Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam provinces are recognized by the scientists as an important area for Saola which is an endemic species. However Saola is being on the brink of extinction as a result of hunting and demands for timber as well as non-timber products. This paper presents some studied results on applying PGIS and Zonation conservation planning model in researching the distribution and predicting the priority zones of Saola species in Saola landscape that locates along the southern of Thua Thien Hue and the northern of Quang Nam landscape frontier. | JOURNAL OF SCIENCE, Hue University, Vol. 67, No. 4A, 2011 APPLICATION OF PGIS AND ZONATION FOR CONSERVING SAOLA SPECIES IN THUA THIEN HUE AND QUANG NAM PROVINCES, VIETNAM Luong Van Duc1, Ho Dac Thai Hoang2, Nicholas Michael Wilkinson3, Ong Dinh Bao Tri4 1 2 Kumamoto University, Japan College of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University, Vietnam 3 Cambridge University, England 4 WWF Vietnam, Vietnam Abstract. Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam provinces are recognized by the scientists as an important area for Saola which is an endemic species. However Saola is being on the brink of extinction as a result of hunting and demands for timber as well as non-timber products. This paper presents some studied results on applying PGIS and Zonation conservation planning model in researching the distribution and predicting the priority zones of Saola species in Saola landscape that locates along the southern of Thua Thien Hue and the northern of Quang Nam landscape frontier. Community mapping results revealed the quantity distribution of Saola, Zonation then indicated the priority zones for Saola. From this finding, the robust patrol routes for conserving this species were identified with the area of . Keywords: PGIS, systematic conservation planning, Zonation, Saola species, conservation priority zones. 1 Introduction The Saola species is ranked as Critically Endangered by the IUCN [5]. A large number of studies [2],[5], have been implemented to identify the distribution of this species in Vietnam. It seems that the extent of the Saola’s occurrence has declined significantly within these provinces over the past 20 years [6]. However, so far our understanding of the distribution of the Saola species as well as its bio-characteristics in the Truong Son has been modest. The latest researches of Nguyen Xuan Dang et al. (2007), WWF Vietnam’s database or Green Corridor Project initially made the sketch map in point shape-files or recorded the scatter information .
