Biodiversity is a very important topic for the Intalcon Foundation for two reasons. Firstly, biodiversity ensures intact ecosystems that provide vital services for us. These include, for example, the purification of air and water, pollination of crops, soil fertility and climate regulation. Services that are essential for our food supply, health and general well-being. On the other hand, stable and resistant ecosystems are better able to adapt to environmental changes such as climate change, natural disasters or disease outbreaks.
The Annamite mountains of Vietnam and Laos are among the most biodiverse - and threatened - regions on the planet. The Annamites harbors dozens of species that are found nowhere else. Unfortunately, many Annamite species are on the verge of extinction and require urgent conservation efforts. Together with Re:wild we will support conservation efforts for five highly threatened Annamite species: large antlered muntjac, Annamite striped rabbit, Annamite crested argus, silver-backed chevrotain, and saola. These species are flagships for the Annamite mountains, and protecting them will contribute to the conservation of countless other species that live in this region. If these species are lost, the world will lose some of its most iconic and evolutionarily distinctive species. Furthermore, protecting these Annamite species and ensuring that they have thriving populations in the wild will contribute to the long-term health of forest ecosystems upon which millions of people depend.
Annamite species are primarily endangered by hunting, rather than habitat loss. They are highly threatened by hundreds of thousands of wire snares targeting a variety of species for sale into the wildlife trade mainly for wildlife meat restaurants. Commercial wildlife markets present a major risk for the development of zoonotic diseases. The numerous species that are brought together at wildlife markets create a high potential to shed and share a virus, like COVID-19, that led to the global pandemic.
Re:wild supports threat reduction in key sites. So far they have supported systematic camera-trap monitoring and removal of hundreds of snares in five protected areas in Vietnam and trained over 40 rangers and local community members in patrolling. These efforts have both built community support for conservation, and resulted in a decrease in overall snaring. Furthermore, Re:wild supported the establishment / expansion of two new protected areas: 49,000 ha in Laos (completed 2024) and 15,000 ha in Vietnam (expected completion in 2025).
Re:wild is committed to increasing the conservation of Annamite species by expanding systematic monitoring and snare removal at key sites and establishing regular patrols in areas harbouring core populations. An additional focus is the development of conservation breeding programmes in collaboration with NGOs and government representatives, including the construction of a conservation breeding centre and the training of staff to manage the centre by 2025. Effective conservation measures are being further developed through partnerships with local organisations and research institutions. By the end of the year, around 1,150 eDNA samples will be analysed at the Leibniz Centre for Zoo and Wildlife Research to search for the saola. If this analysis provides no evidence of the saola, two further, extremely remote areas will be analysed. All these measures not only contribute to the protection of the endangered key species in the Annamite Mountains, but also to the conservation of the entire biocultural diversity of the region.
Picture Credits:
- Saola: David Hulse, WWF
- Annamite striped rabbit: Andrew Tilker, Re:wild
- Ranger with wire snares: Barney Long, Re:wild
- Large antlered muntjac: Song Thanh NR, WWF-VN, Leibniz-IZW
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