Hello Ecologgers, I recently accepted a terrestrial conservation position on Cat Ba Island one of the larger islands of Ha Long Bay in northern Vietnam. I expect to be in Vietnam for at least 3 years.
I am, of course, researching what I can before I leave, digging up articles focused on local conservation efforts, species lists, geomorphology, ecology, logging, development, and tourism in addition to hunting down GIS layers that pertain to the area, As many of you know I keep a relatively well updated list of sources for resources like this on my blog page, but I am finding that the information on this area is not tremendously abundant. So, if you don't mind, I have several questions, especially for those of you who may have experience working in the area: - Do any of you know where I might find species lists, especially of plants, for Cat Ba Island? I found some mammal, herp, and very general bird lists, but little on the plants. - Do any of you know of Vietnam specific GIS layers? Most of what I've found is very general and of poor resolution. - Information resources specific to the Ha Long bay drowned karst geology? I have a number of sources for karst landforms in general, but most are general in nature and focused either on China, Spain, Italy, Croatia, or the USA, none of which exhibit the unique features found in Ha Long Bay and Phang Na bay in Thailand. - Most importantly, and advice or important resources/topics I have left out from any of you who have worked on conservation in this region or in Vietnam in general? As you can imagine, I am eager to begin. Thank you all in advance, Neahga Leonard *There is not just a whole world to explore, there is a whole universe to explore, perhaps more than one.* http://writingfornature.wordpress.com/
