Making a Plan to Conserve the Gray-Shanked Douc Langur in Vietnam

Song Thanh National Park is one of Vietnam’s largest special-use forests, which are protected areas designated for conserving biodiversity, ecosystems, and cultural heritage, while also allowing for limited scientific research, ecotourism, and environmental education.

The park serves as a crucial corridor for the safe movement of wildlife between four nature reserves, helping to maintain the ecological balance of the region. 

Among the species that depend on these protected pathways is the critically endangered Gray-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix cinerea), a primate native to Vietnam, which has fewer than 1,000 individuals remaining in the wild. To protect this species, in October 2024 USAID led a workshop in Song Thanh National Park to develop a species conservation plan for the Gray-shanked douc langur, including population monitoring, threat mitigation, habitat conservation, and community engagement. The conservation plan will go into effect in 2025, and run until 2030. 

This effort under the USAID Biodiversity Conservation Activity builds on USAID’s 2020 work to support the upgrade of Song Thanh to National Park status, the highest level of protection, fostering an environment where the endangered Gray-shanked douc langur can thrive.