Assessment Of The Diversity Of Birds In Cat Ba National Park Hai Phong City

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF FORESTRY

STUDENT THESIS

Title

ASSESSMENT OF THE DIVERSITY OF BIRDS

IN CAT BA NATIONAL PARK, HAI PHONG CITY

Major: Natural Resources Management (Advanced Curriculum)

Code: D850101

Faculty: Forest Resources and Environmental Management

Student: Nguyen Minh Quang Student ID: 1253091561

Class: K57 Natural Resources Management Course: 2012 – 2016

Advanced Education Program

Developed in Collaboration with Colorado State University, USA

Supervisor: Dr. Dong Thanh Hai

Hanoi, October 2016

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This thesis cannot become a reality without kind support and helps of many

individuals, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to:

The heads of Vietnam National University of Forestry, Faculty of Forest Resources and

Environmental Management provided opportunity, essential conditions for me to finish

this research.

I am grateful to my supervisor, Dr. Dong Thanh Hai, whose expertise,

understanding, generous guidance and continuous support made it possible for me to work

on a topic that I chose. It was my pleasure being his student.

I would like to express my gratitude to Prof. Lee MacDonald for finding out the time to

check and give advises to my proposal.

I am hugely indebted to Mr. Thao A Tung for spending time and consideration to

guide and provide useful information related to my topic.

I would like to express the deepest appreciation to the heads, officers of Cat Ba NP, local

people there for providing me useful information and kind consideration and help.

Besides, I would like to thank my family, acquaintances for their encouragement,

support during the period of conducting this study. Without their support, I would not have

been able to complete this thesis.

Despite spending the best efforts in the thesis conducting process, this research still

has many shortcomings due to the limitations of time, finance and my ability. I am looking

forward to receiving comments from teachers, friends to a better thesis completion.

Thank you!

Hanoi, October 2016

Author: Nguyen Minh Quang

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABBREVIATIONS

LIST OF TABLES

LIST OF FIGURES

ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... 1

PART I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 2

PART II. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES, METHODOLOGY ....................................... 6

2.1. OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................................................ 6

2.1.1. Goals ............................................................................................................... 6

2.1.2. Specific objectives ........................................................................................... 6

2.2. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................... 6

2.2.1. Prefield study preparaion ................................................................................. 6

2.2.2. Field surveys ................................................................................................... 7

2.2.2.1. Interviewing .............................................................................................. 7

2.2.2.2. Line transect survey .................................................................................. 8

2.2.2.3. Mist net ..................................................................................................... 9

2.2.2.4. Threat assessment to birds and their habiats ........................................... 10

2.2.2.5. Data analysis .......................................................................................... 11

PART III. STUDY SITE .............................................................................................. 13

3.1. NATURAL CONDITIONS .................................................................................................................13

3.1.1. Geographic location ....................................................................................... 13

3.1.2. Climate and hydrology ................................................................................... 13

3.1.3. Vegetation ..................................................................................................... 14

3.1.4. Fauna ............................................................................................................. 15

3.2. ECONOMY – SOCIETY .....................................................................................................................16

3.2.1. Population and employ .................................................................................. 16

3.2.2. Livelihood ..................................................................................................... 17

3.2.2.1. Production of industrial and handicraft ................................................... 17

3.2.2.2. Agricultural production ........................................................................... 18

3.2.2.3. Economic forests ..................................................................................... 19

PART IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .................................................................. 20

4.1. BIRD SPECIES COMPOSITION IN CAT BA NP ........................................................................20

4.1.1. Species composition ...................................................................................... 20

4.1.2. Species composition structure ........................................................................ 22

4.2. DISTRIBUTION OF BIRDS OBSERVED IN CAT BA NP .......................................................24

4.3. BIRD CONSERVATION VALUE IN CAT BA NP .....................................................................28

4.4. THREATS TO BIRDS IN CAT BA NP ........................................................................................... 30

4.4.1. Hunting, trapping ........................................................................................... 31

4.4.2. Wood and non-timber forest product exploitation .......................................... 33

4.4.3. Forest fire ...................................................................................................... 34

4.4.4. Grazing cattle. ............................................................................................... 35

4.4.5. Tourism ......................................................................................................... 37

4.4.6. Threats ranking .............................................................................................. 37

4.5. PROPOSING SOLUTIONS FOR BIRDS CONSERVATION IN CAT BA ...........................38

4.5.1. Solutions to minimize the threats to birds and their habitats ........................... 38

4.5.1.1. Hunting and trapping .............................................................................. 38

4.5.1.2. Wood and NTFP exploitation .................................................................. 39

4.5.2.3. Forest fire ............................................................................................... 39

4.5.2.5. Tourism ................................................................................................... 40

4.5.3. Strengthening law, policy imforcement .......................................................... 40

4.5.4. Raising awareness of people and livelihood improvement .............................. 40

4.5.5. Strengthen scientific research......................................................................... 41

4.5.6. Strengthen international cooperation .............................................................. 41

4.5.7. Ecotourism development ............................................................................... 41

PART V. CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................... 42

REFERENCES

APPENDIX

ABBREVIATIONS

NP: National Park.

CITES: the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and

Flora.

IUCN: International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

NTFP: Non-timber forest product.

LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1. Information of transects set in the study site ..................................................... 8

Table 2.2. Checklist of bird species inCat Ba NP ............................................................ 11

Table 2.3. List of rare bird species in Cat Ba NP ............................................................. 11

Table 2.4. Ranking of threats to Bird resource in Cat Ba NP ........................................... 12

Table 3.1. The population situation of the commune, town in Cat Ba island ................... 17

Table 4.1. Species diversity in Cat Ba NP ....................................................................... 20

Table 4.2. Bird resource of Vietnam and Cat Ba National Park ....................................... 24

Table 4.3. Bird species detected in habitats ..................................................................... 24

Table 4.4. List of rare bird species in Cat Ba NP ............................................................. 28

Table 4.5. Ranking of threats to Bird resource in Cat Ba NP ........................................... 38

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1. Map of Cat Ba National Park ........................................................................... 8

Figure 4.1. Bird species recorded from sources of information in Cat Ba NP ................... 21

Figure 4.2. The diversity of families of birds in the park .................................................. 22

Figure 4.3. The diversity of bird species in the park ......................................................... 23

Figure 4.4. Bird species distribution according to habitats ............................................... 27

Figure 4.5. Common hill myna kept in a local family ...................................................... 32

Figure 4.6. Bird trap using Eurasian tree sparrow's roundelay .......................................... 33

Figure 4.7. Rangers seized illegal timber in Cat Ba National Park. ................................... 34

Figure 4.8. Historical forest fires in Cat Ba (2009-2013) .................................................. 35

Figure 4.9. Goats go foraging on rocky mountain ............................................................ 36

Figure 4.10. A woman prepares looks after her cattle in Cat Ba ....................................... 36

Figure 4.11. Trash from tourism activities near Frog Pond ............................................... 37