Nature Conservation Local Population Challenges Although much of the area was damaged during the American War, today almost all of the PNKB NP is covered by primary forest The Park and the surrounding area is home to more than 500 vertebrate animals and to more than 2500 vascular plant species, of which around 240 animals and 110 plants respectively are listed in the Red Book of Vietnam The Park is also the richest location for primates in Indochina The PNKB NP Region can easily be referred to as a melting pot of ethnicities The Chut (including subgroups of Sach, May, Ruc, Arem and Ma Lieng) as well as the Bru-Van Kieu (including sub-groups of Van Kieu, Khua, Ma Cong and Tri) live in the area Although the influence of the Kinh people cannot be denied, in particular within communities which resettled along Road 12 and the Ho Chi Minh Trail, many of these ethnic minorities still maintain their own customs and traditions • Seasonality and visits of short duration • Visit pressure on few tourism sites • Gap in expectations and experiences of domestic and international visitors • Rapid growth without appropriate management structures in place • Awareness raising for nature conservation • Capacity building of local tourism actors • Networking and stakeholder collaboration, specifically between the private and the public sector • Keeping adverse effects of tourism on ethnic minority groups at a minimum level • Climate change and its adverse effects The PNKB NP and its magnificent cave system clearly display a vast wealth of irreplaceable wonders within Given the Park’s difficult terrain and dense forests, scientists are certain that many more caves and unique flora and fauna are yet to be discovered Raising awareness for the environment in tourism is not merely the responsibility of the government, media, NGOs or businesses Every individual visiting PNKB accepts the responsibility to protect it not only for oneself, but indeed for those who live off and with it, as well as for future visitors who want to experience the Region in the same state it is in today Certain behavioral codes might seem self-evident, but we would like to remind you to neither remove anything from the Park, nor to harm it in any other way Conservation begins with oneself! Sustainable Tourism Today, more than 65,000 people live in more than 150 villages in the buffer zone of the PNKB NP The Park is currently developing alternative livelihood systems for locals who once depended or still depend on the Park’s natural resources This will enable the people to earn a decent living without jeopardising conservation efforts in the Region Tourism is one of the greatest income drivers in the Region, but little of this money reaches those who need it the most Thus, efforts are being made to subtly integrate local livelihood activities into tourism in order to empower ethnic culture, to promote gender equity and to alleviate poverty in the buffer zone Foremost, activities include community-based tourism as well as handicraft developments in the northern Minh Hoa District The project ‘Nature Conservation and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources in the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Region’ is supported by GIZ, KfW and local government and takes on these challenges through participative methods, including the integration of local livelihood activities into tourism, institutional strengthening of local tourism actors, development of a sustainable financing scheme for the National Park, setting up cave management guidelines and product development Sustainable Tourism Sustainable Tourism What is the Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park (PNKB NP) Region all about? How has tourism been developing and what are challenges for its future development? Who is involved in tourism in the Region? How does tourism connect to nature, nature conservation and to the local population? What is my role as a visitor? And what does an institution like the German Agency for International Development have to with tourism? The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park (PNKB NP) is located around 200 km north of Hue in the Central Vietnam Province of Quang Binh and covers approximately 86.000 (+ an extension area of 31.000 ha) In July 2003, PNKB received worldwide acclaim when it was added the UNESCO Natural World Heritage list, acknowledging its universal importance as an outstanding example representing major stages of the Earth’s history, and significant geological processes and features Today, the Park is not only known for its limestone grottoes and caves, but also for its lush forests, covering around 96% of the Park’s area, and for its rich biodiversity From 1920 onwards, the PNKB NP Region was promoted as a tourist destination that was ranked second in Indochina Nowadays, visitor numbers have increased considerably from a couple of ten thousands in the early 2000’s up to nearly 400,000 per year Sustainable Tourism is meant to carefully balance socio-economic and environmental aspects for development in order to secure the long-term integrity of nature and those who live off and with it Yet, along with related concepts like eco- and responsible tourism, the term has lost appeal and meaning with increasingly economically-driven tourist developments in many destinations PNKB with its fast-growing tourism is no different, but the destination is still in its early stages of development and the future activities need to carefully consider the sensitivity of the natural environment and the cultural heritage of the local people in order to not compromise the WHS status Future developments need to consider the natural environment, but also those local, provincial, national and international, private and public actors involved in tourism in PNKB Through strengthening those ties, sustainable practices can be shared and further promoted But why should this be of interest? It is vital to be aware of our fragile environment and how mankind and the environment depend on each other Although it may not be immediately visible or experienced directly, all (in)actions have an impact on the environment Besides Ha Long Bay in northern Vietnam, PNKB thus represents one of only two destinations in Vietnam that have been granted a Natural World Heritage Site (WHS) title The PNKB NP, combined with the Hin Nam No National Protected Area in bordering Lao, forms one of the largest tropical karst areas in the world The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes (Marcel Proust, 1871-1922) © Minh Chien Tourism is often considered as the can-do-it-all alternative for socio-economic development, and even though there is some truth behind this, tourism also creates additional challenges arising from rapid development, the influx of visitors and the use of natural resources This information leaflet aims to briefly present these complex issues with reference to the PNKB NP Region The inter-linkages between tourism, nature conservation and local population(s) in the PNKB Region are explained and some of the challenges for sustainable tourism development are highlighted Phong Nha - Ke Bang Region Project No.9 Quang Trung, Dong Hoi Quang Binh, Vietnam T +84 52 3843179 F +84 52 3850941 E office.pn-kb@giz.de I www.giz.de/viet-nam www.pnkb-quangbinh.org.vn Responsible: Jens Kallabinski Editors: Anna Hübner Truong Si Hong Chau © giz, 2013 Phong Nha – Ke Bang Graphic, Photo Design: Li Migura Development in Tourism ... fragile environment and how mankind and the environment depend on each other Although it may not be immediately visible or experienced directly, all (in)actions have an impact on the environment... developments need to consider the natural environment, but also those local, provincial, national and international, private and public actors involved in tourism in PNKB Through strengthening...Sustainable Tourism What is the Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park (PNKB NP) Region all about? How has tourism been developing and what are challenges for its future development? Who is involved in tourism