PanNature Launches New Van Ho Field Office to Support Local Conservation Partnerships

In March 2026, PanNature’s Van Ho Field Office officially moved to a new location, marking an important step in strengthening the organization’s long-term presence and conservation work in the Northwestern Mountains of Vietnam.

Located in the center of Van Ho commune, Son La province, the new field office sits within a landscape of exceptional ecological importance. The surrounding area includes natural forests, restoration sites, and biodiversity-rich habitats that support a range of native species, including the Northern White-cheeked Gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys), one of Vietnam’s most significant and threatened primates. The landscape also holds strong potential for forest restoration, native tree propagation, and community-based conservation efforts.

Van Ho has become a priority landscape for PanNature’s long-term work on biodiversity conservation, ecological restoration, and sustainable land stewardship. Over the years, the area has offered valuable opportunities for field-based learning, wildlife monitoring, habitat assessment, nursery development, and practical experimentation with restoration approaches suited to mountainous ecosystems in Northern Vietnam.

The new field office occupies a site of approximately 3,000 square meters and includes office space, a nursery area, a tree propagation garden, and other facilities that support field research and restoration activities. It provides working space, internet access, a meeting room, kitchen facilities, and three bedrooms that can accommodate approximately 8–10 people, allowing staff, interns, and visiting researchers to stay and work on site.

More than a physical workspace, the Van Ho Field Office is being developed as a collaborative field platform. In March 2026, PanNature and the local authorities in Van Ho formalized a cooperation framework to support joint work in research, ecological restoration, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable agriculture and forestry. This partnership creates a stronger foundation for long-term coordination, helping connect PanNature’s technical expertise with local priorities, local knowledge, and practical action on the ground.

The field office is also intended to deepen collaboration with local communities, who play a central role in protecting forests, restoring degraded land, and maintaining the ecological health of the landscape. By working alongside village communities, local forest users, and commune-level stakeholders, PanNature hopes to strengthen community-linked stewardship models that combine conservation goals with local livelihoods, environmental awareness, and shared responsibility for nature.

Looking ahead, the Van Ho Field Office will serve as a practical base for research coordination, field surveys, nursery development, restoration activities, environmental education, and pilot conservation initiatives. It is also expected to become a place where local communities, young researchers, students, and partners can come together to learn, exchange ideas, and contribute to the long-term recovery of forests and biodiversity in Van Ho and the wider Northwestern Mountains.