Editorial
A critically endangered primate species endemic to northern Vietnam is facing threats from limestone mining and is approaching extinction, despite promising efforts at wildlife conservation elsewhere in Vietnam.
The Delacour’s langur, a small black and white monkey that lives in limestone karst forests, is one of many primates in Southeast Asia that has seen its habitat decimated in recent decades due to deforestation for agriculture and infrastructure. Three of the 25 most endangered monkeys in the world have been found only in Vietnam, according to a 2015 report. There are likely less than 300 Delacour’s langurs left in the world, all of them in Vietnam.
Top environment stories from Madagascar in 2020
by Mongabay.com on 30 December 2020
Madagascar witnessed a convergence of calamities this year, from the pandemic to surging forest fires to an unprecedented drought.
Despite growing pressures on its forests, new species continue to be uncovered from the island, with the description of a mouse lemur, several chameleons, and even the world’s ugliest orchid.
Protected Area management has emerged as a bone of contention between the government and NGOs that manage them, underscoring the challenges of doing conservation in a poor country.
Here are ten key stories and trends from Madagascar in 2020.
A Jonah’s mouse lemur (M. Jonahi). Image by Dominik Schüßler
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Leonardo DiCaprio, the European Union, and Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC) have announced two projects aimed at protecting biodiversity. An investment of more than $41.5 million USD will be put into the two initiatives.
The first initiative will be Rapid Response for Ecosystems, Species, and Communities Undergoing Emergencies (Rapid RESCUE). This project will be aimed at providing a rapid response to emerging biodiversity threats such as those caused by the ongoing global pandemic.
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The second initiative will be aimed at safeguarding Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The project will reintroduce eastern lowland gorillas and other threatened species back into the park as well as work to restore habitat.
WCS Viet Nam
- Scientists release genetic results confirming a female turtle captured in October 2020 in Viet Nam is definitively the near extinct Swinhoe’s softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) – also known as the Yangtze giant softshell turtle and Hoan Kiem turtle.
- Discovery means at least one male and one female are now known to exist
- Viet Nam Government leading this effort to prevent extinction of the Swinhoe’s softshell turtle, along with ATP/IMC, WCS and other partners
HA NOI, Viet Nam (December 18, 2020) The Ha Noi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in collaboration with the Asian Turtle Program (ATP) of Indo-Myanmar Conservation (IMC) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have made dramatic progress to possibly prevent the extinction of Swinhoe’s softshell turtle (
December 18 2020 / Modified on December 18 2020 The management of the Virunga National Park, located in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), will soon benefit from €4 million (more than 2.6 billion CFA francs) in funding to safeguard the biodiversity area. The funds will come from the Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC) and the European Union (EU).
The management of the Virunga National Park (PNVI) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has just received a favourable response following the launch of the “Virunga Fund” in early 2020. The aim is to obtain funding to provide urgent support to the park, which is threatened by several ills (epidemics, poaching…). On December 16