Measures Suggested to Conserve Black-shanked Doucs on Ba Den Mountain

Amid the natural forest ecosystem of Ba Den mountain in Tay Ninh province, troops of black-shanked douc langurs have been recorded living stably, contributing to the rich biodiversity value of the forest. Ba Den Mountain is set to become a major spiritual landmark, not only with its ancient pagoda system and sacred religious structures but also as the host of world-class cultural and Buddhist events. In 2025, the mountain will host a series of significant ceremonies during the United Nations Day of Vesak, including the procession of Buddha relics from India, the Bodhi trees planting event, and a grand candle-lighting ceremony to pray for world peace. These sacred rituals will transform Ba Den Mountain into a global pilgrimage destination, attracting thousands of Buddhist followers and visitors from around the world. Nature conservation organisations in Vietnam have recommended the establishment of a Species and Habitat Conservation Area for Delacour’s Langur in Kim Bang in the northern province of Ninh Binh. Speaking at a conference held recently in Ho Chi Minh City to gather feedback on draft EUDR compliance guidelines for the rubber sector, Nguyen Quoc Manh, Deputy Director of the Plant Production and Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, said that Vietnam had spent the past three years preparing for the regulation through awareness campaigns, training programmes and coordination with ministries, local authorities and businesses. The Sunda pangolin is a critically endangered and rare species prioritised for protection, listed under Group IB in Circular No. 85/2025/TT-BNNMT issued on December 31, 2025 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, storm No. 1 is expected to enter the Gulf of Tonkin late on July 3 and make landfall between Quang Ninh province and China's Guangxi region on July 4. The tropical depression intensified into the first storm of Vietnam’s 2026 typhoon season, internationally named Maysak, on July 3 morning, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. Speaking at a conference in Hanoi on July 2 to introduce Decree No. 180 on forest carbon sequestration and storage services, Luong said the latest transaction brought the country's total revenue from the transfer to 56.5 million USD, covering 11.3 million tonnes of CO2 emission reductions at a price of 5 USD per tonne. The provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in collaboration with the Vietnam UNESCO Global Geoparks Network and relevant agencies, surveyed 41 geological, cultural and tourism sites across the geopark, identifying a number of issues requiring urgent attention to safeguard the site's outstanding values. The tortoise (Indotestudo elongata), weighing about 3.5kg and measuring nearly 30cm in length, was released after forest rangers, local authorities and the reserve's management board confirmed that it was healthy and fit to return to its natural habitat. Disaster prevention must be woven into national development planning, public investment, production, business, investment attraction, social welfare and livelihood protection, said top leader To Lam. Following health checks, care and monitoring, the pangolin was confirmed be in good condition and fit for release. The release site was carefully selected to provide suitable ecological conditions and improve the animal's chances of survival in the wild. Of the six cranes, two are males and four females, with individual weights ranging from 5.3kg to 6.7kg. The birds were raised at Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo in Thailand and transported to Vietnam by air. Since 2001, Habitat for Humanity Vietnam has helped build or renovate more than 36,000 homes nationwide while supporting thousands of households in accessing housing finance and improving disaster resilience. With a total investment of nearly 1.6 trillion VND (over 60.7 million USD), the Long My domestic solid waste treatment plant will cover about 10ha, and have a waste treatment capacity of 800 tonnes per day and a power generation capacity of 15 MW. Initial examination showed that the 10kg pangolin appears to be in good health, shows no visible signs of injury and retains normal mobility. The latest transfer marks the second phase of the sarus crane conservation and development project at the Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap for the 2022–2032 period. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Le Cong Thanh, in his speech, said climate change is making weather more severe and unpredictable, with a powerful El Nino set to hit Vietnam in the second half of 2026 and early 2027. Against such backdrop, enhancing forecasting and early warning capacity, while effectively translating scientific information into management decisions and timely response actions, has become urgent, he said. The animals included a monitor lizard, a pangolin, an elongated tortoise (Indotestudo elongata) and an impressed tortoise (Manouria impressa). The robust growth of the marine economy has created significant opportunities for Vietnam while at the same time posing major challenges to marine environment protection. From coastal aquaculture areas and renowned tourist bays to marine protected areas rich in biodiversity, traces of plastic waste, land-based pollution and unsustainable exploitation remain visible every day. According to the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, natural disasters during the 2020–2025 period caused increasingly serious damage nationwide. On average, natural disasters claimed more than 300 lives each year and caused economic losses exceeding 45 trillion VND (1.7 billion USD), up about 167% compared to the 2015–2019 period. As Vietnam’s first national park and one of the region’s leading nature conservation centres, Cuc Phuong will serve as an important field site for research, training and knowledge exchange among the partners. The pressing concerns comprise persistent environmental hotspots in industrial parks and industrial clusters; increasingly complex air and water pollution in major cities directly affecting public health; and shortcomings in waste management and wastewater treatment across river basins and rural areas that have yet to meet practical requirements. Copyright, VietnamPlus, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Editor-in-chief, Mr. Tran Tien Duan.