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KKK_2. Description of the AHP

2.1 Synopsis

KKKNP has a rich and diverse flora and fauna and it is an area of significant national and global biodiversity importance as well as being of outstanding natural beauty with a rich and diverse cultural heritage with a management structure and an agreed plan of management – the SFMP.

The park is located in the highland with tropical monsoon climate. The region has complex topography and many different high mountain belts. These factors create a complex structural diversity combined with the climatic factors resulting in a rich and diverse flora, fauna and habitat diversity. In terms of flora,  KKKNP is the area of the following flora systems: the flora of the Northern Vietnam system in areas affected by the tropical wet and rainy climate regime, the flora of the Yunnan – Guizhou system and the foothills of the Himalayas that have coniferous species of conifers such as Podocarpus imbricatus , Dacrydium pierrei  and Nageia wallichiana, the flora of the Malaysia – Indonesia system that have representative species of Dipterocarpaceae such as Anogeissus acuminata, Parashorea stellata and Shorea siamensis, and the flora of the India – Myanmar system that have representative species in in the family Combretaceae and Lythraceae.

KKKNP is a centre of endemism, restricted-range species, has numerous less-well studied taxa likely to reveal new species and contains a number of globally threatened species including large charismatic mammals and birds.

In the recent past there have been a number of studies which have added not just to the parks species list, but has also revealed species as not yet described by science.

However, the AHP faces numerous challenges due to climate change, anthropogenic pressures, insufficient resources for management and historical events. The promotion of intensive agriculture outside the AHP, financial and resource pressures and weaknesses in the collaborative management approaches places increasing pressures on the natural values of the AHP. Infrastructure development and other developmental pressures are fragmenting and isolating ecosystems and habitats creating a high risk of species loss from the AHP itself. The AHP is relatively small in ecosystem terms, resulting in genetic isolation, hard boundaries, higher risk of species extinction and increased vulnerability to stochastic and catastrophic events, a process which will be exacerbated by climate change.

The role of modern protected areas is evolving rapidly. Traditional staff capacities, often drawn from a forestry background, struggle to keep abreast of the increasingly complex challenges of park management, adding a multiplicity of tasks and skill requirements ranging from law enforcement through biodiversity and ecosystem monitoring, to visitor management. Matching human resources to changing job roles is challenging and often requires a range of approaches from re-skilling existing staff, in-service training, and diversifying employment backgrounds to investing in long term education.

The policy and planning framework, which provides the rationale for the trade-offs between ecosystem resilience and economic development (the SFMP), leans towards investment in economic development, often at the expense of biodiversity conservation. As such, there is a risk that development of the AHP is steered by investment opportunities and not necessarily on the AHP’s ability to continue functioning as a coherent and resilient system providing a wide range of ecosystem goods and services.

While the policy and regulatory framework is developed, it still requires adjustments to balance the costs and benefits, responsibilities and authorities and develop effective common pool resources management.

The SGP packages (general park management, wildlife research and monitoring) are designed to support this process of adapting or fine-tuning existing policies and plans towards an agreed AHP goal by:

2.2 Location and Area

KKKNP is located in 6 communes, including AYun, Dak Jo Ta (Mang Yang district), Kon Pne, Kroong, Dak Roong (Kbang district) and Ha Dong (Dak Doa district) in Gia Lai province. The central part of the park is located in Ayun commune, Mang Yang district, about 50 km northeast of Pleiku city.

Geographical coordinates KKKNP: Latitude 14°09′ to 14°30′ N and Longitude 108°16′ to 108°28′ E. In 2021, the park (14°09′ to 14°30′ North latitude and 108°16′ to 108°28′ East longitude) covers an area of 41,913.78 ha and is divided into 3 subdivisions, including:

The buffer zone of KKKNP includes 18 hamlets and villages in 7 communes, including Ayun, Dak Jo Ta, Ha Ra (Mang Yang district), Kon Pne, Kroong, Dak Roong (Kbang district) and Ha Dong commune (Dak Doa district) (Figure 1).

       Figure 1. KKKNP and its buffer zone communes

 

 

2.3 AHP Management

2.3.1 Establishment, Mandate and Responsibility of AHP

KKKNP has been on the list of special-use forests since 1986 in order to preserve alpine subtropical forests with gymnosperm species. In 1999, the Forest Investigation and Planning Institute (FIPI) in association with Birdlife International made an investment project to establish Kon Ka Kinh Nature Reserve. On November 25, 2002, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 167/2002/QD-TTg on converting Kon Ka Kinh Nature Reserve into a National Park. On December 18, 2003, KKKNP, CMRNP, BBNP and HLNP were recognized as an ASEAN Heritage Park (AHP) (Long et al. 2014).

Management Board of KKKNP is a revenue generating public service delivery unit directly managed by of Gia Lai Provincial People’s Committee (PPC). It has legal status, its own seals and accounts in accordance with law. Functions and duties of the Management Board include:

2.3.2 Governance and Organization Structure

The organizational structure of the Management Board includes (Figure 2):

The headquarters of KKKNP is located in Ayun commune, Mang Yang district, Gia Lai province (Figure 3). The Director of the Management Board specifies the tasks, jurisdiction and coordination mechanism among specialized departments and subordinate units according to related regulations. 

Key leaders
Administration Department
Financial and Planning Department
Department of Science, Technology and International Cooperation
Specialized Forest Protection Forces
Center for Environmental Education and Forest Environmental Services
Center for Rescue, Conservation and Creature Development

Figure 2. Organizational Diagram of Administration in KKKNP

Figure 3. Headquarters of KKKNP

By the end of 2021, the KKKNP has 82 employees, including 58 permanent staff and 24 contract workers. The number of female employees is 13 people, accounting for 15.9% (Official Letter No. 15/BC-VQG on quantity and quality of civil servants and employees). The number of officials and employees with university and post-graduate degrees has increased, including 1 master level staff, 45 bachelor/engineer level staffs, 5 college level staffs and 15 intermediate level staffs. However, the KKKNP is still lack of resource personnel in particular patrolling and monitoring when considering the area of coverage and personnel being allocated for the said tasks.

2.3.3 Enforcements of Law and Regulation Relating to AHP Management

Management Board of KKKNP performs the duties of a forest owner in accordance with the provisions of the Law No. 29/2004/QH on Forest Protection and Development (currently Vietnam Law on Forestry, No. 16/2017/QH14). In the course of performing its duties, if any acts of encroachment on the special-use forest area are detected, the District Forest Protection Department shall prepare and transfer dossiers to competent agencies for handling in accordance with regulations. Since 2009, the District Forest Protection Department of the park was transformed into a specialized forest protection force.

2.4 Financial resources of AHP

The park covers a part of its regular expenses by itself. KKKNP financial resources are mainly from the following sources:

A brief of some main past and on-going investments in the KKKNP is shown in Table 2. The total capital of KKKNP in the period of 2015-2020 was mainly from the state budget (Annex 2). Notably, in the period of 2016 – 2020, the park has implemented the Project “Investment in the construction and development of Kon Ka Kinh National Park in the period of 2011-2020” according to Decision No. 1357A/QD-UBND dated 17/17/ 10/2011 and Decision No. 1114/QD-UBND dated December 2, 2015 of Gia Lai Provincial People’s Committee. Up to now, investment items from this project have basically completed. The total investment of this project is 118,928.3 million VND (5,194,621 USD), which includes:

 

Table 2.  A brief of some main past and on-going investments in the AHP

Name of project Implementation period Investor/ funded by Objectives/Main activities Results/ lessons learnt/Remarks
Past project and program
  2005-2020 State budget Procurement of equipment for forest protection and management and forest fire prevention and fighting  
Project of investing in construction and development of KKKNP in the period of 2011-2020 2011-2020 State budget – Upgrading and maintaining patrol roads combined with ecotourism; – Building a new forest protection station, a waste treatment system and sub-items; – Expanding and completing existing forest protection stations; – Procurement of tools for forest management and protection and forest fire prevention and fighting, equipment for administrative service areas  
Program for sustainable forestry development for the period of 2016-2020 2017-2020 State budget Supporting for development of buffer zone infrastructure and livelihoods The investment in equipment to support communities in the buffer zone is still small, mainly to support some household appliances for temporary use; investment in production equipment or development of production models is little; therefore it might have not met the goals of improving livelihoods and infrastructure in the buffer zone.
Grey-shanked douc langur Conservation project in the KKKNP 2010 Frankfurt Zoological Society – Strengthening forest rangers’ capacity; – 24 transects were set up in order to monitor endangered primates including the grey-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix cinerea) and the Northern yellow-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus annamensis); – Conducting research on the population density and ecology of the grey-shanked douc langurs and northern yellow-cheeked gibbons – Arranging students’ attendance in lectures on wildlife conservation  
Vietnam Primate Conservation Programme 2010 Frankfurt Zoological Society Supporting the management of KKKNP by controlling and managing the territory covered by the park – Provide equipment for rangers (binoculars, GPS units, computers) – Support several training courses for rangers on data collection, wildlife identification, and equipment training – Environmental education activities for supporting the park to disseminate information in local villages and foster understanding about wild animals and ecological issues; – A booklet on KKKNP was published to increase the visibility of the area and to increase regional and national awareness
Making the Link: The Connection and Sustainable Management of Kon Ka Kinh and Kon Cha Rang Nature Reserves 2004- 2011 UNDP    
Develop Corridors and Sustainably Manage KKKNP and Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve 2006-2010 Global Environment Facility (GEF) Build plans, foundations and management to maintain biodiversity and connect KKKNP with Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve with the long term aim to preserve and sustainably conserve the unique biodiversity characteristics of Central Truong Son  
Water resource management project 2016 Oxfam Assess the current status of special valued plant and animal species for conservation in KKKNP and supporting for patrolling, monitoring and protecting forests with the participation of local communities and forest owners Contribute to support plant and animal species conservation in KKKNP and facilitate the participation of local communities and forest owners in forest protection
Construction project of the entry road to KKKNP, Mang Yang district, Gia Lai province 2019-2020 State budget   10,4 km of road was built to meet the needs of traffic and transporting goods and agricultural products of the people in the region, and contribute to the development of tourism potential of KKKNP.
Scheme for KKKNP ecotourism development to 2020 and a vision to 2030 2017 State budget Provide orientations and solutions to exploit the potential of ecotourism Contribute to support ecotourism development of KKKNP
On-going  project and program
Investment project on KKKNP sustainable development and improving forest rangers’ capacity in forest fire prevention and fighting and forest management and protection in Gia Lai province 2022-2025 State budget –  Conserving and developing biodiversity resources, ecosystems, geology, landscapes, rare and precious species of flora and fauna existing in KKKNP; – Completing infrastructure and technique materials to best serve the direction, management and implementation of programs in the coming years; –  Strengthening the organization and improving the capacity of forest fire prevention and fighting forces from the province to the commune.  

2.5 Natural Values

2.5.1 Biodiversity Characteristics

Located in Central Truong Son mountains, KKKNP has 39,324.02 hectares of natural forest, accounting for 93.8% of the total area of the park. KKKNP has high biodiversity representing typical tropical and subtropical forest ecosystems (Figure 4). The park has unique biological characteristics of the Central Truong Son landscape with the most intact flora and fauna in Vietnam. The park has about 2,000 hectares of mixed broadleaf – coniferous forest. In the special-use forest system of Vietnam, this type of forest is only found in KKKNP.

2.5.1.1 Flora

KKKNP is located in the highland with tropical monsoon climate. The region has complex topography and many different high mountain belts. These factors create flora, fauna and ecosystem biodiversity. In terms of flora,  KKKNP is the area of the following flora systems.

The total number of higher plant species in KKKNP is 1,754 species, belonging to 753 genera and 181 families, accounting for about 14% of the national flora (Binh, 2017). The park currently has about 1,629 species of angiosperms, 16 species of gymnosperms, and 109 species of ferns. There are also 91 species of lower plants belonging to 39 genera and 26 families, among them there are 66 species of mosses (Bryopsida) belong and 25 species of Marchantiophyta. The number of woody tree species has accounted for 46%, herbaceous plants have accounted for 25% and other plants have accounted for about 29%.

The value of plant conservation in KKKNP is determined by the number of endemic and endangered species listed in the Vietnam Red Data Book, IUCN Red List and Decree 06/2019/ND-CP of the Vietnamese Government (KKKNP, 2021). KKKNP currently has 138 endemic and threatened higher plant species listed in the Vietnam Red Book and IUCN Red List (Annex 3).

Figure 4. Forest in KKKNP

2.5.1.2 Fungi

There are now 131 mushroom species in KKKNP. Among them, 40 species have medicinal value, 5 species can be used for food and 01 species is toxic (KKKNP, 2021).

2.5.1.3 Fauna

KKKNP has 88 species of mammals belonging to 26 families and 8 orders. The fauna has high conservation value with 29 endangered species in the IUCN Red List i.e. Northern buffed-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus annamensis), Gray-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix cinerea), Truong Son muntjac (Muntiacus truongsonensis), Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor Kerr) and Giant muntjac (Megamuntiacus vuquangensis), 34 species in the Vietnam Red Book and 30 species in Decree No. 06/2019/ND-CP (Annex 4)(Figure 5).

Pygathrix cinerea (Grey-shanked douc langur) (Source: baogialai.com.vn) IUCN Red List: Level CR   Nomascus annamensis (Northern buffed-cheeked gibbon) (Source: Long H.T et al., 2014) IUCN Red List: EN  
Capricornis sumatraensis (Sumatran serow) (Source: Long H.T et al.) IUCN Red List: VU   Ursus thibetanus (Asian black bear)(Source: kienthuc.net.vn) IUCN Red List: VU  
Chrotogale owstoni(Source: Fauna & Flora International) IUCN Red List: EN   Catopuma temminckii(Asian Golden Cat) (Source: Long H.T et al.) IUCN Red List: NT 
Figure 5. Endemic and endangered mammals in KKKNP

The park has identified 326 bird species belonging to 53 families and 17 orders. Among them, the Passerine order (Passeriformes) (201 species) accounts for 61.65% of the total number of bird species in the park. The park has identified 43 threatened bird species, accounting for 13.2% of the total bird species in the park. Among of these bird threatened species, there are 12 species in the IUCN Red List (2016), 12 species in the Vietnam Red Book and 19 species listed in Decree 06/2019/ND-CP (KKKNP, 2021).

Garrulax konkakinhensis (Source: Tuoitre.vn) IUCN Red List: VU    Jabouilleia danjoui (Source: https://birdwatchingvietnam.net) IUCN Red List: NT  
Gekko gecko (Tokay gecko)(Source: Long H.T et al.) Vietnam Red Data Book: VU  Physignathus cocincinus  (Chinese water dragon) (Source: tuoitre.vn) Vietnam Red Data Book: VU 

Figure 6. Some bird and reptile species in KKKNP

KKKNP has 77 reptile species belonging to 12 families and 2 orders. Among them, there are 8 rare species listed in the Vietnam Red Book, 10 species listed in Decree 06/2019/ND-CP and 11 species listed in the IUCN Red List (2016). The park has 58 species of frogs belonging to 6 families and 1 order. The park has recorded 321 species of insects belonging to 10 different families of Lepidoptera order.

2.5.2 Ecosystem Processes

KKKNP has very high biodiversity with many typical and intact forest ecosystems; many species are listed in the Vietnam Red Book in 2007 and IUCN Red List (2010). The park has the ability to provide 5 types of forest environmental services such as: (1) Soil protection, control of erosion and sedimentation of lake, river and stream beds; (2) Regulating and maintaining water sources for production and social life; (3) Absorption and storage of forest carbon, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from limiting deforestation and forest degradation, sustainable forest management, and green growth; (4) Protecting and maintaining the beauty of the natural landscape, conserving the biodiversity of the forest ecosystem for tourism service business; (5) Supply of spawning grounds, food sources, natural breeds, water sources from the forest and factors from the environment and forest ecosystems for aquaculture.

Types of forest environmental services that KKKNP has been paid include (1) and (2). Three types of forest environmental services unpaid are (3), (4) and (5).

2.5.3 Social and Cultural characteristics

Buffer zone of KKKNP includes 07 communes: Kon Pne, Dak Roong, Krong (Kbang district), A Yun, Dak Jo Ta, Ha Ra (Mang Yang district) and Ha Dong commune (Dak Doa district). The inhabitants of Ayun and Ha Ra communes have a relatively low impact on KKKNP, because they are concentrated along National Highway 19, far from the park (Trai el al., 2000).Up to 80% of the population in the buffer zone is ethnic minorities, mainly the Bahnar people who have long lived in two districts of K’Bang and Dak Doa.

2.5.4 Geological, Topography and Landscape

Kon Ka Kinh National Park has a lava land formed from three main groups of parent rock:

KKKNP is located in the contiguous zone between Pleiku Plateau and Kon Ha Nung Plateau. This region has many mountain ranges with an average altitude of 1,200 – 1,500 m. Kon Ka Kinh peak is the highest one of 1,748 m altitude while an eastern land is the lowest one with 600 m altitude. The topography of KKKNP becomes gradually lower from north to south. In the park has 3 main terrain types:

KKKNP has 6 main types of soil:

According to the classification of Thai Van Trung (1970), the forest vegetation of KKKNP includes the following main forest types.

Figure 7. Forest landscape in KKKNP

  • Thua Thien Hue Union of Science and Technology Associations (HUSTA)
  • 06 Phan Boi Chau, Vinh Ninh, Hue city, Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam
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