Have just finished and submitted the final report to the MacArthur Foundation for the "Conservation and Management of Rattan in the Central Truong Son Mountains of Vietnam" project (see Where Are Those Transects II and Field Books). Productive, fun, and ground-breaking piece of work: 1) six new species of rattan described for the region (go here), 2) largest rattan inventory ever conducted with 960 transects and over 175,000 rattan plants identified, counted, and measured, 3) size-specific growth data collected from 4,500 rattan canes of six commercial species, 4) dissemination of management protocols to 40 villages in central Vietnam, 40 villages in Laos, and 20 villages in Cambodia, and 5) first management plan based on voucher specimens and quantitiative data on rattan density and growth developed for a protected area (Song Thanh N.R.) in Vietnam.
Will miss my annual trips to Vietnam, the long drives from Hanoi to Hue and back, and my frequent e-mails with Dr. Ninh Khac Ban (see Which Rattan Is That?). [NOTE: Image shows field crews at Dakrong Nature Reserve laying out an inventory transect. And smiling (thx, guys)].