The Ha Long - Cat Ba heritage management needs reform 

Cat Ba is one of the world’s natural biosphere reserves. Ha Long is recognized as a World Heritage Site. And now Vietnam is seeking UNESCO’s recognition of Ha Long – Cat Ba as it believes this will ensure the integrity of biodiversity in the area. 

"The strength of Cat Ba is biodiversity. But the geology in Cat Ba can complement Ha Long to show a more integrated picture," said Dr Tran Tan Van, director of the Vietnam Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources.

However, the diversity makes it more difficult to manage. 

Reports show there are 507 species, 351 genera belonging to 110 higher plants families. These include 486 species of magnolia, 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. There are also 17 species of endemic plants which can be found only in Ha Long. 

“It will be very difficult to manage one heritage site belonging to two localities,” said Tong Trung Tin, chair of the Archaeology Association.

Challenges

Treating waste water is an important issue that Ha Long – Cat Ba will have to face. At a meeting of the Ha Long – Cat Ba Alliance in mid-March, the representative of HTM Consultancy pointed out that, except for large ships which can treat waste water with their own facilities, small ships are discharging waste water to the bay.

 ‘Thuyen Buom Xanh’ (Green Sailing) certificates are granted to ships that meet environmental standards. However, the certification is not mandatory for ship owners so captains try to discharge waste water directly into the bay.

According to Nguyen Duy Phu, chair of Pelican Ha Long Cruise, waste water treatment equipment cannot be installed in ships built in a traditional way because of the fixed structure. Only 10 percent of ships on the bay have the equipment, and all of them are newly built.

Under the Ha Long Bay Management Board, differences in the requirements about ship age are registered in Ha Long and Cat Ba. As a result, the ships that cannot meet  requirements in Ha Long will shift to Cat Ba to operate.

Van said both localities need to improve standards to the same level to protect the environment.

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Kim Chi