We are delighted to announce that we have a new staff on board, Giang, who will work as field biologist for our organization. We want to convey our profound gratitude to our donors for fueling the growth of our organization with your consistent contributions.
Giang proudly earned his Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences from Maejo University in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2020. However, it was in 2021 that his journey took a significant turn. For almost two years, he courageously counteracted the perilous world of wildlife trafficking networks across five central provinces in Vietnam, a known hotspot for such illicit activities. Giang now aspires to further contribute to wildlife conservation in his native area, Ninh Binh province, where Three Monkeys Wildlife Conservancy is at the forefront of protecting the area’s unique biodiversity.
Your support plays a vital role in empowering individuals like Giang, and his presence in our team will undoubtedly enhance our conservation efforts in Vietnam.
INTERNATIONAL PRIMATE EXPERTS UNITED
AT THE 8TH ASIAN PRIMATE SYMPOSIUM IN VIETNAM
Following the success of the seven previous Asian Primate Symposiums, Vietnam hosted in November 2022 the 8th Asian Primate Symposium. Vietnam, with its diverse ecosystem harboring 24 species and two subspecies of primates, is the ideal location for primatologists to converge and discuss their research and conservation work. This symposium was organized by Three Monkeys Wildlife Conservancy in collaboration with the Vietnam National University of Forestry, for which reason, the university was chosen for the event to take place.
The 8th Asian Primate Symposium lasted four days, from the 13th to the 16th of November 2022. More than 150 experts, researchers, and conservationists working in 91 organizations from more than 20 countries worldwide participated in the symposium.
The symposium kickstarted in the evening by warmly welcoming the participants, for which a cozy and fun icebreaking dinner was organized. The following day, November 14th, the opening ceremony officially occurred with the attendance of governmental officials, renowned scientists, journalists, and all participants of the symposium.
During the two days of 14th and 16th November, 62 presentations and discussions were given by the partakers to share new research, knowledge, or experiences in primate conservation in their countries. The presentations were divided into different sessions covering the following main themes: 1) Human – Nonhuman primate interactions and conflicts, 2) Genetics & Conservation, 3) Conservation, 4) Conservation and Behavior, 5) Conservation of gibbons, 6) Drone survey methods, and 7) Behavior (ethology).
Besides the oral presentations, attendees shared their research through poster presentations during the symposium’s poster session. All participants had also plenty of animated discussions during the sessions, tea breaks, and even during meals.
On November 15th, the attendees went on an excursion trip to Cuc Phuong National Park, Ninh Binh Province, and visited three rescue centers. The trip was enthusiastic as people could better understand the conservation work of wildlife in Vietnam.
The symposium had the pleasure of the participation of two talented Vietnamese wildlife artists: Dao Van Hoang and Nguyen Tien Dung. Alongside, the organizing committee also created an exhibition in parallel consisting of photographs representing all 24 species of Primates in Vietnam.
We strongly believe that the vibrant social environment provided by the symposium created an excellent opportunity for the primate scientists and stakeholders to connect and exchange knowledge, from which they can contribute better to their national as well as regional conservation work. The symposium also further enhanced the possibility of networking, thereby encouraging future collaboration between individuals and partnerships between different organizations.
We expect the overall outcome of this symposium to have a long-lasting effect beyond the time frame of the actual event, especially by contributing to the capacity building of the attendees and by strengthening a well-connected interdisciplinary community of primatologists and primate stakeholders operating in Asia.
Without the kind support of all sponsors and stakeholders, the 8th Asian Primate Symposium could not have been that successful. We would like to send our sincerest thanks to our sponsors: WWF Vietnam, Re:Wild, Frankfurt Zoological Society, American Society of Primatologists, Leipzig Zoo, and all contributions of the 150 participants, as well the considerable support and dedication of our volunteers.
See you all at the 9th Asian Primate Symposium!
A CONTENTED AND UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE FOR
GIBBON EXPERTS
The 3rd International Gibbon Husbandry, Health, and Conservation Conference took place in Vietnam from the 17th to the 19th of November, 2022. The conference happened right after the 8th Asian Primate Symposium organized at the Vietnam National University of Forestry from the 13th to the 16th of the same month. The conference was organized by Three Monkeys Wildlife Conservancy with a contribution of the Vietnam National University of Forestry, and was facilitated by IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group – Section on Small Apes. A total of 40 delegates from over 12 countries came together to focus on gibbon conservation.
During the first two days of the conference, the experts had several individual presentations, workshops, and group discussions to achieve common goals. Presentations focussed on conservation, health, and husbandry initiatives including research into species identification, illegal trade, activity budgets, and species management. Husbandry and health continue to advance with insights into disease prevention, management techniques, and cognition. Workshops facilitated discussion with clear actions identified for participants to work on with a focus on habitat protection and One Plan approaches and collaboration between organisations.
On the last day, November 19th, the group had a one-day excursion to Cuc Phuong National Park in Ninh Binh province, where they were introduced to Vietnam’s conservation and rescue work. In the afternoon, the partakers came to Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve so as to gaze at the natural habitat of the largest population of Delacour’s langur in Vietnam. It was such an auspicious day since the group saw about 20 langurs of different ages moving on the karst mountains. This trip was a contented, unforgettable one for all specialists and a beautiful ending for their visit to Vietnam.
We kindly thank IUCN for their tremendous support, which constitutes the success of the conference. We would like to thank also all the experts that joined and contributed to the conference and all the volunteers. Without them, the conference could not have been that successful. See you all at the 4th International Gibbon Conference.
Read also:
IUCN Newsletter about this event
We are delighted to announce that the 3rd International Gibbon Husbandry, Health and Conservation Conference will take place in Hanoi, Vietnam from the 17th to the 18th of November 2022.
The 1st International Gibbon Husbandry Conference took place at Greensboro Science Centre, North Carolina in June 2012. In 2015 Perth Zoo hosted the 2nd International Gibbon Husbandry and Conservation Conference. The 2022 conference will have a strong focus on conservation, health management and all aspects of husbandry.
The main objective is to bring together leading experts on in-situ gibbon conservation, together with gibbon husbandry and veterinary specialists, with a focus to share learning and improve practices and to build alliances for more effective and better coordinated species conservation planning.
The 8th Asian Primate Symposium, the largest of its kind in Asia, will take place from the 13th to the 16th of November 2022 in Hanoi, Vietnam. It provides primate experts and stakeholders with a vibrant social environment where they can share their findings, views, and ideas regarding diverse topics, ranging from ethology, ecology, genetics, taxonomy to conservation. The symposium also promotes collaboration, partnership, and networking and represents as well an excellent forum to explore new funding opportunities for joint proposal development. It will also provide a unique opportunity to get a first-hand insight into Vietnam’s unique rich primate fauna and its conservation work. As such, attendees will visit the Endangered Primate Rescue Center (EPRC) and Van Long Reserve, during which in-situ and ex-situ conservation efforts and challenges will be presented. The symposium is kindly hosted by Vietnam National University of Forestry in Hanoi and organized in cooperation with ‘Three Monkeys Wildlife Conservancy’.
After two years of being strongly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and pausing our activities in Vietnam, Three Monkeys Wildlife Conservancy (TMWC or 3M) has made a vigorous return with many exciting and promising plans ahead. Recently, on the 12th of July, we participated in the Wildlife Support Network in Vietnam’s quarterly meeting, which took place at the Bear Sanctuary Ninh Binh and was hosted by Four Paws Viet. In the meeting, 3M’s Executive Director – Govinda Lienart gave a presentation about our organization and upcoming projects to experts and friends from other member organizations in the network. On that day, Four Paws Viet took us on a tour around the Bear Sanctuary and introduced what they are working on, about the bears and their welfare. After that, we also had the chance to visit the rescue centers in Cuc Phuong National Park, including the Turtle Conservation Center, the Pangolin and Small carnivore Education Centre, and the Endangered Primate Rescue Center. During our visit, we learned more about other organizations’ conservation work and met the adorable animals living there. The quarterly meeting was a precious opportunity for 3M to build more connections with other organizations and individuals working in the field. More exciting news soon!!!
In 2020, Three Monkeys Wildlife Conservancy was deeply involved in the reintroduction trial release of a three-member Delacour’s langur family on the semi-wild Ngoc island in Trang An – UNESCO World Heritage Site. One year later, there is exciting news!
On the 24th of October 2021, a new baby was born. The birth of this very first Delacour’s langur infant is a positive signal for biodiversity preservation in the Trang An area, where this endemic and critically endangered species had entirely disappeared. This first reintroduction step represents great hope by laying the foundation to establish a new reproductive Delacour’s langur population in this area.
This successful project is making headlines in the Vietnamese media (see link), which included a nice picture of our organization’s director of conservation strategies, Tilo Nadler.
[While our organization has been involved in this trial release of Delacour’s langurs into the Trang An World Heritage Site has involved numerous other institutions, organizations, Government authorities and funding, including: FOUR PAWS, the Ninh Binh Provincial People’s Committee, Ninh Binh Department of Tourism, Ninh Binh Forest Protection Department, Trang An Management Board, Vietnam Primate Conservation Program, Endangered Primate Rescue Center (EPRC), Cuc Phuong National Park, the IUCN Primate Specialist Group, Van Long Nature Reserve Management Board, Four Paws Viet Wildlife Conservation Center, Xuan Truong Construction Enterprise, and members of the SUNDASIA research, the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council / Global Challenges Research Fund and the UK Innovation and Research-GCRF Global Impact Acceleration Award]
VIETNAMESE JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
Three Monkeys Wildlife Conservancy is proud to be managing since 2021 the Vietnamese Journal of Primatology, with the support of the German Primate Centre.
The Vietnamese Journal of Primatology has played since its creation in 2007 a unique role in disseminating scientific research about primates in Vietnam. The journal addresses a variety of primate-related research themes, including biology, threats, education, regulation, law enforcement, and conservation. The Editorial Board consists mainly of scientists and wildlife conservationists. The journal has gained scientific importance beyond Vietnam and is indexed in the appreciated list of primatological literature of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group. Besides its publication as hard copy, it’s also available in open access on our website as well as on the IUCN Primate Specialist Group.
ONLINE LIBRARY
EDITORIAL BOARD
EDITOR
Tilo Nadler – Three Monkeys Wildlife Conservancy , Vietnam
Tilo Nadler – Three Monkeys Wildlife Conservancy , Vietnam
CO-EDITORS
Ha Thang Long – Frankfurt Zoological Society, Vietnam
Van Ngoc Thinh – WWF, Vietnam
Christian Roos – German Primate Centre, Germany
Ha Thang Long – Frankfurt Zoological Society, Vietnam
Van Ngoc Thinh – WWF, Vietnam
Christian Roos – German Primate Centre, Germany
EDITORIAL BOARD
Hoang Minh Duc – Southern Institute of Ecology, Vietnam
Le Khac Quyet – Wildlife Consultant, Vietnam
Nguyen Hai Ha – Forestry University, Vietnam
Nguyen Xuan Dang – Institute for Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam
Herbert H. Covert – University of Colorado, USA
Ulrike Streicher – Wildlife Consultant, USA
Govinda Lienart – Three Monkeys Wildlife Conservancy, Belgium
Larry Ulibarri – University of Oregon, USA
Catherine Workman – National Geographic, USA
Hoang Minh Duc – Southern Institute of Ecology, Vietnam
Le Khac Quyet – Wildlife Consultant, Vietnam
Nguyen Hai Ha – Forestry University, Vietnam
Nguyen Xuan Dang – Institute for Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam
Herbert H. Covert – University of Colorado, USA
Ulrike Streicher – Wildlife Consultant, USA
Govinda Lienart – Three Monkeys Wildlife Conservancy, Belgium
Larry Ulibarri – University of Oregon, USA
Catherine Workman – National Geographic, USA
