Local ecological knowledge as a tool for assessing the status of threatened vertebrates: a case study in Vietnam

Cano, Luis Santiago; Tellería, José Luis

doi:10.1017/s0030605311001669

Cited by 14 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Interview data have been used to target field surveys and assess distribution, status and threat for other species in the region (Steinmetz, Chutipong & Seuaturien 2006;Newton et al 2008;Cano & Teller ıa 2013). To address the crucial information gaps that continue to hinder saola conservation, we conducted a comprehensive interview survey targeting local communities in Vietnam and Lao, compiling the first systematically collected LEK data set for saola and other Annamite ungulates across three landscapes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interview‐based sighting histories can inform regional conservation prioritization for highly threatened cryptic species

Turvey

Trung

Quyet

et al. 2014

Journal of Applied Ecology

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The use of robust ecological data to make evidence-based management decisions is frequently prevented by limited data quantity or quality, and local ecological knowledge (LEK) is increasingly seen as an important source of information for conservation. However, there has been little assessment of LEK's usefulness for informing prioritization and management of landscapes for threatened species, or assessing comparative species status across landscapes.A large-scale interview survey in the Annamite Mountains (Vietnam and Lao PDR) compiled the first systematic LEK data set for saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis, one of the world's rarest mammals, and eight other ungulates. Saola conservation is hindered by uncertainty over continued presence across much of its proposed distribution. We analysed comparative LEK-based last-sighting data across three landscapes to determine whether regional sighting histories support previous suggestions of landscape importance for saola conservation (Hue-Quang Nam: top-priority Vietnamese landscape; Pu Mat: lower priority Vietnamese landscape; Viengthong: high-priority Lao landscape) and whether they constitute an effective spatial prioritization tool for cryptic species management.Wild pig and red muntjac may be the only Annamite ungulates with stable populations; the regional status of all other species appears to be worse. Saola have declined more severely and/or are significantly rarer than most other ungulates and have been seen by relatively few respondents. Saola were also frequently considered locally rarest or declining, and never as species that had not declined.In contrast to other species, there are no regional differences in saola sighting histories, with continued persistence in all landscapes challenging suggestions that regional status differs greatly. Remnant populations persist in Vietnam despite heavy hunting, but even remote landscapes in Lao may be under intense pressure.Synthesis and applications. Our local ecological knowledge data suggest that intact saola populations probably no longer exist, but individuals persist in all three landscapes, making management activities to reduce hunting pressure on ungulates in each landscape a conservation priority. Analysis of last-sighting histories can constitute an important conservation tool when robust data are otherwise unavailable, and collection of last-sighting records should be incorporated more widely into field studies and management of other highly threatened, cryptic species.Our local ecological knowledge data suggest that intact saola populations probably no longer exist, but individuals persist in all three landscapes, making management activities to reduce hunting pressure on ungulates in each landscape a conservation priority. Analysis of last-sighting histories can constitute an important conservation tool when robust data are otherwise unavailable, and collection of last-sighting records should be incorporated more widely into field studies and management of other highly threatened, cryptic species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interview‐based sighting histories can inform regional conservation prioritization for highly threatened cryptic species

Turvey

Trung

Quyet

et al. 2014

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…Information such as habitat preferences, food, distribution, behaviour, and population dynamics of this species is very rare and scattered, making LEK valuable for conservation. This finding shares commonalities with other authors such as Huntington (2000), Wilhere (2002) ;Cano and Telleria (2013). It is particularly significant regarding the study of wildlife population in the remote locations.…”

Section: Loss Of Lek or Loss Of Biodiversitysupporting

confidence: 89%

“…In forestry, LEK consists of information about species (identification, distribution, and population), live histories, behaviour, and habitat preferences of certain species that may be significant for sustainable species and management in tropical ecosystems . This knowledge is very significant in cases of researching wildlife populations that occur in remote locations (Huntington 2000;Wilhere 2002;Cano & Telleria 2013). Similarly, in marine conservation LEK of harvesters provides important technical and biological data that has helped explain trends in fish and other cetacean populations.…”

Section: More Recent Humanenvironment Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local ecological knowledge, livelihoods and conservation in the changing forest social ecological systems of Cat Ba Island, Vietnam

Nguyen¹

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The management of protected areas worldwide has demonstrated undesirable sideeffects in achieving conservation objectives and development objectives. This is in part due to simplified assumptions about human environmental relationships. The socialecological systems (SESs) way of thinking, that considers the multi-dimensional relationships between people and their environments, provides a way to bridge this gap. A common problem in management of protected areas is that local peoples, who have relied on that environment for livelihoods, are often displaced in the interests of conservation.Little is known about the consequences for the people, or the SES.

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“…Poaching, logging, and resource acquisition from these protected areas are a major issue. Many populations and species abundances throughout Vietnam have declined dramatically since the end of the U.S.-Vietnam war, some even to extinction, due to these pressures [30][31][32]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unveiling the Impact of Human Influence on Species Distributions in Vietnam: A Case Study Using Babblers (Aves: Timaliidae)

Yohe

Flanders

Hoang³

et al. 2014

Tropical Conservation Science

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As developing countries give priority to economic growth, the effects of development threaten natural habitats and species distributions. Over the course of two decades, Vietnam has rapidly developed, especially in the expansion of agricultural production. However, no study has quantitatively measured the effects of recent human impact on the effects of past species distributions in Vietnam. We use locality data collected from multiple natural history collections, including several in Vietnam, to infer past species distributions. We assess habitat availability of five common babbler species (Aves: Timaliidae) using distribution models with data prior to rapid development that followed political reform. Overlaying the Global Human Influence Index with predicted distributions highlights the human impact on these distributions. Three important patterns emerge: (1) human impact influences common Timaliidae distributions similarly, (2) widespread species distributions show higher fragmentation due to human influence compared to narrowly distributed species in Vietnam, and (3) less than 20% of distributions overlap with nationally declared protected areas. We emphasize that conservation efforts should not only prioritize individual species, but also focus efforts on a regional scale, and that the use of museum data can be highly informative in conservation analyses. There are current obstacles to enforcing conservation of Vietnam's already fragmented habitats, but our results suggest there is still time to reevaluate conservation approaches.

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Local ecological knowledge as a tool for assessing the status of threatened vertebrates: a case study in Vietnam

Cited by 14 publications

References 15 publications

Interview‐based sighting histories can inform regional conservation prioritization for highly threatened cryptic species

Interview‐based sighting histories can inform regional conservation prioritization for highly threatened cryptic species

Local ecological knowledge, livelihoods and conservation in the changing forest social ecological systems of Cat Ba Island, Vietnam

Unveiling the Impact of Human Influence on Species Distributions in Vietnam: A Case Study Using Babblers (Aves: Timaliidae)

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