GENECOLOGICAL INVENTORIES FOR FOUR DIPTEROCARP SPECIES OF COASTAL SANDY FOREST ECOSYSTEMS IN VIETNAM

1. INTRODUCTION

Dipterocarpaceae is a typical plant family of the tropical forest in South-east Asia. The family has wide distribution ranging from India to the Philippines and contains about 470 species of 13 genera. The natural distribution ranges from Borneo to Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, India, Vietnam and China (Yunan, Quangxi, Quangtung and Hainan Island). Dipterocarpaceae has 6 genera and about 50 species in Vietnam where the main natural distribution is in moist and dry tropical forest in South Vietnam (Pham Hoang Ho, 1999; Nguyen Hoang Nghia, 2002).

Due to wars and over-exploitation during the past, the forest resource containing dipterocarp species was reduced at a considerable rate in both area and quality. It is clear that conservation and development of dipterocarp species becomes at present more imperative than any other time.

2. RESEARCH SPECIES

There are two dipterocarp species groups that require urgent conservation efforts are:

· Dipterocarp species of evergreen broadleaved forest ecosystem,

· Dipterocarp species of coastal sandy soil forest.

These two forest ecosystems are very sensitive, easily be influenced, destroyed, difficult to protect and restore.

Sandy soil areas along the coast play a significant role in maintaining protection forest belts and landscape for local people’s livelihood. Some dipterocarp species have been found as the main components of the coastal sandy soil ecosystem in the past, however at present, they have been exploited severely, their resource become depleted and some species are facing danger of extinction.

The four especially important dipterocarp species occurred in coastal sandy soil ecosystem and involved in genecological surveys (and their degree of endangerment occording to IUCN’s categories, IUCN 1994) are:

CR: Critically endangered: It is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future, as defined by any of the criteria A to E

EN: Endangered: It is not Critically Endangered but is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future, as defined by any of the criteria A to E

VU: Vulnerable: It is not Critically Endangered or Endangered but is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future, as defined by any of the criteria A to D (IUCN 1994).

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