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Home > Our Projects > Plant diversity assessment in limestone karsts in Laos and Vietnam
Plant diversity assessment in limestone karsts in Laos and Vietnam
The flora of Indochina, including Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, is known as the Indo-Burma hotspot due to its high species richness and endemism, making it an important site for biodiversity and ecosystem conservation in Southeast Asia. However, a few studies of the flora in these countries are available, and the accumulation of botanical specimens is very small among Southeast Asian countries. Among them, the limestone area is known to have a unique ecosystem with a high percentage of plant species being endemic to this area and many species being in danger of extinction. Therefore, assessing plant diversity in limestone regions of Indochina is an urgent issue for biodiversity and ecosystem conservation.
The purpose of this project is to elucidate the diversity of plant species in the limestone regions of Laos and Vietnam. We collect plant distribution information through field surveys, prepare herbarium specimens to develop a database, train young researchers in plant taxonomy, and return results to the public.
Implementation Organisations (as of 10 April 2023)
Principal investigator
Dr. Shuichiro Tagane
Associate Professor, The Kagoshima University Museum
Collaborators
| Japan | Dr. N. Tanaka (National Science Museum, Tokyo) + one postdoctoral fellow |
|---|---|
| Laos | Dr. P. Souladeth (Faculty of Forest, National University of Laos) + three researchers and one Ph.D. student |
| Vietnam | Dr. V.S. Dang (Institute of Tropical Biology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology) + one researcher and two Ph.D. students |
Project Updates
The survey was conducted in Laos from August 29th to September 12th, 2023.
- Duration of the field survey: September 1st to 7th, 2023
- Location: Forests along the Nam Aan River and limestone karst within the Nam Kading National Protected Area, near Viengthong town (Bolikhamxai Province), east of the capital Vientiane
- Activity photos: PDF 556KB
The survey was conducted in Vietnam from December 17 to 27, 2023.
- Duration of the survey: December 17 to 27, 2023
- Location: Nui Chua National Park in Ninh Thuan Province, Vietnam
- Activity photos: Field survey in Nui Chua National Park, Ninh Thuan Province, Vietnam (PDF 5.6MB) created by Associate Prof. Tagane
The survey was conducted in Laos from March 13th to 24th, 2024.
- Duration of the field survey: March 14th to 20th, 2024
- Location: Nam Kading National Protected Area, Bolikhamxay Province, central Laos, and its adjacent areas including a part of Khammouane Province
- Activity photos: PDF 23MB
The survey was conducted in Vietnam from June 29 to July 12, 2024. The outline of the field survey is as follows:
- Duration of the field survey: July 2 to 8, 2024
- Location: Kien Giang and An Giang Provinces, southern Vietnam
- Activity photos: PDF 20MB
The survey was conducted in Laos from September 2 to 13, 2024.
- Duration of the field survey: September 3 to 9, 2024.
- Location: limestone karst and lowland forest areas in Khammouan Province, central Laos.
- Activity photos: PDF 13.7MB
The survey was conducted in Vietnam from December 3 to 14, 2024.
- Duration of the field survey: December 5 to 12, 2024.
- Location: Phong Nha-Ke Bang Quang Binh Provinces, North Central Coast Vietnam.
Project Reports & Deliverables
Scientific papers
- Kongxaisavath, D., S. Tagane, T. Yamamoto, T. Vongthavone, P. Phonepaseuth, T.B. Vuong, P.Q. Trong, and P. Souladeth. 2023. Flora of Nam Kading National Protected area VIII: Additional new records of flowering plants Nat. Hist. Bull. Siam Soc., 65 (2): 85–92.
(Click here for the Siam Society website) - Yamamoto T., P. Souladeth, P. Phonepaseuth, D. Kongxaisavath, T. Vongthavone, T.B. Vuong, P.Q. Trong, K. Souvannakhoummane, and S. Tagane. 2024. Nymphanthus namkadingensis, a new species of Phyllanthaceae from Laos. Phytotaxa 650(3): 199-205.
(Click here for Phytotaxa website) - Phonepaseuth P., T.B. Vuong, P. Souladeth, T. Yamamoto, T. Vongthavone, D. Kongxaisavath, P.Q. Trong, and S. Tagane. 2024. Two new records of fairy lanterns,
Thismia (Thismiaceae) for the Flora of Laos. Thai Forest Bulletin (Botany) 52(2): 56-61.
(Click here for Thai Forest Bulletin (Botany) website)
Pictorial books
- Yamamoto, T., V.-S. Dang, P. Souladeth, B.V. Truong, Q.B. Nguyen, Q.T. Pham, T.V. Nguyen, K. Yamazaki, D. Kongxaisavath, and S. Tagane. 2024. A Photo Guide to Plants of Nui Chua National Park. The Kagoshima Univ. Mus., Kagoshima Univ.
(Click here for downloading the PDF 129MB)
Nagao Natural Environment Foundation
4-20-9 Midori, Sumida-ku
Tokyo 130-0021 Japan
Phone : +81-3-6659-2070
Fax : +81-3-6659-2272