerioides, Vietnam, The Critically Endangered Xanthocyparis vietnamensis, a Xanthocyparis vietnamensis. Introduction Vietnam are now represented by five families, 20 genera and c. 33 species (Farjon, 2001; Nguyen Duc To Luu & Vietnam is one of the most biologically diverse countries Thomas, 2004), six of which are endemic (Abies delavayi in the world, with an estimated 12,000 plant species, of fansipanensis, Amentotaxus hatuyenensis, A. poilanei, Pinus which c. 10% are endemic, representing 300 families and dalatensis, P. krempfii and Xanthocyparis vietnamensis). The nearly 3,000 genera (Averyanov et al., 2003). The majority 19 Vietnamese conifers of global conservation concern of species are concentrated in the montane forests, and are listed in Table 1. With 57% of its conifer species deforestation has therefore been, and continues to be, a globally threatened, Vietnam qualifies for recognition as major problem in Vietnam, which has a rapidly growing one of the world’s hotspots as defined by IUCN’s Conifer human population of c. 77 million. It is estimated that the Action Plan (Farjon & Page, 1999). forest cover has been reduced to <28% of its original The high proportion of threatened conifers is primarily extent, with much of the loss occurring since 1945 (de the result of extensive deforestation caused by shifting Koninck, 1999). cultivation, conversion of forest to pasture, and both Since the late 1980s the Vietnamese government has clear-felling and selective felling for high value timber been engaged in an extensive programme of biological and non-timber products (e.g. resin, essential oils) pro- inventories of the remaining forests to establish a more duced by many species. Additionally, several conifers comprehensive system of protected areas. This has are represented by small relict populations, or as peri- resulted in many new discoveries of plants and animals. pheral populations at the edge of the range of more For conifers, new populations of known species, as well widespread taxa. The Vietnamese conifers represent a as new species, have been discovered in the north of the readily recognized group of plants that are emblematic of country. Since 1990, eight taxa from five genera have the problems facing biodiversity in Vietnam and have been recorded for the first time. The native conifers of the potential to act as flagship species (Bowen-Jones & Entwistle, 2002) for local, regional and national Aljos Farjon (Corresponding author) Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, conservation campaigns. In this paper we discuss three Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB, UK. E-mail [email protected] of these species in detail: Pinus krempfii, Taiwania Philip Thomas Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, cryptomerioides and Xanthocyparis vietnamensis. Edinburgh, EH3 5LR, UK. Nguyen Duc To Luu Central Forest Seed Company, Ministry of Agriculture Pinus krempfii and Rural Development, 62 Cau Dien Township, Tu Liem, Hanoi, Vietnam. Received 13 August 2003. Revision requested 4 February 2004. The distinctive and relict Pinus krempfii is one of six Accepted 4 May 2004. endemic conifers in Vietnam. Its unusual flattened © 2004 FFI, Oryx, 38(3), 257–265 DOI: 10.1017/S0030605304000481 Printed in the United Kingdom 257 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.40.40, on 29 Sep 2021 at 06:39:39, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605304000481 258 A. Farjon et al. Table 1 Conifer species occurring naturally in Vietnam (Farjon & Page, 1999, and recent additions and amendments by the IUCN Species Survival Commission Conifer Specialist Group), with their IUCN Red List status (IUCN, 2003). Species1 Red List status2 Abies delavayi Franchet subsp. fansipanensis VU (Q. P. Xiang) Rushforth Amentotaxus argotaenia (Hance) Pilg. VU Amentotaxus hatuyenensis Hiep EN Amentotaxus poilanei (Ferré & Rouane) VU D. K. Ferguson Amentotaxus yunnanensis H. L. Li EN Calocedrus macrolepis Kurz VU Cephalotaxus mannii Hook. f. VU Cunninghamia konishii Hayata VU Plate 1 Pinus krempfii as emergent trees with umbrella-shaped Fokienia hodginsii (Dunn) A. Henry NT crowns in montane forest of the southern highlands of Vietnam. & A. A. Thomas Glyptostrobus pensilis (Staunton) K. Koch DD known from the areas near the Bi Doup massif (12°08ЈN, Nageia fleuryi (Hickel) de Laubenfels EN Ј Pinus dalatensis Ferré VU 108°40 E) that straddle the borders of those provinces. Pinus fenzeliana Hand.-Mazz. NT Recently, a population has been recorded from the Chu Pinus krempfii Lecomte VU Yang Sin massif in Dac Lac (12°24ЈN, 108°26ЈE) (Le Trong Pinus wangii Hu & W. C. Cheng EN Trai et al., 1996) and it is likely that smaller populations Pseudotsuga sinensis Dode var. sinensis VU exist on surrounding massifs (Businsky, 1999). P. krempfii Taiwania cryptomerioides Hayata VU Tsuga dumosa (D. Don) Eichler NT occurs over 1200–2000 m altitude in closed canopy for- Xanthocyparis vietnamensis Farjon & Hiep CR ests dominated by evergreen members of the Fagaceae and Lauraceae. It may be locally dominant, often occur- 1Nomenclature follows Farjon (2001). ring on the tops and upper slopes of flattened ridges in 2CR, Critically Endangered; EN, Endangered; VU, Vulnerable; NT, Near Threatened; DD, Data Deficient. moist soils with well-developed humus layers (Nguyen Tien Hiep, 1996; Vu Van Dung, 1996); little is otherwise needles, absence of ray tracheids and other unusual known about its ecology. From field observations made wood characters make it unique within the genus. at two sites (Cong Troi and Gia Rich), P. krempfii appears Since its description (Lecomte, 1921, 1924) there has been to be shade tolerant, persistent within a closed canopy controversy over its classification, with some authorities and able to compete to some extent with associated placing it in the monotypic genus Ducampopinus angiosperms. Regeneration was found to be abundant, (Chevalier, 1944) and others including it either in the with several stages present. The absence of traits that monospecific subgenus Ducampopinus within the genus are usually associated with fire resistance or fire evasion Pinus or within various sections of the subgenus Strobus in pines, such as thick bark, serotinous cones and (de Ferré, 1953; Gaussen, 1960; Critchfield & Little, 1969; resprouting (Keeley & Zedler in Richardson, 1998), sug- Price et al. in Richardson, 1998). Recent morphological gests other types of disturbance, such as cyclones, may be and molecular work has supported its inclusion within more important for its regeneration. Its restriction to the subgenus Strobus although there are still unanswered mesic habitats in a limited area where other relict taxa questions about its relationship to other taxa (Wang et al., have been recorded may reflect its ancient history. 2000). Prior to the discovery of X. vietnamensis, P. krempfii P. krempfii is categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN was the most well known Vietnamese conifer outside Red List (IUCN, 2003) according to criteria (IUCN, Vietnam. Within Vietnam, its scientific value has long 1994) B1+2c; its area of occupancy is estimated to be been recognized (Schmid, 1974; Nguyen Tien Hiep & <2,000 km2 (B), there are fewer than ten distinct locations Vidal, 1996; Phan Tuc Vat, 1996; Vu Van Dung, 1996). (1) and there has been a continuing decline in the area, P. krempfii forms a broad domed, emergent tree up to extent and quality of its habitat (2c). This decline has been 30 m high (Plate 1) with basal diameters reaching 4 m attributed to the effects of the Vietnam War in the 1960s (Williams, 1999). Trees up to 2,000 years old have been and the clearance of land for agriculture in the following reported (Schmid, 1974) although no tree ring counts decades (Williams, 1999). Its limited distribution and the have been published. P. krempfii has been recorded from inaccessibility of much of its habitat mean that there three provinces in the southern highlands: Lam Dong, has been little direct exploitation, although its timber is Khanh Hoa and Dac Lac (Nguyen Duc To Luu & known to have physical and mechanical properties Thomas, 2004). The majority of the populations are similar to the exploited P. kesiya (Vu Van Dung, 1996). © 2004 FFI, Oryx, 38(3), 257–265 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.40.40, on 29 Sep 2021 at 06:39:39, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605304000481 Conifer conservation in Vietnam 259 from the Forest Science Institute have attempted to establish a small ex situ planting near Dalat (Nguyen Hoang Nghia, 2001).