Cat Tien National Park – The second site to join the IUCN Green List
On June 21, 2024, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) officially recognized Cat Tien National Park as the 72nd site in the world to achieve the IUCN Green List recognition, making it the first national park and the second protected forest in Vietnam to receive this. This is a proud achievement that reflects the persistent efforts of Cat Tien National Park and its partners in conserving nature and biodiversity in Vietnam.
(©Andrea Pistolesi – Global Conservation)
As a strategic partner of Cat Tien National Park for many years, Save Vietnam’s Wildlife (SVW) would like to express our sincere congratulations to the park and appreciates the park’s contributions to the protection of the forests and ecosystems of Vietnam. Since 2021, SVW and Cat Tien National Park have officially signed a MOU to enhance wildlife conservation efforts, scientific research, community engagement, and activities to strengthen law enforcement. These activities serve as a foundation for Cat Tien National Park to provide evidence and scientific documentation to demonstrate the effectiveness of forest management and protection efforts, reduce deforestation and wildlife poaching threats, and enhance participation and benefits for local communities. This evidence plays an important role in assessing the criteria for the IUCN Green List and the group of independent experts in Vietnam.
Biodiversity at Cat Tien National Park
Cat Tien National Park is one of the areas with high biodiversity in Vietnam, with approximately 1,729 animal species and 1,655 plant species, including many rare animal species. This area is an important habitat for several large mammals such as Asian Elephant, Gaur, Deer, Freshwater crocodile, and Asian Black Bear, being home to seven endangered primate species, including the Southern Yellow-Cheeked Gibbon, Black-Shanked Douc, and Indochinese Grey Langur. It is also known as one of the most important distribution areas for many small mammals, such as the Sunda pangolin, Asian Small-clawed Otter, over 400 bird species, and many other wildlife species. For this reason, Cat Tien National Park is a hotspot for illegal hunting and wildlife trafficking.
(©Andrea Pistolesi – Global Conservation)
General Orientation on Human-Centered Conservation
SVW and Cat Tien National Park understand the importance of people in wildlife conservation, and that placing humans at the center of conservation is essential. Therefore, in recent years, we have collaborated to implement numerous projects aimed at educating and raising awareness about wildlife conservation for the local communities in the buffer zone of Cat Tien National Park. We have worked with local authorities to build a series of campaigns titled “The province says NO to Illegal wildlife use” for Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc, and Lam Dong. So far, SVW and Cat Tien National Park have successfully organized 25 workshops and training sessions for local residents about the importance of forests and wildlife. The programs have attracted the participation of more than 2000 community members and government officials, with 90% of them committing to refrain from hunting, trading, and consuming illegal wildlife. Additionally, the project has installed 780 billboards and posters throughout Cat Tien National Park, in busy areas or at forest entrances, to provide people with information and knowledge about wildlife conservation. Alongside this, we have also initiated a model of “Community Forest Ranger” to ensure that local people have a stable source of income while participating in forest protection efforts.
Application of Modern Technology in Forest Protection in Cat Tien
To enhance the human resources for forest patrol, SVW has been supporting 15 Anti-poaching officers and the “Community Forest Ranger” force to collaborate with the rangers of Cat Tien National Park in preventing and addressing illegal hunting, deforestation, and the harvesting of forest products. We have provided PoacherCam equipped with artificial intelligence technology to record illegal entries into the forest. We also use thermal drones to monitor the movements of elephants when they damage crops in residential areas, allowing us to implement appropriate measures to drive them away. Additionally, we conduct camera trap studies, as well as monitor pangolins after release using drones to assess their survival rate and changes in the population. Especially, we have supported the capacity-building for all rangers and forest protection staff at Cat Tien National Park on the use of the SMART forest patrol software on mobile phones. This application has improved the efficiency of patrols and helped develop effective patrol plans while monitoring and assessing some of the park’s biodiversity resources. The joint efforts of SVW and Cat Tien National Park have contributed to the detection and prevention of many violations related to illegal hunting and wildlife trade, resulting in the removal of over 6,000 traps, the confiscation of 17 homemade guns, the destruction of 29 illegal shacks, and the apprehension of 200 violators.
(©Andrea Pistolesi – Global Conservation)
Efforts to Rewild Endangered Wildlife Species
SVW has supported Cat Tien National Park by providing food and technical support in the rescue efforts for pangolins. Specifically, SVW has successfully released 326 Sunda pangolins back into Cat Tien National Park, along with many other animals that have been rehabilitated and released by the Species Conservation and Rescue Center at Cat Tien National Park. These efforts have contributed to the recovery of the pangolin population, as well as many other species in the wild. Some of the released pangolins are equipped with transmitters and are monitored post-release using drone technology, detecting the survival rate of the released Sunda pangolins, and the longest-monitored pangolin lasted for 8 months. Many conservation research activities for wildlife populations continue to be implemented in Cat Tien to protect elephants and other important animal populations.
©Frederik
Being Together on the Challenging Conservation Journey
Regarding the success of Cat Tien National Park and SVW in conservation efforts, Mr. Nguyen Van Thai – Director of SVW shared: “The Green List is a recognition and a well-deserved honor for the efforts of Cat Tien National Park in biodiversity conservation. Cat Tien National Park has always been one of SVW’s important strategic partners. We value the support and collaboration of the National Park, and we are always willing to work together with the National Park in wildlife and biodiversity conservation. The effective cooperation between SVW and Cat Tien National Park is proven by the increasing data on species populations, the number of people committed to not using wildlife products, the recorded sightings of endangered species in the park, and the significant reduction in traps and illegal camps. These achievements lay the foundation for SVW and Cat Tien National Park to continue working closely to expand models and projects. There will be many difficulties and challenges remaining in the journey of wildlife, nature, and biodiversity conservation. However, SVW believes that with a common direction and persistent efforts from both sides, we will continue to bring positive values to the forests and wildlife.”
Once again, congratulations to Cat Tien National Park on achieving the Green List recognition. SVW hopes to continue collaborating with the National Park to carry out meaningful activities and projects, contributing to the preservation of biodiversity as well as the conservation of endangered wildlife species in Vietnam, particularly species that are unique to Cat Tien National Park.
