On a recent business trip to Phu Yen and visiting the Yen islet coral reef protection area, Mr Le Minh Hoan, Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development highly appreciated the model of community managing and protecting the coral reef.
The community group organizing tours, sightseeing and coral viewing of Yen islet
Coral reefs in the coastal waters of Phu Yen province are quite diverse and rich, with about 180 species belonging to 62 genera and 21 families. The total area of coral reefs distributed in the coastal waters of the province is more than 300 hectares, including the 4 main areas of Nom beach - Hoa gulf (more than 15 hectares), Xuan Dai bay and the surrounding area (more than 65 hectares), An Hoa Hai - An Chan - Tuy Hoa (more than 165 hectares) and Ro gulf - Nua islet (about 55 hectares).
The Yen islet complex area alone has been recognized as a national monument by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. This place has many outstanding features in geology, geomorphology, flora and fauna, creating a rich and diverse marine ecosystem with cultural and historical value and potential for developing attractive coastal tourism. Through the recent research by the Vietnam - Russia Tropical Center, in Yen islet area and surrounding areas, 22 species of coral belonging to 7 families have been recorded. Typical examples are soft corals of the Alcyoniidae family (Lobophytum genus) and Acroporidae corals with representatives such as Montipora sp., Acropora spicifera. Some coral species belonging to other families such as Agariciidae, Merulinidae, Poritidae, Psammocoridae were also recorded.
In order to protect Yen islet coral reef population, in addition to the provincial and district authorities, localities have established community groups that manage, protect and preserve coral reefs and organize community tours, contributing to creating sustainable livelihoods for people. Mr. Dinh Van In, Head of the Community Group of Protecting Yen Islet Coral Reef, said: The community group was assigned the right to protect Yen islet coral reef ecosystem by the province and Tuy An district. Established in 2022, so far, the group has had 35 members, initially operating effectively in preserving and developing coral reefs. At the same time, the group has established community tours to guide visitors around Yen islet area.
On a business trip to Phu Yen and visiting Yen islet coral reef protection area, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Le Minh Hoan highly appreciated the model of community groups protecting coral reefs here. The Minister said that the institution of community management in protecting aquatic resources is already in the Fisheries Law. This is the first time the co-management institution has stemmed from the search for a governance model that empowers the people, which is a huge change of thinking. The institution that people see as their own will make them to protect themselves and not wait for others to protect them. From this model, it proves that people in Yen islet not only work hard to exploit resources, but also know how to protect resources, the environment, and protect the blue ocean. In the near future, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will replicate this model.
Minister Le Minh Hoan noted that the community model of managing the Yen islet coral reef is small, but it is a revolutionary mission for the institution of a local governance model. Therefore, when we do this well, attracting businesses or businesses to invest on their own is very positive and very reassuring. “Wherever businesses invest in any localities now, they are very afraid of the community's reaction. Although this model is small, it has the effect of changing the form of local social governance,” Minister Le Minh Hoan emphasized.
Regarding how to develop Yen islet in the future, Minister Le Minh Hoan suggested that the community think and create its own plan. After that, the community groups discuss among themselves, then present to the local government, even to society and international organizations about a plan they are aiming for, thereby calling for and attracting resources to participate. “In the past, we planned from functional agencies, so we may not have fully understood the wishes of the people and the community. Now reverse planning from the people, starting with the community that develops the plan. Local development must rely on the internal resources of the community. We have the right to look forward and turn Yen islet into an attractive destination not only in Vietnam but also in the world,” Minister Le Minh Hoan added.
Translated by Trinh Thuy