The survey identified four rare turtle species in the reserve: the central Vietnamese flowerback box turtle, impressed tortoise, big-headed turtle, and four-eyed turtle, all of which are considered threatened and of high conservation value, the reserve’s management board said.

The central Vietnamese flowerback box turtle is listed as critically endangered in the 2024 Vietnam Red Data Book and the 2026 Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

It was recorded at four different sites within the reserve.

Reserve authorities said the discovery is significant as wild populations of the species have sharply declined because of habitat loss and illegal hunting.

The newly collected data will be added to the reserve’s biodiversity database to support research, management, and long-term conservation planning.

Phong Dien Nature Reserve covers more than 40,760 hectares and represents one of Vietnam’s remaining lowland evergreen forest ecosystems in the central Annamite mountain range, an area considered a global biodiversity hotspot.

The reserve is also home to several rare species, including the saola, yellow-cheeked gibbon, red-shanked douc, Asiatic black bear, and Edwards’s pheasant.