Vietnam, Cham islands toward establishment of nature reserve
The Cham Islands, off the coast of Hoi An city in central Vietnam, will be increasingly "green": the archipelago, which already hosts a marine protected area, has in fact decided-as reported by the Ansa news agency-to start procedures for the&
They will be increasingly "green" the Cham Islands, off the coast of Hoi An city in central Vietnam: the archipelago, which is already home to a marine protected area, has in fact deliberated-as reported by the Ansa news agency-to start procedures to establish a nature reserve, extending the protected area to the mainland and improving the conservation of flora and fauna species in an integrated management.
UNESCO 's recognition of the World Biosphere Reserve Cham-Hoi An Islands already covers, since 2009, the ancient city of Hoi An and the lower area of the Thu Bon River, a unique area to which the establishment of the new body will bring value in terms of ecotourism, research, education, investment and green growth.
The Cham Islands, as Vietnam News writes, comprise seven islets and one main island with a population of 2,400, which has shifted mainly from fishing to the ecotourism sector. It is, moreover, the only location in Vietnam that has been actively combating the use of plastic bags since 2011-a strategy that has earned it symbolic recognition as the first "zero waste and plastic" tourist destination. Not only that: in order to protect the marine ecological system, the local government allows only 3,000 tourists a day, about 400,00 a year.
