Hanh Ngo
- Project name: Strengthening conservation of the Crocodile Lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) in Vietnam
- Project site: North-east Vietnam
- EDGE species: Crocodile lizard Shinisaurus crocodilurus
- Active: 2019 - 2022
Biography
Hanh is currently a Master’s student within the Department of Genetics at Vietnam National University. She has previously contributed to field work for the Asian Turtle Program, including surveys on the Vietnamese pond turtle and the Yangtze giant softshell turtle.
Hanh would like to use the Fellowship as an opportunity to learn more about survey methods to research endangered species in the field. She hopes that the skills she will gain in project management will help her in planning and implementing other conservation projects in Vietnam in the future.
EDGE Project
Hanh’s project aims to develop an advanced eDNA protocol to support survey efforts of the crocodile lizard in north-eastern Vietnam. Her objectives are to:
- Develop an advanced, on-site testing eDNA protocol for detecting the crocodile lizard in the field
- Apply this new tool to confirm the presence of the species in previously recorded areas and identify new sites where the species is present
- Estimate the population density in all known sites of the crocodile lizard
- Assess the threats to the species through field surveys and interviews
- Submit a report to the provincial people’s committee and ministry
- Raise awareness of the species, especially related to its threats and conservation, for tourists, local people and schoolchildren in the lizard’s distribution range
