Joint Petition Calls for Establishment of Species and Habitat Conservation Area for the Delacour’s Langur in Kim Bang

On August 1st, 2025, PanNature, together with the CCD, CEGORN, GreenViet, and WildAct, submitted a joint petition to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ninh Binh Province. The petition calls for the establishment of a Species and Habitat Conservation Area for the Delacour’s Langur in Kim Bang, Ninh Bình – home to the second-largest population of this critically endangered species in the world.

Delacour’s langur (Trachypithecus delacouri) is an endemic primate species classified as Critically Endangered in the Vietnam Red Data Book and the IUCN Red List. With an estimated population of about 120–150 individuals, the Kim Bang limestone forest is currently home to the world’s second-largest population of this species, only after the population in Vân Long Nature Reserve. This area also hosts a unique ecosystem with several rare and valuable species, such as the
Pygmy Slow Loris, the Indochinese Serow, the Huong Son Gecko, Venus Slipper Orchids,
and the Golden Camellia.

Since 2016, conservation organizations and relevant government agencies have proposed the establishment of the Species and Habitat Conservation Area for the Delacour’s Langur in Kim Bang. The People’s Committee of Ha Nam Province* conducted field surveys, prepared documentation, and coordinated with relevant departments to finalize the proposal. By 2023, the project, designating a core area of 3,182 hectares, was completed and included in the National Forestry Plan. However, the conservation area has not yet been officially established and remains under the management of the Kim Bang–Thanh Liem Forest Protection Unit, which has very limited resources.

The petition includes four key recommendations:

• Urgently establish the Kim Bang Delacour’s Langur Conservation Area to protect this critically endangered population and fulfill Vietnam’s international biodiversity commitments.
• Restore areas affected by mining and gradually expand the conservation area to ensure ecological connectivity and ecosystem recovery.
• Review development projects that could threaten the conservation area, ensuring economic development aligns with environmental protection.
• Mobilize collaboration and conservation resources, integrating biodiversity conservation into provincial development plans and aligning with national and international initiatives such as the 30×30 target under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The establishment of this conservation area is not only an urgent measure to protect one of the world’s rarest primates but also a strategic step to promote ecotourism and sustainable development and strengthen Ninh Binh Province’s leadership in green transition efforts.

The Petition: Vietnamese and English translation. 

* Currently, Ha Nam province is a part of Ninh Binh Province following a recent government-led administrative reorganization.