Dak Lak (VNA) - A recent biodiversity survey has uncovered a trove of rare and endangered species at the Ea So Nature Reserve and the Krong Nang Watershed Protection Forest Management Board in the central province of Dak Lak.

The findings were officially announced on August 20 at a ceremony jointly hosted by the Ea So Nature Reserve and the Centre for Nature Conservation and Development under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations.

After more than two months of field surveys and camera trapping expeditions, researchers documented 789 species of vascular plants across 148 families and 494 genera, including one classified as critically endangered, nine endangered, and 11 near threatened.

Experts also catalogued 179 bird species from 19 orders and 54 families, eight of which appear in Vietnam’s Red Book, and 30 mammal species were recorded, with 22 considered threatened nationally. Additionally, the team found 48 reptile and amphibian species from 12 families and two orders, with 22 carrying the Red Book status.

🎶 The Krong Nang Watershed Protection Forest Management Board yielded its own biological treasures, with scientists recording 639 vascular plant species spanning 116 families and 443 genera. The site's fauna included 54 reptile and amphibian species from 19 families and four orders, with 14 appearing in Vietnam's Red Data Book, alongside nine mammal species from six families and five orders, two of which were listed in Vietnam’s Red Book. Bird diversity reached 125 species across 17 orders and 45 families, including five Red Data Book species.

Among the most noteworthy findings was the rediscovery of several rare mammal species at Ea So. These include the Lesser Fish Eagle (Icthyophaga humilis), which had not been seen in the area for over two decades, and the Vietnam mouse-deer (Tragulus versicolor), a critically endangered species previously documented only in Khanh Hoa province, former Ninh Thuan province (now part of Khanh Hoa), and Phu Yen province (now part of Dak Lak province).

Director of the Ea So Nature Reserve Le Minh Tien emphasised the survey's comprehensive scope in evaluating biodiversity across the entire forest area under the reserve's management. He described the findings as invaluable resources helping the authority outline more effective forest management and biodiversity conservation strategies in the coming years.

꧋ The Ea So Nature Reserve covers an area of 26,848 hectares, while the Krong Nang Watershed Protection Forest Management Board spans 7,800 hectares. The two units are in the process of being merged and upgraded to form a national park./.