0040-B3

Conservation of forest genetic resources in Vietnam

Nguyen Hoang Nghia ¹

Abstract

For many reasons such as the long-lasted war, shifting cultivation and over-exploitation, the forest area reduced at alarming rate, which can lead to a decline of natural populations and a loss of genetic diversity, therefore many plant and animal species are in danger of becoming extinct. It is obvious that conservation of forest genetic resources plays a very important role in environmental protection, sustainable forest management and conservation of biodiversity. Conservation is not only strict protection but it should integrate means to protect and sustainably use forest genetic resources. However, conservation of forest genetic resources does not only aim at preventing the extinction of a species but also the depletion of genepool, loss of genes and genotypes. Conservation of forest genetic resources requires continuous funding and integrated management and conservation activities. In situ conservation and the establishment of ex situ conservation stands should be considered as high priority in future conservation programmes in Vietnam.

1. Introduction

In 1943 the forest area of Vietnam was estimated to be about 14.3 million hectares, or 43% of the total land area. Owing to long-lasting wars, shifting cultivation, land clearances and over-exploitation, forest coverage was reduced at a rate of about 100,000 ha each year to 27.1% in 1980 and 26.2% in 1985 (Ministry of Forestry 1991). At present, total forest land is about 16 million ha which occupies 48.3% o0f the country's total land area. By the end of 1999, statistical data relating to forest can be seen as follows,

Total forest area : 10,915,592 ha (forest coverage: 33.2%)

Natural forest : 9,444,198 ha (occupies 86.5% of forest area)

Protection forest : 4,812,671 ha,
Special-use forest : 1,463,746 ha,
Production forest : 3,167,781 ha.

Plantation forest : 1,471,394 ha (occupies 13.5% of forest area)

Protection forest : 537,997 ha,
Special-use forest : 61,122 ha,
Production forest : 872,275 ha.

2. Biodiversity conservation in Vietnam

Vietnam has an abundant and diverse forest flora. According to the Flore Générale de L'Indochine, the country has more than 7,000 plant species in 1,850 genera and 290 families. Of these, 64 genera and 2,084 species are endemic. According to the Ecological and Plant Resources Institute (Tran Dinh Ly 1993), there are 11,000 species in the Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae and Angiospermae. The National Biodiversity Action Plan, approved by the government in 1995, estimated that there are about 12,000 plant species in Vietnam (7,000 of which have been named), as well as 275 animal species, 800 bird species, 180 reptile species, 80 amphibian species, 2,470 fish species, and 5,500 insect species (Vietnam Government & GEF 1995). Of these, 40% are endemic.

Vu Van Chuyen et al. (1987) divided species into different groups as follows

By the year 1986, the Vietnam Government approved 87 nature reserves with a total area of 1 million ha over the whole country. National Environment Agency (MOSTE) and IUCN published a map of nature reserves system in Vietnam in 2001 which includes 194 resreves and occupies an area of 2 million ha:

• 16 National Parks (Ba Be, Ba Vi, Bach Ma, Bai Tu Long, Ben En, Cat Ba, Cat Tien, Con Dao, Cuc Phuong, Phong Nha - Ke Bang, Phu Quoc, U Minh Thuong, Tam Dao, Tram Chim, Xuan Son, Yokdon),
• 65 Nature Reserves
• 33 Historical-Cultural-Environmental Areas
• 65 Wetland Reserves
• 15 Marine Reserves

In 1991, the Government issued the laws for forest protection and in 1994, for environment protection. Many other decrees and decisions have also been issued that serve as a legal framework for establishment and management of the special-use forests. The system of nature reserves established in the country can serve as a base for conservation of biological diversity as well as forest genetic resources in Vietnam.

3. Endangered Plant Species in Vietnam.

Deforestation and shifting cultivation are the main causes of forest fragmentation, which can lead to a decline of natural populations and a loss of genetic diversity. There are some examples of endangered tree species in Vietnam:

a. Loss of important populations.

• Pinus dalatensis: This species is found only in a few areas such as Mat Station (Da Lat City), Lac Duong (Lam Dong province) and Mang Giang (Gial Lai province). The population at Mat Station, which is where the first samples of P. dalatensis were collected, is now almost extinct. Only two trees remain along the river bank at Uyen Uong Waterfalls,
• Erythrophloeum fordii: Many important populations of Erythrophloeum fordii in Bac Giang, Lang Son, Phu Tho and Son Tay have disappeared; other populations are depleted,
• Aquilaria crassna: The species used to be distributed throughout Vietnam, is now found scatteredly only in some areas such as Ha Tinh, Tay Nguyen and Phu Quoc.
• Chukrasia tabularis: Most of big sized trees have been exploited while natural regeneration seems to be difficult.

b. Loss of species.

• Glyptostrobus pensilis is in danger of extinction. Only two populations remain: 32 individual trees at Trap Ksor and about 200 trees at Ea H'Leo (Dac Lac). Some of these trees are able to produce seed but no germination takes place, i.e. there is no natural regeneration,
• Only less than 50 individuals of Taxus chinensis have been found scatteredly in some areas in Vietnam on harsh limestone sites, seeds could not be collected and natural regeneration has not been observed.
• Only about 50 individual of Pinus kwangtungensis remain in the North Vietnam,
• Shorea falcata is represented by only six trees at Song Cau (Phu Yen province) and seven trees at Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa province). Only trees at Song Cau gave fruits in the last years,
• Hopea cordata is represented by about 100 young saplings (coppice) at Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa), however they still be cut for fuelwood by local people,
• Only 200 individuals of Taxus wallichiana found in some small populations in Lam Dong province.

4. Conservation of forest genetic resources

The research project on conservation of forest plant genetic resources, managed by the Forest Science Institute of Vietnam (FSIV), has received continuous funding from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (MOSTE) since 1988. Strategic orientation and the selection of conservation methods and priority species have received special attention. Priority species have been divided into the following groups:

i) Threatened species with high economic value (Table 4);

ii) Threatened species with high scientific value (Table 5);

iii) Precious native species for reforestation (Table 6); and

iv) Valuable exotic species for reforestation.

In-situ conservation is the main method used by the project, applied in combination with the establishment of ex-situ conservation stands. The following steps are taken to conserve forest genetic resources:

• Inventories (botanical and genecological surveys);
• Collection, evaluation and documentation of information;
• In-situ and/or ex-situ conservation; and
• Utilisation.

Priority conservation areas and species are selected according to the following criteria:

i) Level of diversity;
ii) Representativeness;
iii) Endemism; iv) Degree of endangerment; and
v) Scientific and economic values.

Many threatened tree species of Vietnam require both in situ and ex situ conservation measures. Beside nature reserve system established over the whole country for in situ conservation, establishment of ex situ conservation stands in safe areas should be very important. Efforts have been made in three main measures as follows,

1) Seed bank: only for orthodox seeds such as seeds of leguminous tree species,

2) Collection of living trees in field: in form of arboretum, bambusetum with many species but less individuals (about 20 individuals for each species),

3) Ex situ conservation stands: established only for some important species (with very high economic value or very rare) on bigger area (from 1 to 10 ha per species or provenance) and about 400 trees/ha.

In conclusion, it can be said that conservation of forest genetic resources requires continuous funding and integrated management and conservation activities. In situ conservation and the establishment of ex situ conservation stands should be considered as high priority in future conservation programmes for many above-mentioned tree species in Vietnam.

REFERENCE

IUCN (1994) IUCN Red List Categories. The World Conservation Union, Gland, 21pp.

Ministry of Forestry (1991) Thirty Years Construction and Development of Forestry Sector, 1961-1990. Statistical Publishing House, Hanoi. 250pp.

MOSTE, 1996. Red Data Book of Vietnam, Part II: Plants. Science and Technique Publishing House, Hanoi, 484pp.

Nguyen Hoang Nghia (2000) Some Threatened Tree Species of Vietnam. Agriculture Publishing House, Hanoi, 148 pp.

Oldfield, S., Lusty, C. and MacKinven, A. 1998. The World List of Threatened Trees. World Conservation Press, Cambridge, UK, 650pp.

Tran Dinh Ly (1993) 1900 Useful Plant Species of Vietnam. World Publishing House, Hanoi, 544pp.

Vietnam Government & GEF (1995) National Biodiversity Action Plan. Hanoi, 208 pp.

Vu Van Chuyen, Le Tran Chan, Tran Hop, 1987. Geography of Vietnam's Plant Families. Science and Technique Publishing House, Hanoi.

¹ Forest Science Institute of Vietnam
Dong Ngac - Tu Liem - Hanoi
Fax: 84.4.8389722
E-mail: [email protected]