Spending more than 190 billion VND to upgrade Cat Ba National Park's infrastructure

Eo Bua ranger station is being rebuilt after being degraded. Photo: Dinh Muoi.

Informing the Agriculture and Environment Newspaper , the leader of Cat Ba National Park said that the project "Investment in construction and completion of Cat Ba National Park infrastructure" has been adjusted, supplemented and is being implemented by the People's Committee of Hai Phong City to overcome the serious degradation of the infrastructure here, especially after storm Yagi.

This project was previously approved by the Hai Phong City People's Committee at the end of 2010 with a total budget of more than 270 billion VND, with implementation from 2010 to 2015. However, due to procedural and capital problems, the project was delayed for many years, directly affecting the conservation and tourism development work at Cat Ba National Park.

According to this adjustment, 6 out of 9 initial items were cut, including telecommunications infrastructure, traffic connecting functional areas, scientific research center, animal rescue center, bird and plant conservation area, and botanical garden sightseeing area. Some other items were also reduced in scale, such as animal observation towers and fire watchtowers. Along with that, the 20 km long combined patrol and tourist trail was only renovated for 3.2 km, the section from the center of Cat Ba National Park to Ao Ech.

A ranger station at sea was almost completely damaged after Typhoon Yagi. Photo: Dinh Muoi.

However, the adjusted project still focuses on building 7 new out of 12 ranger stations to ensure effective protection and conservation in key areas including stations: Tra Bau, Khoan Cao, Van Ta, Viet Hai, Phu Long, Eo Bua and Ang Ke. Two new floating ranger stations are also built in areas with difficult terrain, each station has a raft area of ​​245 m2 and a construction area of ​​148 m2.

Nguyen Van Thiu, Director of Cat Ba National Park, said many former ranger stations were severely damaged, forcing rangers to work in makeshift floating stations. The deterioration also affected patrol routes, and some tourist spots lacked public toilets, making it difficult for visitors.

In particular, after storm No. 3 (Yagi), the damage to facilities and infrastructure is expected to cost more than 3 billion VND to repair. Of which, the two ranger stations Gio Cung and Ao Ech were damaged from 70-100% and cannot be repaired. Cat Dua station alone was damaged 30-50%, and Khoan Cao was damaged 0-30%. At the Nursery project, many items were also damaged up to 70%, other projects such as butterfly houses, orchid houses, and orchid gardens were all damaged 100%, ...

New shoots have sprouted after half a year of storm damage. Investment in infrastructure will help manage and protect the forest better. Photo: Dinh Muoi.

To ensure operations, Cat Ba National Park has proposed and recommended the Hai Phong City People's Committee to soon build new ranger stations and liquidate severely damaged structures. To date, construction has begun on some ranger stations such as Khoan Cao, Ang Ke and Eo Bua. The project investor has been assigned to the Hai Phong Transport and Agricultural Project Management Board.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thiu assessed that after completion, the project will significantly improve the working conditions of staff, especially the rangers. This will contribute significantly to the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development of tourism in Cat Ba National Park.

“The project promises to bring a new, more modern look to the National Park, contributing to the protection of the area’s precious natural resources. This investment not only improves the quality of work but also enhances the visitor experience, promoting sustainable local socio-economic development.”

In 2024, Hai Phong City People's Committee issued Decision No. 410/QD-UBND, adjusting and re-approving the project with the total investment reduced to more than 190 billion VND. The central capital source remains at nearly 82 billion VND according to Decision No. 2370/QD-BNN of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment).

Source: https://nongnghiep.vn/chi-hon-190-ty-dong-nang-cap-ha-tang-vuon-quoc-gia-cat-ba-d746693.html