Other things that we found that were very interesting included the arthropod diversity--this is an explanation for why we take entomologists. I'm sure some of you said that to yourselves, why would you want insects and what do they have to do with conservation? Well, the diversity of parasitic wasps at this site was extremely high. In fact, it was one of the highest for places that our scientists have ever been. Several species were from a genus new to science. That's not unusual for insects. But the organisms that were found were organisms that prey on wood-boring beetles and these could serve as natural control agents for the beetles that consume the valuable timber products in Vietnam. So that is an area that remains, a door we've opened that remains to be studied.

Our preliminary recommendations from this expedition were that the Huong Son forest in the north and the site further to the south should be included in the protected area systems and that would be an ideal way to increase the size and connectivity of the existing reserves. WWF is encouraging the Loatian government to look at contiguous areas to make a larger reserve. If the Vietnamese and Loatian areas were included in this reserve, it could be one of the largest trans-boundary protected areas in Asia which would be an exciting and important move forward for the Indo-Chinese biodiversity.

Narrative Index

Table of Contents

BioForum Index

AE Partners Collection Index

Activities Exchange Index