Grantee Spotlight: Long Vu
Credit: Fauna & Flora
On the Edge Fund, Conservation grantee spotlight
05/05/2025
Long’s story short: this is one snub nose that desperately needs our attention.
Long Vu has been involved in conservation in Vietnam for over a decade, with a strong focus on marine mammals and endangered primates. He’s now the Director of the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation and Endangered Species (CBES), a small conservation organisation based in Ho Chi Minh City, working to protect Vietnam’s most threatened species. Including one very special, totally spectacular species…
Long’s work
The Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey (TSNM) – just. Look. At. It! Hard to imagine that this even exists; one of the world's most endangered and evolutionarily distinct primates, with fewer than 250 individuals remaining in the wild. Its habitat is restricted to a small and fragmented area in northern Vietnam, making it highly vulnerable to extinction from threats like illegal logging, agricultural expansion, and fuelwood collection.
On the Edge will support Long and his team to monitor the TSNM movement patterns and habitat use using the latest technologies. The team will introduce community-based conservation interventions, including a fuel-efficient stove campaign to help reduce reliance on firewood and deforestation.
Beyond research and habitat protection, this project will also focus on improving local livelihoods by developing sustainable ecotourism and entrepreneurship training programmes, offering alternative income sources for communities that currently depend on forest resources. The project is expected to significantly contribute to both biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development in the region.
Name:
Long Vu
Country of origin:
Vietnamese
Species of choice:
Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey (CR)
Credit: Fauna & Flora
Where to from here?
Catch our Animal Sensemaker episode featuring Stingless bees
In the Amazon and tropical places around the world, armies of stingless bees spend their days collecting nectar from plants and flowers across the forest. Listen here.
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