Vietnam creates new 7,500-acre reserve to save world’s rarest monkey

Vietnam: Some of Vietnam’s most dramatic mountain scenery will now become a last refuge for one of the world’s most endangered primates.

Authorities in Ninh Binh Province have approved the creation of the Kim Bang Delacour’s Langur Habitat Conservation Area — 3,182 hectares (about 7,860 acres) of karst limestone pinnacles and pristine forest dedicated to saving the Delacour’s langur.

Named after the French biologist who first identified it, the critically endangered langur is hanging by a thread, with just 17 isolated populations totalling around 250 individuals left in the wild in northern Vietnam.

Strictly guarded coreThe new reserve, spread across the wards of Ly Thuong Kiet, Tam Chuc and Nguyen Uy, includes Tam Coc — the UNESCO-listed landscape of rice fields, lazy rivers and emerald-covered limestone towers.

According to Vietnam’s DTI News, 4,400 acres will be strictly guarded as core habitat, while another 3,500 acres are earmarked for ecological restoration. Officials say there is no suitable habitat beyond to allow for a buffer zone.

While several national parks exist in the langur’s range, their boundaries don’t fully overlap with where the monkeys actually live. This reserve is meant to close that gap.

The species is slow to recover. Females mature at 4 years, have a 7-month gestation and raise a single infant for 21 months.

Authorities will implement strict monitoring plans, improve overall forest quality, and involve local communities. The project also aims to develop low-impact ecotourism tied to biodiversity protection.

For a monkey facing its most desperate hour, 7,500 acres could be the space that keeps it from disappearing.