In a previous blog, Cadet Bailey extolled the virtues of Halong Bay as a tourist destination and a place to celebrate one’s birthday. As he noted, Halong Bay was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994 for its outstanding scenic beauty and great biological and historic interest. This area, which includes some 1,600 islands and islets, forms a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars.
The word “Ha Long” in Vietnamese actually means dragon descending. Legend has it that when Vietnam was threatened with invasion centuries ago, the Jade Emperor sent down a mother dragon and her children to help fight the invaders. As they descended, the dragons spat out numerous pearls, which were changed into jade stone islands. The larger rocky islands where the dragon landed are called “Ha Long,” and the smaller islands are called “Bay Too Long” after the children. It is believed that the long string of islands, called “Long Vi,” was formed when the dragon wriggled its tail.
Okay, modern scientists will probably bore you with long-winded details about how periods of climatic change over millions of years resulted in great undulations in the region, as ancient rivers gauged out pathways across the plain. The result, of course, is the spectacular landform of the Bac Ba Gulf archipelago, with over 1960 stone islands of various sizes rising from an emerald colored bay.
More important, Halong Bay represents a unique ecosystem that includes intertidal wetlands, mangroves, coral reefs and diverse varieties of marine life. It is also a case-study of what not to do when it comes to sustainable economic development.
Halong Bay and the part of Quang Ninh Province that surround it together with Hai Phong and Hanoi form a large triangular area of dense population and economic activity that is experiencing rapid growth and development. The main coal mining area of Vietnam, with reserves exceeding 8 billion tons lies immediately beside Halong Bay, and large amounts of limestone, kaolin, clay and sand are extracted from the area to supply construction materials for Vietnam’s burgeoning industry. Large merchant ships cross the Bay each day en route to the two large ports of Hai Phong and Cai Lan. These and five other smaller ports, service Vietnam’s export trade, which is projected to more than quadruple over the next decade.
Halong Bay itself supports a valuable fishing and seafood industry and attracts large numbers of tourists every day. While only a few of these may be celebrating birthdays, the number of visitors to the Bay grew from 120,000 to nearly 2.1 million a year from 1994 to 2007, and current projections suggest that Halong Bay will attract in excess of 3 million domestic and foreign tourists per year by 2020.
However, the expanding commercial activity in the Halong Bay area is placing extreme pressure on its fragile ecosystems, placing the area at serious risk. Unless immediate action is taken to restore and preserve Halong Bay and the surrounding areas, the prospects for continued economic development may come to a screeching halt!
According to the World Bank’s 2002 Vietnam Environment Monitor, rapid economic growth and urbanization are creating a multitude of environmental problems - such as unmanaged landfills, transport-related air pollution, untreated hospital and hazardous waste, and raw sewage flowing into open water ways – throughout the country. But, the area surrounding Halong Bay seems to be particularly at risk. Over the three decades from 1960 to 1995, the Quang Ninh and Hai Phong provinces, where the Halong Bay is located, have suffered the loss of more than 40 thousands hectares of mangrove forest, and today only 15,700 hectares remain in the two provinces. It is estimated that the annual loss in terms of forgone economic benefits (e.g., fishery, forestry, and erosion) could be in the range of USD 10-32 million per year.
Current threats to water quality include land-based pollution sources, fishing with poison (e.g. Cyanide) and dynamite, unregulated tourism, transport and seaport development and heavy metals from coal mining operations
These factors are also placing 96 percent of Vietnam’s coral reefs at risk. The coral reef decline recorded in several locations, including Halong Bay (Quang Ninh), Cai Ba (Hai Phong), Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, and Khanh Hoa is estimated to be more than75 percent.
Fortunately, one of the nongovernmental organizations we have been assigned to work with, the Center for Sustainable Development Studies plans to come to the rescue. By forming partnerships with community based agencies and groups in Vietnam as well as organizations in other countries – like perhaps even the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in the United States – the CSDS hopes to put in place sustainable programs to help restore Halong Bay and preserve its riches for future generations.
- Dr. Sarah Tenney
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