Pu Mat National Park

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Summary

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• Northern white-cheeked gibbons (Nomascus leucogenys) are present in Pu Mat National Park.
• It has been estimated that 130 groups occur in the site.
• The gibbon population trend is unknown.
• The site has a total size of 911.13 km².
• Key threats to gibbons are habitat loss mainly due to shifting agriculture and hunting.
• Conservation activities have focused on monitoring and permanent presence of forest guards.
• The park is a key site for the conservation of northern white-cheeked gibbons.

Site characteristics

Pu Mat National Park is located in the Annamite Mountains, close to the Lao border. The area has been protected by the difficult access to the forest due to the steep, rugged terrain (Rawson et al. 2011). It is a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) within the Indoburma Biodiversity Hotspot (Re:wild). The park is home to a host of mammal species of conservation concern, including the critically endangered Saola, the Annamite striped rabbit, Owston’s civet, northern white-cheeked gibbon and possibly the critically endangered large-antlered muntjac. Local indigenous communities consider parts of the site to be sacred “spirit forests” that are important in local animist traditions (Re:wild).

Table 1. Basic site information for Pu Mat National Park

Area	911.13 km²
Coordinates	19.060942, 104.625258
Designation	National Park
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

Pu Mat National Park is the most important site for the conservation of northern white-cheeked gibbons in Vietnam (Rawson et al. 2011). In a 2011 survey, 22 groups were detected and 130 groups were estimated to inhabit the site (Rawson et al. 2011). The population is of global significance; it is the largest known population of this species in Vietnam, and may extend well into Laos. The gibbon population at the site is predominantly found above 700 m a.s.l. (approximately 85% of groups), with the highest densities (0.271 groups km-1) occurring above this altitude despite the majority of the park being under this elevation (Rawson et al. 2011).

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Pu Mat National Park

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
Nomascus leucogenys	2011	455	130	0.161	Pu Mat National Park (911.13 sq km)	Fixed-point triangulation	Rawson et al. 2011	This survey used 18 listening posts across the park, including the most remote areas near the Lao border which had not been previously surveyed.

Threats

Habitat loss due to shifting agriculture and illegal logging, and hunting, are the main threats to gibbons in the park (Rawson et al. 2011).

Table 3. Threats to apes in Pu Mat National Park

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Quantified severity	Description	Year of threat
1. Residential & commercial development		Unknown
2. Agriculture & aquaculture	2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops	High		Shifting agriculture (Rawson et al. 2011).	Ongoing (2011)
3. Energy production & mining		Unknown
4. Transportation & service corridors	4.1 Roads & railroads	High		Planned roads through Pu Mat National Park may fragment and endanger what is by far the largest population of northern white-cheeked gibbons in the country (Rawson et al. 2011).	Ongoing (2011)
5. Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	High		Hunters increasingly access remote areas near the Lao border to locate gibbons (Rawson et al. 2011).	Ongoing (2011)
	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	High		Illegal logging is widespread in the area (Rawson et al. 2011).	Ongoing (2011)
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

IUCN Threats list

Conservation activities

The permanent presence of forest guards has been the only effective approach to protecting the gibbon population in the site. Site and landscape level projects are unlikely to be sufficient on their own; in fact, a 1998-2004 monitoring project indicated that large-scale projects implemented in the past did not succeed in halting primate population declines, though they may have slowed the decline (Rawson et al. 2004).

Table 4. Conservation activities in Pu Mat National Park

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	5.15. Implement monitoring surveillance strategies (e.g. SMART) or use monitoring data to improve effectiveness of wildlife law enforcement patrols	The Social Forestry and Nature Conservation Project implemented primate surveys and monitoring (Rawson et al. 2011).	1998-2004
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 designated as a National Park.	Ongoing (2022)
12. Species Management	Not reported
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives	13.5. Permanent presence of staff/manager	Permanent presence of forest guards dedicated to the protection of individual gibbon groups (Rawson et al. 2011).	Ongoing (2011)

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for Pu Mat National Park

Challenge	Source
Not reported

Research activities

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Pu Mat National Park

Behavior	Source
Not reported

External links

Re:wild Pu Mat National Park

References

Rawson, B. M, Insua-Cao, P., Nguyen Manh Ha, Van Ngoc Thinh, Hoang Minh Duc, Mahood, S., Geissmann, T. and Roos, C. (2011). The Conservation Status of Gibbons in Vietnam. Fauna & Flora International/Conservation International, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 02/05/2022