Dong Khanthung Provincial Protected Area
Asia > Laos > Dong Khanthung Provincial Protected Area
Summary
- Pileated gibbons (Hylobates pileatus) are present in Dong Khanthung Provincial Protected Area.
- The population size is unknown.
- The population trend is unknown.
- The site has a total size of 1,915 km².
- Key threats to gibbons are hunting, illegal pet trade, and habitat loss due to logging.
- Conservation activities have not been documented.
Site characteristics
Dong Khanthung is located in southern Laos. The site contains a wide variety of habitats, such as lowland/semi-evergreen forest, dry dipterocarp/mixed dipterocarp forest, pine forest and wetlands. The site is rich in species diversity due to the variety of habitats. Although the site is considerably degraded, many wildlife species inhabit the areas, especially forest birds, water birds, and large birds (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010). An Important Bird Area (IBA; BirdLife International 2022) was declared within Dong Khanthung in 2003.
Table 1. Basic site information for Dong Khanthung Provincial Protected Area
| Area | 1,915 km² |
| Coordinates | 14.305301, 105.578696 |
| Designation | Provincial Protected Area |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical/tropical dry forest, wetlands, subtropical/tropical seasonally wet/flooded grassland |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
In a 2010 survey, the presence of gibbons was confirmed in seven main sites within Dong Khanthung, including Houy Talo, Houy Pasuan, Houy Khem, Houy Kadan, Houy Nang Ing, Houy Dannoi and Houy Laok. Based on estimations of local villagers, there are about two groups per site (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010).
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Dong Khanthung Provincial Protected Area
| Species | Year | Total number indiv. (95% CI) | Total number groups (95% CI) | Density [groups/km²] (95% CI) | Area | Method | Source | Comments | A.P.E.S. database ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hylobates pileatus | 2010 | Dong Khanthung Provincial Protected Area | Interview survey and identification by songs | Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010 |
Threats
Hunting and habitat loss due to logging are the main threats to gibbons in the site (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010). The forest is degraded and fragmented, making it difficult for gibbons to move from place to place. Furthermore, their food sources have also declined (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010).
Table 3. Threats to apes in Dong Khanthung Provincial Protected Area
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Unknown | ||||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | Unknown | ||||
| 3. Energy production & mining | Unknown | ||||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | ||||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | High | Hunting connected to the illegal pet trade; hunters catch infant gibbons so that they can sell them (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010). | Ongoing (2010) | |
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | High | Subsistence logging (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010). | Ongoing (2010) | ||
| 6. Human intrusion & disturbance | Unknown | ||||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Unknown | ||||
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Unknown | ||||
| 9. Pollution | Unknown | ||||
| 10. Geological Events | Absent | ||||
| 11. Climate change & severe weather | Unknown | ||||
| 12. Other options | Absent |
Conservation activities
The site was proposed as a National Biodiversity Conservation Area in 1996, due to its very high biodiversity and significance for conservation. An area of 200 sq.km was also prepared to be a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1998 (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010). The implementation of these plans failed, and since many NBCAs had been established already, the site was listed as a Provincial Protected Area (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010). Since then, no funding to support the area has been allocated and the area has been highly disturbed (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010).
Table 4. Conservation activities in Dong Khanthung Provincial Protected Area
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Not reported | ||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | Not reported | ||
| 3. Energy production & mining | Not reported | ||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Not reported | ||
| 5. Biological resource use | Not reported | ||
| 6. Human intrusion & disturbance | Not reported | ||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Not reported | ||
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Not reported | ||
| 9. Pollution | Not reported | ||
| 10. Education & Awareness | Not reported | ||
| 11. Habitat Protection | 11.2. Legally protect primate habitat | The site is a protected area. | Ongoing (2022) |
| 12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | Not reported |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
Lack of law enforcement to tackle the illegal pet trade and hunting of gibbons (Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010).
Table 5. Challenges reported for Dong Khanthung Provincial Protected Area
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Lack of law enforcement | Phiapalath & Saisavanh 2010 |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Dong Khanthung Provincial Protected Area
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links
References
BirdLife International (2022) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Dong Khanthung. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 27/03/2022.
Phiapalath, P. & Saisavanh, V. (2010). Gibbon surveys: Nam Phui National Protected Area and Dong Khanthung Provincial Protected Area. Online: https://www.iucn.org/sites/dev/files/import/downloads/gibbon_surveys_final_sep_12_2010.pdf
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 25/03/2022