Tan Nguyen
Other projects
26 May 2023
The Herpetofauna of Dakrong Nature Reserve, Quang Tri Province, Central Vietnam: Diversity, Ecology and Conservation
Eighty years ago, Rendahl in Smith (1943) described one of the largest wolf snakes, Lycodon paucifasciatus from central Vietnam. This species is considered the rarest of the genus of wolf snake (genus Lycodon), therefore little is known about their distribution, population size and trends, and conservation status. One challenge and debate is how long this species can survive in the wild as its habitat has been destroyed by deforestation, industrial-agricultural development and tourism in the investigated area. Moreover, it is becoming a hot target for poachers and traders due to its uniqueness. Therefore, if we can update the existence and status of threats facing Lycodon paucifasciatus in the wild and of its illegal hunting, as well as experimental captive breeding in ex-situ for release, it will be an important scientific discovery, helping to complete the data on the wolf snakes in Vietnam as well as in Asia. The remaining habitat of this species will be proposed as important point for snake conservation.
Lycodon paucifasciatus. ©Tran Phuoc Loi.
Field activities will be carried out in central and southern Vietnam. Snakes get very little attention from conservation authorities, including this species. Identification of important sites for conservation in these areas will be based on the diversity of species, number of endemic and rare species, area and quality of forests, and impact level. In addition, there will be local involvement by people campaigning through citizen science initiatives (iNaturalist projects, Facebook initiatives (eg. https://www.facebook.com/groups/sifasv) etc.) to assist with collecting data on the species. The project also aims to: 1) develop human resource capacity for long term conservation in the protected area with special focus on snakes; and 2) raise conservation awareness for the local stakeholders about snakes, including rangers of the protected area and the local communities. Therefore, this project will increase the chance of assessing conservation status as well as ecology, taxonomy and phylogeny of the species. Furthermore, captive breeding and reintroduction of the species could help with reintroducing them to areas where they may have been depleted.