Biodiversity conservation in Ea So

The Management Board of Ea So Nature Reserve, Dak Lak province, in coordination with the Center for Nature Conservation and Development under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, has just announced the results of a biodiversity survey at Ea So Nature Reserve and the Krong Nang watershed protection forest.

The survey results are valuable sources of information to help the unit develop a plan to effectively manage and protect biodiversity in the coming time.

HIGH BIODIVERSITY

Ea So Nature Reserve has an area of 26,848 hectares, located in the center of Dak Lak province. Here, the unique natural habitat of the forest ecosystem is preserved intact in the transitional area between the Central Highlands and the South Central Coast, belonging to the ecological area ranked as a priority for conservation.

Dr. Nguyen Manh Ha, Director of the Center for Nature Conservation and Development, said that after more than three months of investigation, important results were obtained on biodiversity in the Ea So Nature Reserve and the Krong Nang upstream protection forest. In the Ea So Nature Reserve, 789 vascular plant species belonging to 494 genera, 148 families, 3 phyla were recorded, of which 22 species are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2025; 23 species are listed in the Vietnam Red Book in 2024. Regarding mammals, there are at least 30 species of mammals belonging to 15 families and 6 orders, of which the majority are primates with 6 species, carnivores with 8 species, even-toed ungulates and rodents with 7 species. Of these, 12 species are on the IUCN 2025 endangered list and 21 species are on the Vietnam Red Book 2024, especially 5 critically endangered species: Truong Son silvered langur, Java pangolin, striped civet, silver-backed chevrotain, and wild buffalo. Regarding birds, a total of 179 species belonging to 19 orders and 54 families were recorded; 5 species on the IUCN 2025 endangered list are green peacock, hornbill, mountain hawk, small hawk, red-breasted parrot; 8 species are on the Vietnam Red Book 2024, of which 4 are endangered species: green peacock, hornbill, Nepalese hawk, small hawk... Regarding reptiles and frogs, 48 reptile species belonging to 12 families and 2 orders were recorded; 35 amphibian species belonging to 6 families and 1 order; Of these, 14 species are on the IUCN endangered list in 2025 and 22 species are on the Vietnam Red Book in 2024. Notably, this survey results recorded 36 new species of reptiles and frogs.

According to Dr. Nguyen Manh Ha, it is noteworthy that for the first time in Ea So Nature Reserve, some rare animals have been recorded, such as the small fish hawk (group IIB) which was rediscovered after 20 years; the silver-backed chevrotain (extremely endangered group) which was thought to have disappeared in Vietnam after 20 years and was previously only recorded in Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan ... In addition, the investigation results also showed that although the area of Ea So Nature Reserve is only 45.55% compared to Chu Yang Sin National Park, the number of plant species is 90%. Compared to Krong Trai Nature Reserve, the area of Ea So Nature Reserve is only 17% larger, but the number of plant species is 70%. Compared to many national parks and nature reserves in the country, the biodiversity in Ea So Nature Reserve is quite high.

MORE RESOURCES NEEDED FOR CONSERVATION

The survey results point to the urgency of biodiversity conservation in the Ea So Nature Reserve. However, after the merger of Dak Lak and Phu Yen provinces (old), the reserve is located in the center of the new Dak Lak province, right on the main traffic route of National Highway 29 connecting the east and west of Dak Lak province, of which 24 km passes through the middle of the reserve. In addition, in recent years, when the forest area in the Central Highlands has increasingly narrowed, the reserve is considered a "fat bait", because out of the area of more than 26,848 hectares, there are up to 21,598 hectares of strictly protected primary forest. Here, there are many rare and endangered species of animals and plants such as: Gaur, wild buffalo, deer and rare woods such as rosewood, rosewood, rosewood, red wood, etc.

Nguyen Quoc Hung, Deputy Head of the Forest Protection Department of Ea So Nature Reserve, said: Recently, the traffic volume on National Highway 29, the section passing through the middle of the reserve, has increased sharply, causing noise to affect wild animals. The reserve does not have the right to block or check vehicles on the highway, so criminals can easily take advantage of this to enter here to hunt animals and illegally exploit forest products. In addition, there are many ethnic minorities living around the reserve, whose lives are still difficult, leading to encroachment on forest land for production... "Over the years, the forest management and protection forces of the reserve have made great efforts to overcome difficulties, patrolling and guarding day and night, promptly detecting, preventing and handling deforestation and illegal hunting of wild animals, protecting the remaining valuable natural forest areas for the Central Highlands as well as the biodiversity of the reserve," Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hung shared.

Director of Ea So Nature Reserve Le Minh Tien said that based on the data from this biodiversity survey, the unit will develop a plan to effectively manage, protect and conserve biodiversity in the coming time. Currently, the unit is implementing an eco-tourism, resort and entertainment project in the reserve for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2045, with a total investment of nearly 150 billion VND; at the same time, consulting the agriculture and environment sector, the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee is speeding up the merger of the Ea So Nature Reserve Management Board, the Krong Nang Watershed Protection Forest Management Board and upgrading it to a national park to have more resources to manage and conserve biodiversity here.

According to Dr. Nguyen Manh Ha, in addition to the efforts of management units, Dak Lak province also needs to increase resources and funding to preserve biodiversity in the reserve; especially to preserve the genetic resources of endemic forest animals and plants, extremely rare large ungulates that are most concentrated in Vietnam today such as wild buffalo, gaur... which are at high risk of extinction. Thereby, contributing to maintaining and protecting the balance of the ecological environment, promoting the role of preserving and regulating water resources for the headwaters of many large rivers and streams... in the Central Highlands and the South Central Coast provinces.

Article and photos: NGUYEN CONG LY

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/bao-ton-da-dang-sinh-hoc-tai-ea-so-389187.html