The project, titled "Raising Our Voices to Protect the Saola and Ecosystems for Nature and People", aims to strengthen the capacity and participation of social organizations in biodiversity conservation, particularly in safeguarding the Saola – a rare and precious species dubbed the "Asian unicorn." It also seeks to raise awareness among communities and stakeholders, contribute to the improvement of wildlife protection policies, and curb the illegal trade and consumption of wild animals in Huế City. In addition, the initiative supports the implementation of Vietnam's National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2050.  The Saola is listed as critically endangered in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Vietnam Red Data Book. Photo: WWF.By the end of June 2025, the project will focus on building capacity and encouraging the involvement of social organizations, local communities, and other stakeholders to implement effective wildlife protection policies and end illegal wildlife trafficking. By September 2025, public awareness campaigns will spread the message about the importance of biodiversity conservation and Vietnam's role in protecting wildlife through communication and outreach activities across local communities. Through June 2026, patrol and protection efforts for the Saola and other wildlife within the Saola Nature Reserve will be reinforced and maintained. This includes patrol support, equipment provision, and conservation knowledge and experience sharing. The Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) is one of the world's rarest and most enigmatic mammals. It was first discovered in 1992 in the Annamite Mountains, along the border between Vietnam and Laos. Due to its rarity and elusiveness, the Saola has earned the nickname "Asian unicorn." The last confirmed sighting in Vietnam was in 2013 when a camera trap captured an image of a saola in a forest in Quảng Nam. Since then, this mysterious species has almost vanished from Vietnamese forests. In early 2025, Huế authorities established the Saola Nature Reserve, covering over 19,000 hectares, to protect the region's natural forests in the Central Annamites and conserve wildlife species listed in the Red Data Books. The Saola is a symbolic species representing the evolutionary history of the Annamite Mountains. It is endemic to this mountain range and found only in six provinces in Vietnam and four in Laos. |