Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

Ornithological information A total of 177 bird have so far been recorded at Lo Go Sa Mat (Tordoff et al 2002). Aside from the key species species listed above, the presence of several species of national conservation concern in Vietnam (Anon, 1992) has been confirmed by Tordoff et al (2002). These include Stork-billed Kingfisher Halycon capensis, Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans, Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus and Bar-bellied Pitta Pitta elliotii. Based on the habitats present and the list of birds currently confirmed for the site, a number of other species of conservation may also possibly occur at Lo Go Sa Mat. These include Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus, White- shouldered Ibis Pseudibis davisoni and Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis, amongst others (Tordoff et al 2002).

Site description Located in the northwestern corner of Tay Ninh province adjacent to the international border, Lo Go Sa Mat contains the single largest area of forest within Tay Ninh, accounting for roughly 25% of the province's total natural forest cover (Birdlife International, 2001). Aside from two rapid surveys (Le Trong Trai and Tran Hieu Minh, 2000; Tordoff et al 2002), the fauna of the Nature Reserve has received relatively little study so far, although the occurrence of several mammal species of conservation concern has been confirmed at the site (Tordoff et al 2002). Of particular interest, reports have been received regarding the presence of Siamese Crocodile, which if confirmed, would be of great significance for conservation (Le Trong Trai and Tran Hieu Minh, 2000).

Populations of IBA trigger species

Protected areas

Protected area	Designation	Area (ha)	Relationship with IBA	Overlap with IBA (ha)
Lo Go-Sa Mat	Nature Reserve	10,000	protected area contained by site	0

Habitats

Land use

Other biodiversity Ten species of mammal recorded at the Nature Reserve are also listed in the Red Data Book for Vietnam (Anon, 1992), although this includes six species recorded during interview only which should therefore be considered provisional. Two captive specimens of Hylopetes alboniger were observed in Hoa Hiep commune during October 2001, which were reportedly captured in the Nature Reserve. Other key mammal species which are confirmed to occur at the site include Nyticebus pygmaeus, Macaca nemestrina and M. fascicularis (Tordoff et al 2002). Of particular interest, unconfirmed reports have been received regarding the continued presence of Siamese crocodile Crocodylus siamensis in the Vam Co river which forms the international to the west of the Nature Reserve (Le Trong Trai and Tran Hieu Minh, 2000). One specimen was also reportedly captured prior to 2001 in the Vam Co river, upstream of the Nature Reserve, inside Cambodia (Tordoff et al 2002).

Management considerations Biodiversity at the site is threatened by infrastructure development, human settlement, wetland drainage and conversion to agriculture, logging and exploitation of other forest resources, including wildlife hunting.

Further web sources of information 

Site account from Directory of Important Bird Areas in Vietnam: key sites for conservation (Tordoff 2002)

Related state of the world's birds case studies

• Identification of Lo Go Xa Mat as an IBA in Vietnam resulted in its being declared a national park

References Tordoff, A.W., Pham Trong Anh, Le Manh Hung, Nguyen Dinh Xuan and Tran Khac Phuc (2002) A rapid bird and mammal survey of Lo Go Sa Mat special-use forest and Chiang Riec protection forest, Tay Ninh province, Vietnam. Birdlife International Vietnam Programme and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, and Tay Ninh Provincial Department of Science, Technology and the Environment.Anon. (1992) [red data book of Vietnam, volume 1: animals.] hanoi: Science and Technics Publishing House. (In Vietnamese.)Birdlife International and the Forest Inventory and Planning Instutute (2001) Sourcebook of existing and proposed protected areas in Vietnam. Hanoi, Vietnam: BirdLife International Vietnam Programme and the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute.Le Trong Trai and Tran Hieu Minh (2000) A rapid field survey of the Kalon Song Mao Nature Reserve (Binh Thuan province) and Lo Go Sa Mat Nature Reserve (Tay Ninh province), Vietnam. Hanoi: Birdlife International Vietnam Programme and the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute.

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Lo Go Xa Mat. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013

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