MARINE CONSERVATION
( Project VN0011 )
ich coastal and marine habitats are found along Vietnam's
over 1,000km coastline. Only a few, however, such as Halong Bay,
Cat Ba, Son Tra, Con Dao, and some mangrove forests are inside
protected areas. The Ministry of Forestry, which runs the national
nature reserve system, has, at present, no clear mandate to include
marine areas under its jurisdiction, despite the fact that several
marine species such as sea turtles, clams, and corals are clearly
being overharvested.
WWF is helping the Vietnamese authorities develop a marine conservation
programme. This includes designing a system of marine protected
areas, as well as providing input for the marine component of
the national biodiversity action plan (see description of project
VN0017). But before this could be done, information on the status
of these habitats in terms of biological richness, resource utilization,
and conservation potential had to be obtained.
Between January 1993 and August 1994, WWF conducted seven surveys
in Cat Ba, Coto Islands, Hon Mun, Hon Cau, and other important
coral reef areas spread along the length of the country. The surveys
produced a wealth of baseline data, which Vietnam's National Remote
Sensing Centre is already using for sensitivity analyses of oil
production and petroleum processing plans. The local scientists
who participated learned to dive and conduct underwater studies,
exchanging information with the mainly foreign project staff,
several of whom had volunteered their services.
The most important outcome, however, was the government's approval
for establishing the Hon Mun Marine Park in Nha Trang, which is
wellknown for excellent fishing, snorkelling, and scuba
diving. The approval came in May 1994, after months of negotiation
and awareness campaigns. A selection of the highquality
underwater photographs which were taken during the survey were
displayed at a fourday public exhibition: the first Hon
Mun Underwater Photo Contest. This exhibition impressed many government
officials who had never before thought about marine protection.
Besides Hon Mun, WWF hopes the other surveyed sites will soon
be established and developed as marine reserves. Discussions with
both national and provincial authorities as well as local partner
institutions (Haiphong Institute of Oceanography, Nha Trang Institute
of Oceanography, and Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Tropical Biology-Marine
Conservation Unit) are ongoing. WWF is also exploring the possibility
of assisting in research and experimental projects including the
restocking and culture of depleted marine species.
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