
Francois' Langur Community-Based Conservation Program
We support 15 local Tay, H’mong, and Dao ethnic minority villages in northern Tuyen Quang province to lead conservation management of the endangered Francois’ Langur in the high value forests of Lam Binh and Sinh Long. The program works with villages in the landscape, and engages the community though Village Co-Management Committees, Village Self-Help Groups, Community Conservation Teams, and Village Forest Management Committees, all under an Umbrella Community Based Organisation. The aim is to establish a first community-based conservation area in Vietnam to protect the Francois Langur, its habitat, and associated species.
Community engagement
Community engagement is critical to conserve biodiversity. Historically, lam villages in the Lam Binh/ Sinh Long landscape were not involved in conservation efforts, leading to a lack of awareness, reduction of the langur population, and destruction of its habitat. We presently work with 15 ethnic minority villages to increase their awareness on conservation, and to engage them in co-management of the high value forests. This has led to a proposal to establish a community-based conservation area to protect the endangered Francois Langur and its habitat.

Community-based insitutiitions
We help communities establish village-based institutions and networks. An umbrella community-based organization will facilitate village participation in management and conservation work. The institution will engage local people in conservation and will support households and village development. To date, we have helped villagers establish a network of 15 Village Co-Management Committees, 15 Village Self-help Groups, nine Community Conservation Teams, and five Village Forest Management Committees. All institutions will support conservation of local biodiversity and advance village social and economic development.

Francois Langur conservation and monitoring
We train and equip selected villagers to become members of Community Conservation Teams. These teams carry out conservation and monitoring of the Francois’ Langur population and its habitat. The teams conduct several patrols per month and six-month langur population surveys. All patrolling data is fed into a SMART monitoring database, collated and analyzed to support conservation management work, in close collaboration with officials from the Forest Protection Department.

Francois Langur conservation planning
We have finalized the ‘establishment plan’ (feasibility study and investment plan) draft to the proposed conservation area in the Lam Binh/ Sinh Long high conservation value forests. Conservation planning included the development of Five-Year Conservation and Development Plan, Annual Operation am Management Plans, and village development action plans.

Village Co-Management Committees
We have facilitated the establishment of Village Co-managment Committees (VMCs) in each of the villages we work with in the Lam Binh and Sinh Long regions. Each VMC comprises five to seven villagers, selected by villagers themselves, and holding the function of supporting village conservation initiatives and socioeconomic development needs.

Village Self-help Groups
Village self-reliance measures are spearheaded through Village Self Help Groups (VSHGs), headed by the village Women’s Union and aiming to support village households with agriculture and forestry development initiatives and needs. Each VSHG holds a revolving loans scheme, which has received initial seed-funding from PRCF to support household agriculture. VSHGs also hold an intra-village farmer extension system featuring on-farm agriculture demonstrations.

Sinh Long Community Forest Management Program
This program engages communities from five Dao and H’mong villages in forest conservation by establishing village forest management committees to practice sustainable forest management in Sinh Long commune, adjacent to the proposed Francois’ Langur Conservation Area.
Forest management committees
PRCF established and worked with Community Forest Management Committees in five ethnic minority villages to support conservation of standing good forest remnants in Sinh Long commune. This has included connecting with community leaders to gain support for the committees, learning about villager current use of forest land, and planning for, and supporting, forest conservation efforts. To date, we have helped five villages establish Community Forest Management Committees, supported the production of forest management plans at each village, and facilitated submission of forest allocation documents to the local government authorities.

Conservation funding
We assist Village Forest Management Committees to identify and secure funding to ensure that their conservation efforts can continue. This includes documenting the committee structure and goals, contracting with funding sources, and managing funding received. To date, we work with five Dao and H’mong villages, in close liaison with the Sinh Long Commune Peoples Committee, to help manage more than 600 ha of forest in a sustainable manner.


Gibbon Habitat Restoration Program
PRCF Vietnam engages in habitat restoration, management capacity building, and community consultation to support conservation of the Eastern-black Crested Gibbon. We work primarily on habitat restoration to the gibbon at the Cao Vit Species and Habitat Conservation Area in the Vietnam province of Cao Bang, but hope to also provide technical assistance to the Bangliang Nature Reserve in the Chinese province of Guangxi.
Habitat research and restoration
PRCF researches suitable karst forest restoration measures to restore habitat for the critically endangered Eastern Black-crested Gibbon. This takes place in degraded forest habitat in valleys where previous agriculture practice denuded the forestland. To date, we have mapped deforested valleys considered essential for long-term survival of the Gibbon, identified 250 plant species for Gibbon feeding, and restored more than 30 hectares of degraded forests on valleys through assisted natural regeneration and enrichment planting with about 5,000 native trees of 27 different species.

Capacity building and training
We provide capacity building and training to the Cao Vit Gibbon Conservation Area. Out aim is to build capacities so that eventually the protected area can take over the habitat restoration program. This has included on-hands training on assisted natural regeneration, nursery establishment and maintenance, willings collection and rearing, and enrichment planting techniques.

Community consultation
PRCF consults with communities near the conservation areas to learn about local knowledge of native plant species to support their conservation and sustainable use. We discuss sustainable livelihood solutions with villagers to ensure that conservation efforts are not at the expense of community well-being. By engaging local villagers in our habitat restoration work, PRCF ensures that forest restoration efforts receive the support from local communities and use best practices.


Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Conservation Program
Our Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Conservation Program engages with local communities and organizations near the Na Hang Natural Reserve to map critical conservation areas, develop management plans and build capacity for regulation enforcement and conservation efforts.
Research and mapping
PRCF Vietnam researches areas that are critical for Tonkin snub-nosed monkey conservation and establishes Critical Conservation Zones. Local communities participate in this research to ensure that information collected is accurate and communities are supportive of conservation efforts. To date we have established two Critical Conservation Zones for the protection of Snub-nosed Monkeys. We hope to have these areas clearly marked to increase community awareness of conservation zones.
Conservation management planning
PRCF Vietnam supports conservation management planning for the Na Hang Nature Reserve based on needs identified in field research and critical area mapping. This ensures threats to Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys can be minimized and critical areas can be protected. The 2016 Conservation Management Plan is currently in place, and will be updated with support from PRCF in 2017.
Training and resources
We provide training and resources to the Na Hang Nature Reserve staff to build their capacity for conservation management. This includes helping plan for patrols and sustainable funding, as well as providing patrol training and resources based on our conservation research and mapping. To date, we have trained 6 staff members for patrolling and … By 2017, we hope to…
