Cat Ba alone is rich enough in biodiversity to become a world biosphere reserve. Ha Long alone has also become a UNESCO world heritage site. However, the dossier for the world natural heritage of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba archipelago is still being carried out. This, according to experts, will ensure the integrity of biodiversity in this area. "The strength of Cat Ba is biodiversity. However, the geology of Cat Ba can complement Ha Long to make the picture more complete", Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Tan Van, Director of the Institute of Geology and Minerals, shared.
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But it is also this integrity and diversity that will make the area of the heritage site much larger, as well as much more complicated to manage. Especially when statistics show that there are up to 507 species, 351 genera belonging to 110 families of higher plants. Of which, there are 486 species of magnolias, 17 species of ferns and 20 species of mangrove plants. There are also 66 species of amphibians and reptiles, 77 species of birds and 22 species of mammals. Not to mention, there are up to 17 species of endemic plants found only in Ha Long such as Ha Long jasmine, Ha Long fig, Dai Nhung bitter melon, Ha Long cycad. In addition, there is also the diversity of caves that in recent years have not always been well protected. "It is true that a heritage site managed by two localities will be difficult if not unified," said Associate Professor, Dr. Tong Trung Tin, Chairman of the Archaeological Association.
Policy Unification
Wastewater treatment is an important issue that Ha Long - Cat Ba has to face. At the meeting of the Ha Long - Cat Ba alliance in mid-March, HTM Consulting Company said that research shows that large ships with on-board treatment facilities are fine, but small ships discharge waste in the bay. "Many cruise ships dock at the port on the bay and wait from morning until 12 noon to pick up passengers. Therefore, when there is no facility to collect and treat wastewater, it is difficult to ensure the ship is clean or to treat wastewater before welcoming new passengers," said the HTM representative. According to HTM, currently in Ha Long, there is a Green Sailboat certificate issued to ships that meet environmental standards, but because it is not mandatory, its effectiveness is not widespread. Therefore, captains still say they can find ways to discharge without being fined.
Mr. Nguyen Duy Phu, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Pelican Cruise (Ha Long), said that currently, traditionally built ships cannot install wastewater treatment equipment due to their structure. Therefore, only 10% of the ships in the bay have this equipment, and they are all new ships. “It is also impossible to destroy other ships… In Quang Ninh, if new ships are developed, it is very easy to organize from the beginning. The only way is to replace old ships with new ones, with specific regulations on ships. Then everything will be much better,” he said.
According to the Ha Long Management Board, the current regulations are different in that the age of ships for inspection in Ha Long is shorter than Cat Ba. Therefore, there is a phenomenon of ships that do not meet the quality of inspection in Ha Long being transferred to Cat Ba to operate. Regarding this, Mr. Tran Tan Van said that both localities should raise the standards to protect the environment.
Another issue that needs attention is the amount of gas that will move into the caves of Ha Long - Cat Ba. Currently, according to some studies, there are caves in Ha Long that have been degraded due to exploitation for tourism purposes. Specifically, the amount of some gas has exceeded the permitted standards many times. This will cause the stalactites in the cave to die and affect biodiversity. Meanwhile, biodiversity is the outstanding value of Ha Long - Cat Ba when submitting the dossier to UNESCO.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has provided policy advice to the General Department of Tourism to develop environmental certification for hotels so as not to pollute the bay. In addition, IUCN has also guided localities in conducting their own biodiversity surveys. However, the most difficult thing is that there is currently no stable source of funding to monitor biodiversity. "Heritage brings in thousands of billions of VND in revenue for localities each year, not to mention other indirect sources of revenue, but the management boards do not have a certain budget to monitor biodiversity," said Ms. Pham Thanh Huong, Head of the Culture Department - UNESCO Office in Vietnam. Therefore, according to Ms. Huong, while preparing this heritage dossier, the two management boards of Ha Long and Cat Ba can take this opportunity to propose financial resources to ensure monitoring activities.
Associate Professor Dr. Tran Tan Van also said that in the world, there are even heritages that are cross-border and international. They can still be managed. With Ha Long - Cat Ba, according to him, it is possible to maintain two small management boards under a large executive board in form. “The management decision is unified from above. There are still separate management boards below. Visitors enter at whichever gate, that gate collects money. In China, there are heritages in 3-4 provinces, they also have several gates. Visitors enter at whichever gate, they pay for the ticket there. However, quality standards must be unified,” he said.
Mr. Michael Croft, Chief Representative of UNESCO in Vietnam, said that the most important thing when preparing the dossier for Ha Long - Cat Ba is not whether or not the title is achieved. More important is the journey to the title and after the title. "What we need most is heritage management plans, continuous efforts to manage the heritage," he said.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dau-dau-quan-ly-di-san-thien-nhien-ha-long-cat-ba-185743577.htm
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