Xuân Thủy National Park

Coordinates: 20 ° 14 '  N , 106 ° 31'  E

Xuân Thuy National Park​

Vietnam

The Xuân Thủy National Park ( Vietnamese Vườn quốc gia Xuân Thủy ) is located about 150 km southeast of Hanoi in the Nam Dinh province in North Vietnam. The park is part of the UNESCO - Red River Biosphere Reserve and was upgraded from the status of a wetland nature reserve to a national park on January 2, 2003 by resolution 01/2003 / QĐ-TTg, signed by Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng . The IUCN has included it as a Category II (National Park) protected area. Xuan Thuy was the first wetland in Southeast Asia to become part of the Ramsar Convention and is of international importance as a habitat for migratory birds .

history

Main building of the Xuan Thuy National Park

On January 2, 1989, the area of ​​12,000 hectares in the Giao Thuy district around the mouth of the Red River in the Gulf of Tonkin was recognized as the first Ramsar site in Southeast Asia , making the park the 50th participant in the agreement worldwide. Six years later, the government decided to establish the Xuan Thuy Wetland Nature Reserve , which was finally recognized as a national park in 2003 and is managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nam Dinh Province . Xuan Thuy has also been recognized by UNESCO as part of the core zone of the Red River Biosphere Reserve. The variety of titles from both national and international associations and the continued strong support from government and international organizations - government and private - reflect the importance of the region.

Landscape and climate

landscape

The Xuan Thuy National Park is located in the Nam Định Province on the coast of the South China Sea, about 150 km southeast of Hanoi . It is the largest coastal wetland in North Vietnam and comprises the southern area of the Red River estuary . Two different alluvial soils are formed from the alluvial material of the Red River . There is alluvial sludge, which develops into clay , and sand . The sediments transported by water form the coastal soil, which consists of light soils (pure sand and light loam), medium-heavy soils and heavy soils such as loam and clay . The core zone has a total size of 7,100 hectares, 4,000 hectares of which are in low-water wetlands and 3,100 hectares in land. The area includes the three islets of Con Ngan, Con Lu and Con Xanh. The landscape on Con Ngan, the largest island, is dominated by aquaculture farms and mangroves . In addition to aquaculture farms, there are many sandy areas on Con Lu, such as shallow deposits and alluvial areas. Con Lu, the smallest of the islets, is subject to a steady, slow enlargement process due to the alluvial surface of the Red River and is covered with layers of sand. The buffer zone covers a total area of ​​8,000 hectares. Islets in the estuary of the river delta offer good biological conditions for the growth of mangroves and the biodiversity of the mudflat ecosystem as a whole. The area also includes levees surrounded by marshland . In the buffer zone of the park, attempts are being made to establish an ecological model for the ideal, resource-saving combination of the three sources of income from planting vegetables, fish and cattle breeding . According to the park's tourism department, dike construction, land reclamation and rice farming are long-standing traditions in the region.

climate

The district of Giao Thuy is located in the zone of the tropical monsoon climate , which has two different seasons . The hot and very humid rainy season lasts from April to October, followed by the cooler and arid dry season from November to March . The annual average temperature is 24 ° C with values ​​that fluctuate between 40.3 ° C in summer and 6.8 ° C in winter. The average humidity is 84%. On the usually 133 rainy days in the year, 1700 mm to 1800 mm of precipitation falls. The Red River is flooded from July to October and carries a lot of water. The region is influenced by it as well as by the monsoon rains coming from the northeast . The wind changes its main direction during the year. During the dry season it mainly reaches the region from the north, while in the rainy season it comes from the east. July and August are the stormiest months, with heavy winds being followed by heavy rainfall. In 2005 alone, three strong storms reached North Vietnam: on July 28th, wind force 7 was measured, on September 18 wind force 9 and finally wind force 12 on September 28.

Biological characteristics

fauna

Black-fronted spoonbill

The coastal area of ​​the Red River Delta is a habitat for resting and wintering birds such as seagulls, waterfowl and birds living on the banks . In the National Park Xuan Thuy to 250 different species of which 150 can be observed, train and 50 - waterfowl . The animals can be assigned to 41 families and 13 orders. Nine species such as the spoon-potted sandpiper and the spotted green thigh are classified as endangered and are therefore included in the red list of endangered species . 65 to 75 specimens of the black-fronted spoonbill , which was chosen as the park's symbol, can be observed in times of bird migration. With a total of only around 1000 animals worldwide, more than five percent of the total population live in the Xuan Thuy National Park in winter. The park also provides a habitat for other rare animal species; some species of otters , bottlenose dolphins and whales are found . In addition, 30 species of reptiles and an innumerable number of different insects can be found.

flora

Mangrove forest in the area of ​​the river delta

Of the 120 different vascular plants that can be found in the national park, 20 thrive particularly well due to the special properties of the wetland. The large number of mangroves helps stabilize the alluvial soil and plays an important role in protection against floods and in several biochemical cycles. So far 111 aquatic plants have been documented, of which some species of seaweed are of great importance for the region due to their economic value. Over 500 species of benthos and zooplankton ( shrimp , fish , crabs , oysters and others) have been identified so far.

Use of natural resources

In the core zone of the national park there are uninhabited areas that are used for shrimp farming. There are currently around 19 large-scale farming ponds near the Red River, and clams are also grown. Tents and huts that were pitched to guard these facilities were built without planning or permission. The land of the buffer zone can be divided into different categories such as residential areas, aquaculture and agricultural areas, mangroves and sandbars . Most of the areas in Bai Tron and Con Ngan in the buffer zone have been divided into ponds for shrimp and crab farming. In the 1990s, the number of these breeding ponds increased exponentially. The season lasts from May to January (April to December in the lunar calendar ). Out of season, some residents grow seaweed, which can be sold and, after a lengthy processing process, is used as food. The hunting of birds or other animals is prohibited and for following the appointment Xuan Thuys National Park decreased significantly. Nonetheless, illegal activities are still not completely over. The forbidden grazing of water buffalo in the core zone of the park has meanwhile stopped completely, the previously heavily attacked flora can slowly regenerate there. In order to prevent overexploitation of the given resources, the national park developed various projects such as the mushroom club, which offer the local population alternative livelihoods. The national park has also undertaken to establish awareness of ecological issues through educational work in order to preserve and protect the environment in the long term. To achieve this goal, the park undertakes numerous efforts such as annual environmental and conservation classes in nine local secondary schools. In the future, a project on the topic of waste disposal and separation for the residents of the buffer zone will start; At the moment, garbage is neither separated nor disposed of, but simply thrown everywhere.

Scientific research work

Since the Xuan Thuy National Park is a very important site for the biodiversity of Southeast Asia , it was and is the subject of many studies by both Vietnamese and international researchers. According to the park itself, more than ten doctoral theses, a variety of master’s and hundreds of research papers have been written about the park by students from more than 30 Vietnamese universities. Non-governmental organizations also conduct research before implementing new projects, usually related to environmental protection and sustainable development issues.

Grazing water buffalo in the core zone destroyed the mangrove forest.

After all buffaloes have been banished, the forest can slowly regenerate.

There are many environmental protection projects, especially in the core zone, as no human intervention in nature is permitted there. The primary goal is to protect mangroves , migratory birds , other aquatic and terrestrial species and the wetland ecosystem as a whole. In the buffer zone, on the other hand, scientific work tends to focus on the development of sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative livelihoods and the promotion of environmental protection activities. In addition, there is still a need to use suitable mechanisms and methods to settle the conflicts between the economic interests of the local population and the ecological premises of the park. Projects that regulate the joint management of crab cultures and clearly assign rights and duties to all actors involved are a first step towards solving these problems. Efforts are also being made across the region to build capacity for both the national park's staff and the local population in order to reduce the long-term pressure on the park's resources. A still dominant problem in all scientific research is the lack of a long-term approach. The majority of the projects are carried out on the basis of external financing, some of whom do not recognize the local needs and needs. In addition, there is still no database in the national park that collects and merges all research work carried out so far, so that a great deal of basic information has to be recorded over and over again.

Socio-economic background

overview

Traditional fishing boats near the mouth of the Red River delta

According to statistics from the People's Committee in Giao Thuy District, there were 47,123 residents in 2005 in the five municipalities of Giao Thien, Giao An, Giao Lac, Giao Xuan and Giao Hai, located in the buffer zone of the national park. The average population density varies between 1,023 and 1,331 people per square kilometer and is still increasing due to the population growth rate of more than one percent. The inhabitants earn their livelihood largely from agricultural activities, primarily from growing rice . 39.3% of the average income is generated in this way, the yield is 632 kilograms of rice per person and year. Due to unfavorable environmental changes, the total size of the agriculturally usable areas decreases from year to year, further expansion of agricultural activities is excluded. While the capacity of this economic sector is full, the second most important source of income is still considered to have high development potential: in 2007 fishing accounted for 36.1% of the average family income, at that time there were aquaculture ponds in the buffer zone on an area of ​​1,800 hectares. With an annual growth rate of 14.9%, the marine industry is expanding rapidly , also because it apparently has a higher economic turnover than traditional agriculture . On the other hand, the cultivation of clams can result in high profits, but initially requires large investments and has a significant impact on the environment. Since the water quality is endangered, some aquaculture ponds fail to make any profit after a few years. The owner is then trapped in an even more difficult financial position than before. With cattle breeding ten percent of the annual income is earned; Activities in this sector directly improve the daily lives of residents and also produce organic fertilizer , which in turn is of great use in agriculture. Since hygienic standards in this area are not adhered to and the network of veterinarians in its current state of development has no skills to cope with larger epidemics , an expansion of this sector is not possible. On the other hand, new industries and technologies in the service and trade sector are in great demand and still have significant development potential, as they are currently only responsible for 14.6% of the average annual income. The areas of industry and craft are only rudimentarily developed and only generate five percent - the reasons for this are mainly to be found in the lack of training and poor material basis. The working population is also structured according to the weighting of the sources of income: 78.6% of all residents work in the agricultural sector, 16.2% in fishing, two percent in trade and service and 3.2% in industry, craft and industry employed in construction. It can be stated that fishing offers a more profitable source of income than traditional agriculture, it also offers stable work: residents working in the fields are unemployed in the period between the harvests and put the nature of the park under additional pressure by being in it Time to exhaust resources there. The general unemployment rate decreased from 8.26% to 6.51% in the period from 2001 to 2005, but since 96.8% of all residents of the buffer zone grow their own rice, a very large number of workers is dependent on the agricultural season. There are 8,510 elementary and secondary school students and 1,187 high school students in the Xuan Thuy District. While every child goes to elementary school and 95% also go to secondary school, the number of high school students is still very low. In 2003, only five percent of all residents had completed vocational training or a university degree. The poor infrastructure creates additional problems . While all residents have electricity , access to clean water is still limited and largely relies on collected rainwater. Half of the residents own wells , but only 20 to 30% of these wells are fed by clean water. The low infrastructure and standard of living can also be seen as a reason for the unstable and spontaneous production and for a lack of knowledge and experience in dealing with topics of sales and marketing - many economic problems in turn arise from ignorance in precisely these areas. Since an expansion of agricultural activities is impossible and the population is growing steadily, the pressure on the resources of the national park is growing. In addition to investments in aquaculture, the mangrove forest is a possible additional source of income. Research carried out by the NGO Center for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD) has shown that more than 50% of the income of an above-average wealthy family depends on mangroves, while poor families rely more on traditional agriculture and ranching and only earn a fifth of their income with the help of mangroves. In order to prevent the exploitation of the natural resources of the national park and to reduce the existing poverty rate of 10 to 15%, alternative sources of income must be created and supported.

Alternative employment opportunities

In order to create alternatives to the previous income bases, to relieve the natural resources of the park and to generate sustainable employment opportunities, there are various projects in the buffer zone of the Xuan Thuy National Park. Ideally, this will reduce human interference and solve some of the most serious problems such as deforestation , the use of tight nets, large-scale bycatch , electrofishing , uncontrolled building of new shrimp ponds and illegal hunting . The focus of the program for building alternative sources of income is on guaranteeing technical and financial support in cooperation with a large number of local and international organizations (both state and private). Some of the most important partners are MCD, CORiN-ASIA and the Wetlands Alliance Program (WAP). On a financial basis, the park primarily invests in the local infrastructure and is building, for example, new roads, a center for environmental education and health care. With the help of technological support, attempts are again made to create sustainable development and to establish environmental awareness among the local population in the long term. For example, a technology transfer is taking place that enables the residents of the buffer zone to grow mushrooms and honey bees and to grow extensive shrimp farms. Because it is viewed as an extremely effective service sector, there is also a stimulation and promotion of community-based ecotourism .

The mushroom club founded by the national park

The mushroom club's project began in 2008. Previously, grazing water buffalos in the core zone were a serious problem as they destroyed the forest. The conflicts between the park's rules and local interests have been resolved by creating mushroom growing as an alternative source of income. With the support of CORiN-ASIA and WAP, the Xuan Thuy National Park Mushroom Club was established. Not only were jobs created regardless of gender and age, the very widespread burning of rice straw in open fields could also be reduced, since the straw is now used as humus for the mushrooms. For the future there is a plan to ultimately use the straw as an organic fertilizer in agriculture. One year after it was established, the mushroom club had 78 members who not only work together, but have also started hosting smaller events such as a mushroom cooking competition for community health . In November 2010, the project represents an important employment opportunity for the time between the harvests; by upgrading to cooperation, it also has an improved legal status. The harvested mushrooms are sold in both the surrounding communities and in Hanoi at the Long Bien Market and the South Market. In the case of the honey bee club, the primary goal of the project was to structure the existing activities in honey production. The newly founded group can now work together more effectively and in this way increase both the number of bee cages and honey production and thus ultimately generate a higher income. The area of ecotourism as an alternative livelihood still has a multitude of problems, which is mainly due to the novelty of this tourism model in Vietnam and the lack of infrastructure, which discourages potential visitors. The national park currently has plans to slowly improve its facilities, services and marketing by 2025. Guest rooms are already available, and three large guest houses are also expected to be completed in 2011.

management

Until 2003 the administrative situation of the park was extremely inadequate. There were only five people employed with unsatisfactory technical and professional skills, and the existing infrastructure and buildings were underdeveloped. Since institutional agreements were missing or unclear, the national park was unable to establish a surveillance system that could possibly have ended the overexploitation more quickly. In addition to the overlapping areas of responsibility of the administration, there was also a constant conflict between the local population and the given park rules. There was also a lack of cooperation and coordination at government level, which made the implementation of effective administrative mechanisms very difficult. The situation has improved significantly since 2003. A new office building with different functional rooms and a nature museum have been built and can now meet the demand for infrastructural and technical capacities. In the area of human resources , new employees were hired in a variety of different professions such as tourism , forestry , aquaculture and biology . Not only do 20 people now work in the management of the park, the employees also regularly take part in workshops and training programs to expand their knowledge in the areas of environmental education, ecotourism and development promotion. The institutional framework is still a challenge. The project of co-management of clams can be proposed as a first successful initiative . At the moment there is a cooperation between the administrative apparatus of the Xuan Thuy National Park, local councils and clam farmers, so that the harvest is controlled and the rights and obligations of all parties are clearly defined. The ongoing task of strengthening its own institutional capacities is very important for the national park, as there is still a need, for example, to clarify the ownership structure of all properties in order to obtain basic information, which in turn is essential for an effective management of the given resources and activities . Since there are very many authorities and organizations that have some kind of influence or responsibility for the park, it is necessary to organize and structure all given interests in order to be able to enforce the strict rules of the park and to avoid overlapping areas of responsibility Keep the administrative apparatus from successfully implementing its plans. At the moment there are a large number of responsible organizations: local government authorities, state authorities, the administrative apparatus of the national park, internal authorities such as the court, the public security service and the army, increasingly important local associations, credit institutions and banks, religious associations and the very important ones international organizations. Effective administration would need to integrate all of these different partners, but current activities are still lacking in effectiveness. In the future, the national park's greatest task and challenge will be to strengthen its own institutional status.

credentials

Footnotes

1. ↑ Phan Nguyen Hong, Le Xuan Tuan & Phan Thi Anh Dao, Xuan Thuy National Park: Biodiversity, Hanoi, 2007, p.8. (engl.)
2. ↑ Nguyen Duc Tu, Le Manh Hung, Le Trong Trai, Ha Quy Ouynh, Nguyen Quoc Binh and Thomas, R., Conservation of key coastal wetland sites in the Red River Delta: an assessment of IBAs 10 years on Hanoi: BirdLife International Vietnam Programs 2006, p. 15. (Eng.)
3. ↑ Phan Nguyen Hong, Le Xuan Tuan & Phan Thi Anh Dao, Xuan Thuy National Park: Biodiversity, MERC-MCD, Hanoi, Vietnam, 2007, p. 9 (engl.)
4. ↑ Pham Dinh Viet Hong, Nguyen Duc Tu, Nguyen Viet Cach & Le Thanh Binh, Xuan Thuy National Park: Policy Brief, VEPA-MCD, Hanoi, Vietnam, 2007, p. 9. (Eng.)
5. ↑ Xuan Thuy National Park- A Destination of Eco-tourism, flyer of the National Park (Eng.)
6. ↑ Phan Nguyen Hong, Le Xuan Tuan & Phan Thi Anh Dao, Xuan Thuy National Park: Biodiversity, MERC-MCD, Hanoi, Vietnam, 2007, p. 9 ff.
7. ↑ Phan Nguyen Hong, Le Xuan Tuan & Phan Thi Anh Dao, Xuan Thuy National Park: Biodiversity, MERC-MCD, Hanoi, Vietnam, 2007, p. 19. (Eng.)
8. ↑ Phan Nguyen Hong, Le Xuan Tuan & Phan Thi Anh Dao, Xuan Thuy National Park: Biodiversity, MERC-MCD, Hanoi, Vietnam, 2007, p. 10. (Eng.)
9. ^ The Ramsar Regional Center - East Asia Wise-Use Workshop and Training Session on Wetland Management 19th - 26th September 2009, Changnyeong, South Korea, p. 62. (Eng.)
10. ↑ Phan Thi Anh Dao, Phan Nguyen Hong, Le Xuan Tuan, Tran Minh Phuong & Nguyen Huu Tho, Xuan Thuy National Park: Socio-Economics, MERC-MCR, Hanoi, 2007, p. 7f. (engl.)
11. ^ Report on Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), Project “Sustainable Resource Management in Xuan Thuy National Park”, International Marinelife Alliance (IMA) - Vietnam and Project Management Unit Xuan Thuy National Park, Hanoi, 2004, p. 15ff. (engl.)
12. ↑ Phan Thi Anh Dao, Phan Nguyen Hong, Le Xuan Tuan, Tran Minh Phuong & Nguyen Huu Tho, Xuan Thuy National Park: Socio-Economics, MERC-MCR, Hanoi, 2007, p. 11ff. (engl.)
13. ↑ Phan Thi Anh Dao, Phan Nguyen Hong, Le Xuan Tuan, Tran Minh Phuong & Nguyen Huu Tho, Xuan Thuy National Park: Socio-Economics, MERC-MCR, Hanoi, 2007, p. 18ff. (engl.)
14. ↑ Dinh Thi Phuong, Rhythm of Ramsar, Internal Bulletin of Xuan Thuy National Park, No. 01, Year 2010, Xuan Thuy, p.2. (engl.)
15. ↑ Ngo Van Chieu, Rhythm of Ramsar, Internal Bulletin of Xuan Thuy National Park, No. 01, Year 2010, Xuan Thuy, p.3. (engl.)
16. ↑ Tran Thi Trang, Rhythm of Ramsar, Internal Bulletin of Xuan Thuy National Park, No. 01, Year 2010, Xuan Thuy, p.4. (engl.)
17. ^ The Ramsar Regional Center - East Asia Wise-Use Workshop and Training Session on Wetland Management 19th - 26th September 2009, Changnyeong, South Korea, p. 60ff.
18. ↑ Pham Dinh Viet Hong, Nguyen Viet Cach, Le Thanh Binh & Nguyen Xuan Dung, Xuan Thuy National Park: Management, VEPA-MCD, Hanoi, 2007, p. 21ff. (engl.)

bibliography

• The Ramsar Regional Center - East Asia Wise - Use Workshop and Training Session on Wetland Management September 19-26, 2009, Changnyeong, South Korea, pp. 60–64. (engl.)
• Vuon Quoc Gia Xuan Thuy, CORiN-ASIA, The Wetlands Alliance, Sida, Building local capacities for sustainable resource management in Xuan Thuy National Park, Vietnam. (engl.)
• Phan Thi Anh Dao, Phan Nguyen Hong, Le Xuan Tuan, Tran Minh Phuong & Nguyen Huu Tho, 2007, Xuan Thuy National Park: Socio-Economics, MERC-MCD, Hanoi, Vietnam. (engl.)
• Phan Nguyen Hong, Le Xuan Tuan & Phan Thi Anh Dao, 2007, Xuan Thuy National Park: Biodiversity, MERC-MCD, Hanoi, Vietnam. (engl.)

Web links

Commons : Xuan Thuy National Park  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

• Site of the Xuan Thuy National Park
• Complete list of all birds compiled by BirdLife Indochina ( Memento of February 4, 2013 in the Internet Archive )