gMINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF FORESTRY STUDENT THESIS ASSESSMENT THE IMPACT OF ECOTOURISM ACTIVITIES ON BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN CAT BA NATIONAL PARK, HAI PHONG CITY Major: Natural Resources Management Code: D850101 Faculty: Forest Resources and Environmental Management Student: Nguyen Thi Hang Student ID: 1453091575 Class: K59 Natural Resources Management Course: 2014 - 2018 Advanced Education Program Developed in collaboration with Colorado State University, USA Supervisor: Assoc. Dong Thanh Hai Ha Noi, 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my very great appreciation to Assoc. Dong Thanh Hai from Vietnam National Forestry University, my research supervisor, for his enthusiastic encouragement and useful comments. Without his thoughtful, patient guidance through each step of my research, this thesis could not be completed.
I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the head, staff of Cat Ba National Park, the local people, the tourists for helping me enthusiastically during the data collection and providing the useful information. Many others have contributed to the success of this thesis, but I would especially like to thank my family and classmates from K59 Natural Resources Management-Advanced program for their support. Last but not least, this thesis may never have been completed without the support of the Faculty of Forest Resources and Environmental Management always encouraged me throughout my studies and research. Despite spending the best efforts in the process of conducting the thesis, this research is still lacking due to the limitations of my time, finance and ability.
I look forward to receiving feedback from teachers, friends to complete the thesis better. Thank you! i ABSTRACT The topic of "Assisting the impact of ecotourism activities on biodiversity conservation in Cat Ba National Park, Hai Phong city" was carried out in Cat Ba National Park, Cat Hai district, Hai Phong city. This study is based on a survey conducted for tourists about ecotourism. The main objective of the study was to identify the current status of ecotourism development and assess the impacts of ecotourism on biodiversity conservation in the Cat Ba National Park then propose solutions to limit the impact of the activities of ecotourism to the conservation of biodiversity and improve the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation in Cat Ba National Park.
The methods used for data collection are interview and line transects survey. The study shows that Cat Ba National Park has high value for landscape and biodiversity to develop ecotourism, which also satisfies the level of tourists to ecotourism services. The study also shows the remaining issues for ecotourism in Cat Ba National Park such as environmental sanitation, facilities. The findings also suggest that there is need to create more awareness by providing information on threats affecting biodiversity by ecotourism and its harm so as to encourage the local leaders and community people sustainable tourism development and conservation of natural tourism resources.
Keyword: ecotourism, biodiversity, conservation. ii ABBREVIATIONS IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources NP: National Park UNESCO: United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization WWF: World Wildlife Fund iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ABSTRACT ABBREVIATIONS LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF TABLES I. Overview of ecotourism. Concept of ecotourism.
Characteristics of ecotourism. The basic principles of ecotourism. Biodiversity and biodiversity conservation. The impact of ecotourism on biodiversity conservation.
The positive impact of ecotourism. The negative impact of ecotourism. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. Study site description.
Socio-Economic Conditions. Secondary document review. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. Current status of ecotourism in Cat Ba National Park.
Status of infrastructure system of the Cat Ba National Park. The tourist spots and routes. Assessment of impacts of ecotourism on biodiversity conservation in Cat Ba National Park. Propose some solutions for sustainable ecotourism development in association with biodiversity conservation in Cat Ba National Park.
Current status of ecotourism activities at Cat Ba National Park. Impacts of ecotourism on biodiversity conservation of Cat Ba National Park. 44 REFERENCES APPENDIX v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4. 1 Geographic map of Cat Ba NP.
2 Map of transect line survey. 1 Some ecotourism routes in Cat Ba National Park. 2 The reason tourists choose to travel in Cat Ba National Park. 3 Information sources for tourist to know Cat Ba NP.
4 Desire to participate in ecotourism activities of the community. 5 Tourism services that the community wants to be involved. 6 Tourist bring food and water to forest. 7 Tourist's perception of the impact of ecotourism on biodiversity conservation.
38 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 5. 1 Satisfaction levels of tourists about infrastructure. 2 Satisfaction levels of tourists about tourism services. 3 Number of tourists to Cat Ba NP (period 2015-2017).
4 Sightseeing time of tourists at Cat Ba NP. 5 The number of times that tourists have to visit Cat Ba NP. 6 Feelings of tourists about Cat Ba NP. 7 Revenue from tourism of Cat Ba NP (period 2015-2017).
8 Perception of local people about the species in Cat Ba NP. 9 Ecotourism activities in Cat Ba NP attract tourists. 10 Satisfaction levels of tourists about knowledge after trips. 11 Tourists perceptions of biodiversity conservation.
12 Camping activities tourists want to participate. 13 Satisfaction levels of tourists about environmental sanitation. 14 Consciousness of tourists on general hygiene. 15 Some activities from tourism affect the environment most.
INTRODUCTION Biodiversity is an important basis for the survival and development of nations. Therefore, conservation of biodiversity has become a matter of concern, especially in the national park and nature reserve. However, in recent years, under the impact of global climate change, biodiversity is being seriously affected. Ecotourism is considered one of the ways that both support biodiversity conservation and at the same time support socio-economic development effectively.
Ecotourism has changed dramatically, gradually becoming a global trend. Vietnam has a tropical monsoon climate with 75% of the total area is mountain and plateau, the coast stretches over 3200km and there are many small and medium islands. In addition, there is also a diversity of forest and marine ecosystems. The harmonious combination of natural landscape and traditional culture is the condition and potential for ecotourism development in Vietnam.
However, it is also a great challenge in biodiversity conservation under the impact of ecotourism. Located in the east of Hai Phong city, Cat Ba National Park is an ideal place to develop ecotourism. Cat Ba National Park was established on 31 March 1986 under the No.79/CP decision of the Council of Ministers of Vietnam (now the government). It has a beautiful natural landscape, rich vegetation with more than 1500 species.
About animal, so far 282 species have been recorded. These include 32 species of mammals, 78 birds’ species, 20 species of reptiles and amphibians, 98 species of zooplankton, 196 species of marine fish and 177 species of coral (Cat Ba National Park, 2016). The most common mammals include civet, deer, macaques, and squirrels. The island is on a major migration route for waterfowl which feed and roost in the mangrove forest.
In addition to the benefits, tourism development also has negative impacts on the biodiversity and conservation of Cat Ba National Park. Tourism development requires ecosystem impact, which results in abnormal changes in the natural development tendency of 1 ecological processes. Therefore, the pressure of tourism activities on the conservation of the national park is increasing. This shows that tourism and conservation have a reciprocal relationship very close, intimate, interactive support each other.
In addition, development of tourism activities irrational may become causes of the decline in the value of the resources, declining environmental quality and thus also impair the effectiveness of tourism activities. The development of tourism has become a pressure for Cat Ba National Park. In the current context, research on ecotourism and its impact on biodiversity conservation in Cat Ba National Park are necessary. However, there is no project or specific research on the level of impact, recent research has only assessed the potential development of ecotourism in Cat Ba National Park.
In order to understand the impacts of ecotourism activities on conservation at Cat Ba National Park and to contribute to the promotion of sustainable tourism development, author carried out research topics: "Assessment the impact of ecotourism activities on biodiversity conservation in Cat Ba National Park, Hai Phong city". Overview of ecotourism 2. Concept of ecotourism The Nature Conservancy adopts the definition articulated by the World Conservation Union (IUCN): "Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features, both past and present) that promotes conservation, have a low visitor impact and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples." Ecotourism is distinguished by its emphasis on conservation, education, traveler responsibility and active community participation (Ceballos-Lascurain, 1996). Characteristics of ecotourism According to Dowling (Stephen & Dowling, 2002), the difference between ecotourism and other types of tourism was listed in the following five characteristics: - Nature-Based: Ecotourism is based on the natural environment with a focus on its ABC features.
These are Abiotic- e. landscapes, Biotic- plants and animals, and Cultural- human features. - Ecologically Sustainable: Due to ecotourism development on the abundant environment in nature, formation and extent of use for tourism activities should be maintained and managed for the sustainability of the ecosystem and the tourism sector. - Environmentally Educative: The educative component of ecotourism is a key element that separates it from all other forms of nature-based tourism.
Ecotourism includes education: In the environment; about the environment; for the environment. - Locally Beneficial: Ecotourism always involves local communities. This can occur through the provision of knowledge, services, facilities, and products. 3 - Tourist Satisfaction: Ecotourism, like tourism generally, strives for tourist satisfaction.
Without satisfied Eco-tourists, there is no ecotourism. Eco-tourists are becoming better informed and more discerning. The basic principles of ecotourism According to Rinkesh (2015), ecotourism is about responsible travel to natural areas that promote conservation, bring harmony among communities, and sustains the well-being of local people. People who implement and participate in ecotourism activities should adopt the following ecotourism principles: - Minimize physical, social, behavioral, and psychological impacts - Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect - Provide positive experiences for both visitors and local people - Provide direct financial benefits for environmental conservation - Generate financial benefits for both local people and private industry - Deliver memorable interpretative experiences to visitors that help raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climates - Design, construct and operate low-impact facilities 2.
Biodiversity and biodiversity conservation 2. Biodiversity The term biodiversity was first used in 1988 (Wilson, 1988) and after the Convention on Biological Diversity (1993) was adopted. There are many definitions of Biodiversity: It is the variety of life on Earth, in all its forms and all its interactions. If that sounds bewilderingly broad, that’s because it is.
Biodiversity is the most complex feature of our planet and it is the most vital. “Without biodiversity, there is no future for humanity,” (David Macdonald, 2007). The term was coined in 1985 – a contraction of “biological diversity” – but the huge global biodiversity losses now becoming apparent represent a crisis equaling – or quite possibly surpassing – climate change. More formally, biodiversity is comprised of 4 several levels, starting with genes, then individual species, then communities of creatures and finally entire ecosystems, such as forests or coral reefs, where life interplays with the physical environment.
These myriad interactions have made Earth habitable for billions of years. A more philosophical way of viewing biodiversity is this: it represents the knowledge learned by evolving species over millions of years about how to survive through the vastly varying environmental conditions Earth has experienced.