Conserving Delacour’s langur in Vietnam

Found only in Vietnam, and with a global population numbering around 200 individuals, Delacour’s langur is on the brink of extinction. Van Long Nature Reserve – with an estimated 120 individuals – harbours the largest known population of this critically endangered species.

In 2016, Fauna & Flora scientists discovered a new population of 40 Delacour’s langurs, the second largest in the world, in a small patch of remnant forest close to Van Long. We are now working with local authorities to establish a new reserve – Kim Bang Species and Habitat Conservation Area – in order to secure the future of this new group, one of only two viable populations left anywhere on the planet.

Severely threatened by hunting and limestone quarrying, Delacour’s langur is in urgent need of conservation intervention. Fauna & Flora is working closely with government agencies and other local partners to halt the cement mining that poses a clear and present danger to the karst limestone habitat on which the species depends for survival, and we have also set up community-led patrol teams that include former hunters.

We are grateful for financial support from the Rainforest Trust and Vietnamese private donors.