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Vietnam's Cat Ba archipelago has been designated as a World Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO, a move expected to help preserve the area's natural resources amid expanding tourism and development, officials said Thursday.
The archipelago, part of northern Hai Phong port city's territories, will receive the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s title as a World Biosphere Reserve on April 1.
The area in northern Vietnam is popular with tourists who often visit Cat Ba Island while touring Vietnam's picturesque Ha Long Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin. The archipelago, about 30km northeast of Hai Phong city, covers a area of 26,240ha, including more than 17,000ha of islands and 9,200ha of sea. Cat Ba boasts tropical forests on limestone mountains, mangrove forests, coral reefs, seaweed floors, beaches, caves and a diverse range of flora and fauna species.
The area also has several endemic wildlife species, including the golden-headed langur, one of the most endangered primates in the world.
Scientists have so far discovered more than 2,300 species of fauna and flora, including 741 species of genobenthos, 538 species of benthos, 196 species of fish, 177 species of coral, 74 species of seaweed, and 23 species of salt mash plant. Of these, 60 fauna and flora species have been listed in Vietnam's Red Book of endangered species.
"Now with the recognition by the UNESCO as a world biosphere reserve, we hope and believe Cat Ba will be able to better protect its resources to develop into an attractive tourist destination," said Tran Trung Dung, director of the Hai Phong Administration of Tourism.
International conservationists have expressed concern over the area's rapid development and lack of planning, and the strain it places on the delicate ecosystem. The UNESCO designation divides the area into three zones - the core zone, the buffer zone and transition zone - to help better protect natural resources, Dung said.
The core zone covering 8,500ha of islands and sea has not been directly affected by people's activities, except for some research and supervision work. Next to the core zone is the central buffer zone covering 141ha and the contiguous buffer zone of 7,600ha, which both have great potential for economic development, research, education and entertainment. It also helps protect the core zone. Outside this are two areas of the transitional zone covering 10,000ha in a populated area which has favourable conditions for socio-economic development in combination with sustainable environmental protection.
"It is true that there are some construction projects that do not follow the regulations of the authority," said Nguyen Van Thanh, vice chairman of the Hai Phong People's Committee. "To better manage the area, the city authority has increased the decentralization or delegation of power more to the district level... we also increased the inspection to ensure the observation of the construction regulation."
Thanh said plans also have been made to ensure there aren't water and power shortages on Cat Ba Island.
The UNESCO designation was made in Paris on Dec. 29, but Vietnamese officials didn't make an official announcement until Thursday.
Cat Ba archipelago will be the fourth site in Vietnam recognized as one of the UNESCO's world biosphere reserves after Can Gio, Cat Tien and the Red river delta.
In the near future, the biosphere reserve of Cat Ba will become an attractive tourist hub for thousands of Vietnamese and foreign visitors.
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