The forest ranger department in the central coastal province of Thua Thien – Hue is set to expand mangrove forests along the Tam Giang lagoon aligning with eco-tourism development.
Planting mangroves in the Tam Giang lagoon The mangrove forest belt is expected to span parts of the Phong Dien and Quang Dien districts, and Huong Tra town. Quang Dien, home to a 12-km coastline, shares a contiguous zone covering over 3,500 hectares with the lagoon. The district has to date planted nearly 40 hectares of mangrove forests, with those in Con Toc and its nearby areas earmarked as eco-tourism sites. Previously, in 2015 and 2016, Quang Dien spent more than 21.5 billion VND (944,280 USD) on building a section from Con Toc to Ha Do and Ngu My Thanh town of the Tam Giang lagoon’s western dyke, which aimed to help protect local production and scale up the area of mangrove forests. Meanwhile, the Huong Tra town has poured over 2 billion VND (87,800 USD) into growing 4.7 more hectares of mangrove forests, expanding the Ru Cha forest by 10 hectares, and building roads, in a bid to develop a future eco-tourism site. In a recent survey questioning 54 households in Huong Tra’s Huong Phong and Hai Duong communes, 89 percent of polled people agreed the mangrove forest initiative will help protect local dykes, and 91 percent said it brings economic and environmental benefits for the community. Accordingly, the Ru Cha forest, which is now home to various species of birds and shrimp, and a destination in an eco-tour of the Tam Giang lagoon, is planned to be expanded to over 30 hectares.
