Preserve Nui Ong biodiversity, protect green roof of Southern Annamites

A treasure trove of wildlife amid the great forest

Nui Ong Nature Reserve manages an area of 24,355 hectares. The reserve features rugged high-mountain terrain, with its highest peak rising more than 1,300 meters above sea level. It serves as a “green roof,” regulating water resources for the La Nga, Phan, and Cai river basins, while also acting as a critically important watershed-protection forest for the Tri An hydropower reservoir.

Bordering the Di Linh Plateau, Nui Ong lies within the SA6 priority landscape of the Greater Annamites ecoregion, an area identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature as a globally significant conservation priority requiring urgent protection.

According to Nguyen Van Dung, Director of the Nui Ong Nature Reserve Management Board, findings from the project “Enhancing Capacity for Conservation Resource Management and Planning,” funded by the Viet Nam Conservation Fund (VCF) in collaboration with scientists, have confirmed the area’s exceptionally rich ecological value.

The reserve’s flora includes 763 species of higher plants belonging to 138 families. Its vegetation ecosystems vary significantly with elevation, featuring tropical evergreen broadleaf forests, semi-evergreen forests, and, in particular, unique high-mountain dwarf forests at elevations between 1,000 and 1,300 meters. Researchers have identified around 55 nationally and internationally threatened plant species, including rare orchids such as Dendrobium chrysotoxum (Kim Diep), Dendrobium draconis (Nhat Diem Hong), and various species of the Dendrobiumgenus, commonly known as Hoang Thao orchids.

Equally remarkable is the reserve’s terrestrial vertebrate diversity. Dung added that surveys have recorded 20 amphibian species and 46 reptile species, including several endangered species requiring strict protection, such as the reticulated python, yellow-headed temple turtle, and Asian giant tortoise.

Bird diversity is also highly significant. Surveys using mist nets and direct observation methods identified 98 bird species belonging to 32 families. Notably, Nui Ong serves as an important habitat for the great hornbill, a key indicator species of relatively undisturbed primary forests. As for mammals, updated records show the presence of 83 species, making the reserve a core conservation area for globally threatened primates such as the black-shanked douc langur, as well as large mammals including serows, sun bears, and Asiatic black bears.

Easing human pressure through sustainable livelihoods

Despite its outstanding biodiversity value, the leadership of Nui Ong Nature Reserve acknowledged the growing human pressures weighing heavily on forest resources. Surrounding the reserve is a densely populated buffer zone where practices such as slash-and-burn farming, illegal logging, exploitation of non-timber forest products, and wildlife hunting and trapping continue to occur.

In particular, National Highway 55, which cuts through the heart of the reserve, has facilitated trade and supported local economic development. However, it has also unintentionally facilitated illegal forest exploitation and encroachment. Meanwhile, limited numbers of forest rangers and conservation staff, combined with fragmented terrain and harsh weather conditions, have made patrol and monitoring efforts increasingly difficult. Many species with high economic value, such as tokay geckos and great hornbills, are being illegally hunted, leading to sharp declines in their wild populations.

To sustainably protect this valuable green corridor, the management board of Nui Ong Nature Reserve has identified the need for a comprehensive and strategic approach. First, the reserve will apply scientific data collected from biodiversity surveys to clearly identify habitat “hotspots,” thereby developing more effective patrol maps and establishing strict biodiversity monitoring systems for priority conservation species. Coordination among forest rangers, environmental police, and local authorities in buffer-zone communes will also be strengthened to dismantle illegal wildlife trade and trafficking networks.

Alongside administrative measures, the reserve’s leadership emphasized that the most sustainable solution lies in addressing livelihood challenges faced by residents living in buffer zones. The local agricultural sector needs to guide and support surrounding communities through forest-protection contract programs linked to tangible economic benefits.

At the same time, greater efforts are needed to strengthen awareness campaigns and conservation education among local ethnic minority communities, gradually encouraging a shift away from dependence on natural resource exploitation toward sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural models.

Protecting biodiversity at Nui Ong is not simply about conserving a special-use forest; it is also about safeguarding livelihoods and maintaining ecological balance for the entire South Central Coast and southeastern regions of Viet Nam.