Conservation and range restoration of ten threatened Fagaceae species in Laos and Vietnam

Conservation and range restoration of ten threatened Fagaceae species in Laos and Vietnam

Partner: Association of Friends of Pha Tad Ke Botanical Garden
Years: 2024-2027

For this project, a regional team from several organisations that span Vietnam and Laos is established with the aim of improving collaboration and the capacity to identify, collect and propagate threatened Fagaceae species. This should result in a significantly increased representation in ex situ collections and inclusion in restoration efforts in critical buffer zones and other sites that are in need of reforestation.

Southeast Asia is a biodiversity hotspot for plants, with hundreds of species in the Fagaceae group alone. However, these species face a number of threats in this region such as habitat loss, lack of protection and lack of phenology/germination data. Indeed, more information is also needed to better understand the distribution of these species to better protect them in the wild and in living collections.
To address these threats, a regional and collaborative team that spans Vietnam and Laos from organisations such as Pha Tad Ke Botanical Garden, Alliance for Conservation Tree Genomics, Dalat University and Vietnam National University of Forestry will identify, collect and propagate threatened Fagaceae species to increase their representation in ex situ collections and to include them in restoration efforts. Additionally, training materials, reference guides (incl. propagation protocols) and conservation action plans to identify and prioritise conservation action will be produced, building capacity to implement further conservation and research efforts for these threatened trees. Overall, utilising and building expertise in Laos and Vietnam, this collaborative project will increase data on the distribution, phenology and propagation of ten threatened Fagaceae (Castanopsis piriformis (VU); Castanopsis ferox (VU); Castanopsis tessellata (VU); Lithocarpus kontumensis (CR); Lithocarpus annamensis (EN); Lithocarpus pachycarpus (VU); Quercus bambusifolia (EN); Quercus edithiae (EN); Quercus quangtriensis (VU) and Quercus xanthotricha (EN)).