This relatively small limestone karst outcrop covered in lush forest is surrounded by dozens of limestone quarries used for cement production. Remarkably, scientists recently discovered a previously unknown population of about 40 Critically Endangered Delacour’s Langurs in these hilltop forests.

Immediate conservation interventions are required as the species is under imminent threat from a lack of protection and rapid expansion of limestone mines. It is urgent that this newly discovered group of langurs be linked to the largest known population of approximately 130 individuals immediately to the south in the Van Long Nature Reserve.

Rainforest Trust seeks $493,032 to assist our local partner Fauna & Flora International-Vietnam in having the Vietnamese government declare 10,125 acres as the Kim Bang Species and Habitat Conservation Area. Our partner will conduct surveys to better understand the langur population and will work with community members to monitor biodiversity within the site.

Limestone quarries threaten important habitat

The most pressing threats to the area and the species are habitat disturbance and loss due to the numerous cement quarries located on the perimeter of the proposed protected area.

These operations pose a considerable long-term threat to Kim Bang and the Critically Endangered Delacour’s Langur, because if left unchecked, it could reduce the area to flat, degraded land. Over the last two decades, quarrying has contributed significantly to narrowing and reducing the forested langur habitat in Kim Bang and is threatening the long-term survival of the langur and other important species. Converting fertile forest valleys to farmland is another significant threat, as well as direct poaching of langurs for meat and traditional medicine.

Create a sanctuary to protect threatened species

Because of the limestone karst, the Kim Bang forest most certainly contains a unique assemblage of biodiversity with high rates of endemism, which will be threatened by expanding cement quarry activities.

Rainforest Trust seeks $493,032 to assist our local partner in having the Vietnamese government declare 10,125 acres as the Kim Bang Species and Habitat Conservation Area. Our partner will undertake a thorough census of the langur population in Kim Bang, which will form not only the comprehensive evaluation of the site, but also the baseline for ongoing protected area monitoring. Our partner will follow the method of Free, Prior and Informed Consent among the local communities, while also creating Community Conservation Teams to patrol, report and monitor biodiversity within the site. When recruiting, special effort will be made to engage local hunters to act as conservationists, educators and guides, as they are very familiar with these forests. Concurrently, a business plan to secure long-term financial sustainability will be developed and implemented.