Volunteers join a patrol to protect the grey-shanked douc langur living in Núi Thánh District of Quảng Nam Province. A film on the group won the runner-up prize in the Documentary Shorts Category of Film for the Forest 2023. — VNS Photo Công Thành

A Vietnam-based film, focused on a group of friends within a Tam Mỹ Tây community gathering to protect the grey-shanked douc langur has won the runner-up prize in the Documentary Shorts Category of the Film for the Forest 2023 award, WWF-Việt Nam said.

The film, a co-production of WWF-Việt Nam and Melt Films, was made to honour a volunteer conservation group that inspired their community to protect the last remaining members of this langur species in Núi Thành District of the central province Quảng Nam.

"Langurs in the Tam Mỹ Tây community were once abundant,” said Nguyễn Đình Phước, leading the Change Project, under WWF-Việt Nam.

“But their population was down to about 50 by 2018, clinging on to four small islands of natural forest. Habitat loss, hunting and climate change are the main threats. This film shows the power of dedicated and passionate people working together.”

The film, Tam Mỹ Tây, features a group of friends creating a community patrol to protect the grey-shanked dour langur. As plantations divide langur habitats across central Việt Nam, a forest smallholder realises the pressures faced by these langurs and seeks help from his community with the support of WWF-Việt Nam and the Centre of Biodiversity Conservation.

The grey-shanked douc langur is a critically endangered species of monkey living in the forest of Tam Mỹ Tây commune of Quảng Nam Province. Photo courtesy of Nguyễn Ái Tâm

“We all have a stake in the grey-shanked douc langur’s future. It is an example of the need to find balance with nature and prioritise co-existence. The village of Tam Mỹ Tây has developed a tight bond with the langurs and – maybe because of that – with each other. I hope their story inspires other communities to follow their lead and to realise the power they hold to change things”, said James Thomson, the director of Tam Mỹ Tây.

Launched in 2010 by the Rainforest Partnership, Films for the Forest is an annual short film collection and a platform for filmmakers around the world to share stories of forests worldwide. Highlighting their beauty and rich biodiversity, the threats they face and renewal opportunities for forests, the theme for 2023 is “Living Forests, Thriving Future”.

Eighty-three films from filmmakers in 26 countries submitted entries in five categories of short films and Tam Mỹ Tây is among ten selected. These winning films will be presented at Films for the Forest screenings and by the Rainforest Partnership. Tam Mỹ Tây has already been selected to be screened at an environmental film festival, IFF Ekotopfilm-Envirofilm 2023 in Slovakia in September 2023.

The WWF-Việt Nam and GreenViet have been working together on a project to protect the grey-shanked douc langurs in the province’s Núi Thành District since 2020.

The year-long project helped improve forest patrol skills to protect a herd of grey-shanked douc langurs – living in Tam Mỹ Tây Commune.

A fire-free zone was set up on a 70-ha log farm – a safe habitat for the animals. 

Quảng Nam Provincial People’s Committee had been seeking a fund of $4.4 million to restore a 100ha area as a safe habitat for the animals . 

According to a report by the provincial Forest Protection Division, a herd of about 50 gray-shanked douc langurs was found living in the area in 1997.

The local community and district rangers established a voluntary team to protect the endangered primates from being hunted.

According to Dr. Hà Thăng Long, head of the Frankfurt Zoological Society, some 1,000 gray-shanked doucs have been found in forests of five provinces, including Quảng Nam, Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định, Kon Tum and Gia Lai.

The gray-shanked douc langur is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list as one of the world’s 25 critically endangered primates. — VNS