Surveying in the field.

Vietnam is a tropical country rich in biodiversity. However, biodiversity in Vietnam has been declining at a rapid rate due primarily to habitat loss and degradation, especially in natural forests. The remaining natural forest is now also being fragmented. Improving the conservation of biodiversity in Vietnam is a contemporary issue of concern. My proposed project will be an integrated work to address conservation problems and enhance avian conservation in Vietnam.

The project will be conducted in Tam Dao and Cuc Phuong National Parks, and surrounding areas. It will compare bird community composition in pine plantations, secondary regrowth forest, and natural forest. This information will help forestry decision makers balance between investing money in protecting remaining secondary growth forest or planting new plantations. As part of this survey work the project will also describe poorly known mixed-species bird flocks in Vietnam. Mixed-species flocks in the tropics are a striking phenomenon in that such flocks can have dozens of species and represents an important component of avian communities in tropical forests. Presence and richness of tropical mixed-species flocks have also been suggested as an important indicator of forest disturbance.

Another focus of the project will be to experimentally investigate the effects of roads on the movement of understory birds. Understanding the gap-crossing ability in birds, especially as development increases and more linear gaps are imposed on the landscape, will be important in best managing the design of such gaps. This will help park managers balance developing ecotourism and conservation.

The project will also address a related contemporary question – what is the prevalence of avian disease in wild birds in natural forest interior and forest edge as compared to the human-dominated landscape. The wild populations may serve as reservoirs for disease or may be relatively disease free. Little work has been conducted on this topic even though emerging avian disease is an issue for both avian conservation and human health concerns in this region. A surveillance program may result which could serve to predict outbreaks of diseases.

Finally, several master students and young scientists from Forestry University of Vietnam and other institutions will join the project. Local people will also work for the project, through this, awareness of biodiversity conservation will be enhanced among local communities.