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DNO - Da Nang has been implementing a range of effective measures to conserve and protect its wild elephant herd as recent monitoring has provided encouraging signs of natural reproduction.
In late 2025, the Da Nang Special-Use Forest Management Board received reports from local residents and the specialized forest protection team at the Que Lam Forest Protection Station about the presence of elephant calves within the reserve.
Therefore, from February 8 to 15, 2026, the unit deployed 45 camera traps across 15 locations spanning three forest sub-zones to monitor the elephant herd.
In April 2026, the unit retrieved the equipment and collected field data. The results recorded around nine individual elephants, including two calves estimated to be around six and two years old, respectively. This has been the largest number of elephants recorded in the protected area to date.
Notably, the presence of elephant calves of different ages is a positive sign, indicating that the herd’s natural reproduction remains stable.
The finding also provides an important basis for the management board to continue monitoring changes in the population, its habitat and the range of areas used by the herd in the coming period.
As part of its biodiversity management and conservation efforts, the Da Nang Special-use Forest Management Board is implementing various measures and gradually applying science and technology.
Currently, the management board is simultaneously using two camera-trap monitoring methods: systematic camera-trap biodiversity surveys and targeted camera-trap biodiversity monitoring.
Combining these two methods provides data for assessing the current state of biodiversity while increasing the likelihood of detecting rare species that are difficult to observe directly in the field.
For the elephant herd, camera traps also help record its population, the presence of calves, its activities and the areas of habitat it uses at different times.
Camera traps are currently the primary method used to monitor the elephant herd.
In the coming period, the management board plans to conduct additional monitoring using unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with thermal imaging cameras.
In addition, the Que Lam Forest Protection Station regularly updates information on the herd’s activities in its monitoring records based on observations reported by forest protection officers and local residents.
Since the beginning of the year, the unit has issued several plans to raise awareness among local residents and encourage them to join efforts to protect forests in general and the elephant herd in particular,
Moreover, it has worked with domestic and international organizations to implement various activities supporting conservation and reducing human-elephant conflict.
Included has been the project “Promoting Sustainable Coexistence Solutions between Humans and Elephants toward the Conservation of the Asian Elephant Population in the Elephant Species and Habitat Conservation Area,” implemented by HiVOOC Co., Ltd.
Other activities have been carried out under the “Truong Son Xanh” Project, including the establishment of community conservation groups, “Junior Rangers” clubs and village patrol teams.
Through the aforementioned activities, the Da Nang Special-Use Forest Management Board aims to strengthen the participation of communities and stakeholders in conservation efforts, raise their awareness of the value of elephants and forest ecosystems, and gradually build consensus between conservation requirements and the livelihoods of people living in buffer zones.
