Mr. Bui Van Binh, Vice Chairman of Con Dao People's Committee, highly appreciated Con Dao's tourism potentiality in investment attraction. He also said, tourism will not be developed massively in this island but in combination with ecosystem preservation.
At present, Con Dao's new developing plan is waiting for Government's approval in which enviroment protection must be taken into account. No projects, even the licensed ones, are allowed to proceed until the master plan is approved.
Selective investment attraction
Con Dao, a wild archipelago comprising of 16 islands with the most spectacular beaches and coral reef systems of Vietnam, is located 180 km south of Vung Tau. Furthermore, Con Dao is home to rare organism such as marine turtles and sirenians.
Each year, Con Dao welcomes about 35,000 - 40,000 tourists, less than Phu Quoc or Nha Trang's arrivals, because of its choppy sea during 6 months per year.
At present, about 14,000 ha of sea and 6,000 ha of forests are strictly protected by Con Dao National Park while the residential area is settled outside the area.
Director of Con Dao National Park, Mr. Le Xuan Ai said that Con Dao's ecosystem tourism potentiality is large, which helps their habitants earn money, but tourist activities could affect widely on marine system. "The question is that how to select investors having a good understanding of bio-diversity" said Ai.
He emphasized: "This island features great historic value and is a scared area of the country. Its values will be always preserved until we get chance to turn it into a sustainable heaven of Vietnam."
Recently, Con Dao National Park released documents to re-organize tourist activities on small islands, otherwise crowded arrivals will badly affect the environment of island.
Furthermore, natural disasters and human activities caused bad influences on the island's ecosystems such as Linda storm in 1997, the gradual warming phenomenon of sea water, and fish-catching activities of local fishmen.
Appropriate occupation changing
In 2006, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Global Environment Fund (GEF) planed to spend $ 1,8 million for the ecosystem environment preservation project in Con Dao, which aims to help local people and authorities comprehend deeply about resources preservation through making a good condition for them to directly join in relevant activities.
In April 2009, 20 Con Dao's fishmen were choosen to plant 40 ha of seaweed basing on this project's support. Until now, their efforts bring to the restoration of seaweed population.
The project also sets up a control system over fish-catching areas, including no fish-catching areas and marine ecological preservation areas.
Translated by Thanh Pham (TITC)
Source: Vietnam urban development and zoning association
