Delacour's langur (photo:Nhandan)
Delacour's langur is a critically endangered species found in Kim Bang District, Ha Nam Province.
Fauna and Flora International in 2016 recognised the group of langurs in Ha Nam as the second biggest group of living Delacour's langurs in the world. However, they had raised warnings over the quarries there. The quarries cover hundreds of hectares of land surrounding Kim Bang Forest.
"The quarrying sites have caused air pollution, damaged the vegetation and the forest. If this situation continues, the langur group there will become extinct," Le Dac Phuc from Fauna and Flora International said.
He suggested turning 4,000ha of forest, including the forest in Kim Bang District, a part of Tam Chuc Tourism Site and a part of the forest in Thanh Liem District into a special-use forest area to preserve the species and habitat.
Vietnam Environment Administration under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment recently reported that the langurs there are being threatened by various economic development activities, especially the quarries.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has asked Ha Nam authorities to monitor the situation, minimise damage caused by quarrying to the langurs' habitat. They were asked to assess the langurs, have suitable protection measures and build a plan for a species-habitat conservation area in Ha Nam Province Development Plan for 2021-2030 period.
The ministry also asked to have programmes to raise public awareness and strictly punish anyone found hunting, trading or killing Delacour's langurs. Ha Nam’s authorities must report to the ministry by January 30.
Delacour's langurs are only found in Vietnam with 250 individuals. A large group of them live in Van Long Nature Reserve in Ninh Binh Province.