Conservation of saola
Saola – the most mysterious animal in the world, rare 3 times appearing in the wild in Vietnam – has completed its mission SEA Games mascot 31. From a little-known animal, saola appeared on the streets of Hanoi and 11 other provinces/cities.
Painter Ngo Xuan Khoi, 61, who is known as the “father” of the saola mascot, is delighted and happy when the image of this rare animal has been widely spread over the past two years. A communication officer of the Vietnam Organization for the Protection of Rare and Rare Animals (WWF) once told Mr. Khoi that they had spent decades propagandizing and mobilizing people to raise awareness of saola conservation, but to no avail. , did not spread as quickly and widely as the days when saola was chosen as the symbol of the Southeast Asian Games.
We had a conversation with Mr. Nguyen Van Tri Tin, Program Manager for Wildlife Conservation WWF-Vietnam (International Organization for Conservation of Nature in Vietnam) about the positive effects of saola after SEA Games 31.
It is estimated that there are about 20 saola individuals, even less
How did you feel when Saola was chosen as the 31st SEA Games mascot?
This is so great news! Although there is no research to determine the level of awareness of people about saola after being selected as the mascot of the 31st SEA Games, saola has received a lot of attention and written attention from the media.
We also received many interview questions about saola, considering these as valuable opportunities to convey the message of saola conservation to the public at home and abroad. In addition, there are also many discussions and events about this animal that are of public interest and acceptance. It is really a good opportunity for saola to become closer to the people of Vietnam.
Saola was chosen as the mascot of the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam
It can be said that saola existed at the same time as the formation of the Truong Son primary forest range, but it was not until the 1990s that scientists from WWF and the Ministry of Forestry (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) discovered it. This is a new species of animal. This event is assessed as “shocking the global scientific world” because nearly half a century, the world has not yet Discover a large animal.
Along with that, the discoveries of the Great Mang and Truong Son Mang in the following years are a clear demonstration of the rich biodiversity of the majestic Truong Son forest of our Vietnam.
Also thanks to saola, Vietnam has become a prominent point on the world’s biodiversity map, being in the leading group of 200 global regions of high biodiversity, an area that still has a lot of potential in terms of diversity value. biodiversity and is attracting many international conservation programs. Many scientists around the world have considered Vietnam as a dream destination in their career to admire the grandeur as well as discover hidden biodiversity.
Scientists and international conservation organizations have established saola working group (SWG), set up a global conservation fund for saola, etc. The Vietnamese government is also making great efforts. effort and dedication to preserve saola, develop an action plan to preserve the landscape.
Since the discovery of saola, with the support of WWF, a conservation management strategy for Central Truong Son has been developed, expanding the national park, establishing conservation areas in the saola habitat, especially are two protected areas named saola have been established in Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue. Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has approved a project to build a breeding and re-release center to conserve saola and other animals of high conservation value located in Bach Mai National Park. Ma (Thua Thien Hue province).
Hopefully, when it comes to saola, more people will learn more about them and realize why we need to urgently conserve this species.
Portrait of a saola (Photo: WWF)
Truong Son Range – where saola lives (Photo: WWF)
Currently, the exact number of saola in Vietnam? Where are they cared for and preserved?
Currently, we cannot know the exact number of saola individuals. Experts and scientists from the IUCN group SWG, coordinated by WWF-Vietnam, Saola is estimated to have about 20 individuals, even less, scattered throughout the forest areas of the Central Truong Son range including Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam provinces.
We don’t have it yet Information or inaccurate information about the number of saola individuals in protected areas in Vietnam, including protected areas in Quang Nam, Hue, Vu Quang National Park (where the first saola was discovered in 1992) and Pu Mat National Park (where saola was previously discovered).
In Vietnam, the last time saola was seen in the wild was through the camera traps of WWF and its partners in 2013. Since then, has the organization received any further information or images about saola? are not?
The last time saola was discovered was on September 7, 2013, through a photo trap installed by WWF and its local partner in Quang Nam province in a remote area of the Truong Son mountain range. It is an image of a saola moving along a stream in a small valley.
Since that time, WWF-Vietnam, the saola working group under the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as well as conservation partners in Vietnam No other saola has been recorded in the wild yet.
After this discovery, WWF-Vietnam and SWG and partners, including protected areas and national parks in Vietnam, continue their efforts to survey, research, find and conserve saola through the following activities:
– Establish and expand saola species conservation areas.
– Improve management capacity of protected areas.
– Increased patrolling of direct threats to this species – establishment of 2 forest protection patrol groups consisting of 40 staff members directly coordinating with forest rangers and staff of protected areas to patrol and protect, remove traps, rescue trapped wild animals and release them back into the forest (nature).
– Monitoring and surveying for saola and wild species through photo traps; Collect and analyze eDNA from sample extract and water where information about saola distribution is available.
– Raise awareness, propagate to the local community and the public about the protection and provide information on the occurrence of saola and species living with saola.
Saola was discovered in 2013 through a photo trap (Photo: WWF-Vietnam)
Let’s protect saola – an important part of Vietnam’s natural heritage
When did the campaign “Keep Sao La’s Footprints” started by WWF-Vietnam? What is the purpose of this campaign?
On the occasion of Saola International Day – 9/7/2021, WWF-Vietnam collaborated with Google to launch the campaign “Retain Sao La Footprint” to conserve this rare animal through raising awareness and call on the public to take action.
In particular, Google launched a 3D Augmented Reality (AR) model of saola on “Google Search” so that users around the world can get a close-up and detailed look at this amazing creature right on their devices. smart electronics. This is the first time that Google digitizes one of Vietnam’s most rare and precious wildlife in the form of 3D AR.
With the launch of the campaign as well as the 3D AR model of saola, Google and WWF-Vietnam hope to bring saola closer to the public, helping them better understand the connection between consumer behavior and lifestyle. How does their work affect nature, wildlife like saola? From there, each individual and each organization can come up with specific solutions and actions to reverse the process of nature loss, revive saola and other species.
“Keeping Sao La Footprint” is divided into two phases, starting from July 2021.
– The stage “Following Sao La’s Footprints” brings to the public a lot of interesting information around saola, deciphering common misunderstandings about them.
– The second phase was carried out in October ahead of the COP15 conference on the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming, China. Through many interactive activities online, the public will better understand the connection between their daily consumption behavior and how directly and indirectly affect saola, wildlife and nature. course.
The campaign also received the companionship and support of famous and influential people, such as singer My Linh, Fashionista Chau Bui, Miss H’Hen Niê, Miss Khanh Van, runner-up Phuong Nga, acting. Members Bao Thanh, Khanh Vy, journalist Le Hong Lam, photographer Ngo Tran Hai An, and other YouTube creators, contributed to strongly spreading the message to the masses in Vietnam.
During the last SEA Game 31, WWF also cooperated with VTV3 to put fun quizzes on the game show “Who is a Millionaire” so that the audience can better understand the saola as well as the endangered status of this species.
In the near future, WWF will also organize many communication activities to the public, especially in areas where saola is likely to live to mobilize the participation of the saola conservation community.
Forest protection officer, saola reserve in Quang Nam province (Photo: WWF-Vietnam)
WWF-Vietnam’s upcoming plan to find and preserve saola?
WWF-Vietnam, together with a number of SWG members and other partners in Vietnam, prepares to carry out urgent and widespread efforts in the Truong Son region, including 6 provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh in particular. , Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam.
This is an effort to save the saola from the brink of extinction through the project “Rescuing the saola from the brink of extinction” funded by the European Union (EU) through Re:wild and the project “Conservation of biodiversity”. Biodiversity Vietnam” funded by USAID, implemented by WWF-Vietnam.
These urgent efforts will focus on finding and quickly detecting the remaining saola individuals in the wild through local ecological knowledge combined with modern technology such as camera trap installation, acquisition and analysis. eDNA from the extract and water samples in regions with distributed saola information.
If found, the saola will be transferred to the breeding center in Bach Ma to serve the breeding program at Bach Ma National Park. This activity aims to develop and restore the saola population to a level that can be released back into the wild in the Truong Son area where saola will live in the future.
Sao la has gained the attention of the public at home and abroad again through the 31st SEA Games, together with the efforts of WWF-Vietnam and conservation partners at home and abroad, we hope that Vietnam can conserve and restore the saola population in the Central Annamites from the brink of extinction, as they are an important part of Vietnam’s natural heritage.
Thank you very much for sharing!
Summary of information about saola in the wild in Vietnam (Design: Minh Trang)
at Blogtuan.info – Source: Kenh14.Vn – Read the original article here
