Ninh Binh set to establish conservation area for endangered Delacour’s langurs

The northern province of Ninh Binh is planning to establish a species and habitat conservation area dedicated to the critically endangered Delacour’s langur, following feedback from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Ministry of National Defence, and local authorities.

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment will soon complete verifying the project dossier and submit it to the provincial People’s Committee for approval in line with the Government’s Decree 156/2018/ND-CP, according to the department’s report submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

Once the conservation area is approved, the Department of Home Affairs will work with the Department of Agriculture and Environment and relevant agencies to propose the provincial People’s Committee set up a management body for the reserve, the report reads.

In 2016, when Vietnamese scientists and the international conservation organisation Fauna & Flora International (FFI) surveyed Kim Bang Forest, recording seven groups of Delacour’s langurs with a total of 40 individuals. Since then, the population has steadily increased to 128.

The plan was advanced after directives from the Prime Minister in 2020 and subsequent instructions from the former Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment).

The proposed conservation zone covers more than 3,180 hectares across several communes, including Ba Sao, Thanh Son, Lien Son, Kha Phong, Tan Son, and Thi Son.

Boundaries were reviewed to avoid overlap with existing investment projects, and the proposal was integrated into the provincial master plan for 2021 2030 with a vision to 2050.

Mineral extraction causes environmental pollution. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The Department of Agriculture and Environment confirmed that mining sites within the planned reserve have been excluded. Current mineral exploitation projects in Tan Son ward, Tuong Linh ward, Ba Sao ward and Lien Son communes in former Kim Bang township (now Tam Chuc and Ly Thuong Kiet wards) will terminate their operations by December 31, 2025.

Those projects will also carry out soil rehabilitation and environmental restoration, and hand over land to local authorities for green and sustainable development projects in line with the master plan of former Ha Nam province (now part of Ninh Binh province) for the 2021 2030 period, with a vision to 2050, which was approved by the Prime Minister under Decision No. 1686/QD-TTg, dated December 26, 2023.

The move follows a series of articles published by VietnamPlus in July highlighting the severe impact of quarrying, cement production and material transportation in former Kim Bang and Thanh Liem districts of Ha Nam, which caused widespread pollution and threatened the local community as well as the surrounding biodiversity, particularly the Delacour’s langur.

In response, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment instructed Ninh Binh authorities to verify the reported issues, strengthen the monitoring of mining and cement facilities, and take immediate remedial action.

Recently, the ministry also urged the People’s Committee of Ninh Binh province, as well as those of other provinces and cities, to protect landscapes and restore the environment at mines that have already closed or are due to close./.