Bái Tử Long National Park, located in Vân Đồn District, Quảng Ninh Province, is effectively implementing forest protection and preserving biodiversity within its plant and animal communities.
In 2005, the management board of Bái Tử Long National Park collaborated with Vân Đồn District to establish the park’s boundaries both on maps and in the field; they set up 27 boundary markers to define the park’s map, which encompasses five communes within the conservation area and buffer zone: Bản Sen, Quan Lạn, Minh Châu, Hạ Long, and Vạn Yên. Additionally, four control stations were established in the areas of Lỗ Hố, Minh Châu, and C15, along with three patrol boats conducting regular surveillance along the coastline to promptly prevent violations against the national park, such as illegal logging and hunting of rare animal species.
The management board places significant emphasis on community outreach, providing training sessions for 100 residents to enhance their awareness of the Forest Protection and Development Law applicable within the national park. They published four newsletters with information about the park and collaborated with Frontier-Vietnam and the Vân Đồn District Department of Education to develop an environmental education program, which was introduced to sixth-grade students across the five communes with eight engaging lessons, attracting over 320 teachers and students. In conservation and scientific research efforts, the management board, along with the Wildlife Conservation Society (FFI), conducted four advanced training sessions for park staff on biodiversity research programs combined with sustainable practices in ecotourism.
Bái Tử Long National Park has partnered with Frontier-Vietnam, experts, engineers, and students from the UK, as well as officials from Vietnam National University and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, to carry out two projects: “Research on the Biodiversity of Bái Tử Long National Park” and “Raising Awareness of Biodiversity in Bái Tử Long Bay“. The program has yielded positive results, identifying over 178 species of aquatic plants, 119 species of fish, 132 species of invertebrates, 106 species of corals inhabiting the marine areas, tidal flats, and lagoons, along with numerous endemic raptor species such as the Myanmar Hawk-Eagle, Japanese Sparrowhawk, Black Kite, Red-vented Bulbul, and Hainan Blue Flycatcher.
Currently, the management board is continuing to collaborate with domestic research agencies to conduct deeper studies on the flora and fauna of the marine forest for better conservation outcomes. They are also focusing on investigating marine biodiversity values, researching the conservation of rare seafood species such as abalone and sea cucumbers in the eastern Ba Mùn Islands. They are working with the Minh Châu Farmers’ Union to conserve the rare seafood resource known as sá sùng and are effectively utilizing the central government’s 661 reforestation funding to plant 4 hectares of Trâm trees in Minh Châu and 16 hectares of Pine and Mã Vĩ trees in Soi Nhụ. The goal is to increase forest cover in the primary forest area of Bái Tử Long National Park to over 95% by the end of 2005.
Bái Tử Long National Park was established based on the reclassification of Ba Mùn Nature Reserve under Decision 85/2001/QĐ-TTg by the Prime Minister, covering a total area of 15,783 hectares, which includes 6,125 hectares of forest and forest land, over 40 large and small islands, and 9,650 hectares of marine water surface, tidal flats, and flooded areas. The biodiversity in the park’s forests and marine zones is rich, with several species holding significant value for scientific research and gene conservation. Additionally, Bái Tử Long National Park serves as a landscape conservation area and a historical and cultural preservation site, featuring archaeological sites of ancient Vietnamese inhabitants and remnants of the prosperous Vân Đồn trading port.
Lại Minh Đông
