Two stations built to protect Saola

Authorities in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue have started to build two conservation stations in forests inhabited by the Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), one of the world's rarest mammals, in A Luoi District.

The construction, part of the "Annamites Carbon Sinks and Biodiversity" project funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety through World Wild Fund, is aimed at protecting the Tay Saola and A Tep nature reserves which are home to the Saola.

Deputy Chairman of Thua Thien – Hue People's Committee Le Truong Luu said the stations would act as bases for officials and rangers who worked in the reserves.

They are expected to improve conservation capacity and recover forest diversification in the province.

Localities in the project area have been actively implementing conservation measures, such as preventing hunting and community-based forest management.

The Saola is a forest-dwelling bovine found only in the Annamite ranges of Vietnam and Laos. It is reported that there are about 200 living in the mountains and forests of Thua Thien – Hue and Quang Nam.