A landscape on the brink

The Annamites are an acknowledged haven of biodiversity, including animals and plants found nowhere else on the planet, but these irreplaceable landscapes face serious threats from deforestation, forest degradation and habitat fragmentation and are at great risk of being denuded of their unique biodiversity. This threatens not only the wildlife itself but also the livelihoods of the people living in and around this area – many of whom live in extreme poverty and are heavily dependent on forest resources.

Even the parts of the Annamites that are nominally protected face a variety of challenges.

Sam Veasna birders Virachey National Park. Jeremy Holden/FFI

Bird survey in Cambodia’s Virachey National Park. Credit: Jeremy Holden/FFI

Our work in the Annamites

Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has been working in the Annamites since the 1990s. Our groundbreaking research in areas such as Cambodia’s Virachey National Park has helped bring to the fore the vital importance of these landscapes for both wildlife and people, and our community-centred approach is helping to ensure that the people living in this area are able to participate fully in the design and creation of new protected areas and to take ownership of forest protection and monitoring.

Our wide range of work in this area also includes providing technical support to the parks through capacity building and scientific monitoring of wildlife (including gibbon and elephant populations) and working with communities to develop sustainable livelihood initiatives.