Assessment of conservation status of orchids (family Orchidaceae) in Vietnam
Vietnam has many rare species of orchids, but they are gradually disappearing because they are exploited in an extermination way and are not effectively preserved.
Realizing that, Dr. Tran Huy Thai and a research team from the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology) collaborated with the Komarov Botanical Institute (Russia) to develop a list of threatened orchid species. in Vietnam and propose measures to protect these orchids.
The research team conducted field surveys in several northern provinces of Vietnam (Lao Cai, Dien Bien, Cao Bang...) to collect data for newly assessed species and need additional assessment (classification), distribution and conservation status, number of individuals, photos, etc. of threatened orchid species. Next, the team assessed the status of threatened orchid species in Vietnam according to standards and criteria classified by IUCN (2018) and Averyanov (2011, 2019) and made a List of Endangered Orchid Species (Very Endangered - CR, Endangered - EN and Vulnerable - VU).
After 2 years of carrying out the mission, the mission has built a list of 200 currently selected threatened orchid species in Vietnam. Of these, 75 species are classified as critically endangered (CR), 74 species are classified as endangered (EN) and 51 species are classified as Vulnerable (VU). There are 16 species listed in the Red Book of Vietnam, the rest is a new assessment of 184 species, bringing the total number of threatened orchid species in Vietnam to 252 species, of which 114 species are endemic to Vietnam, 27 species are endemic to Vietnam species listed in Appendix IA and 173 species in Appendix IIA under Decree No. 84/2021 of the Government.