Experience in sustainable development of UNESCO Global Geoparks

People participate directly

According to Ms. Hoang Thi Hue, Deputy Director of the Management Board of Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark, in recent years, the locality has promoted conservation work in parallel with promoting heritage values, providing livelihoods, thereby bringing sustainable benefits to the community.

Specifically, in the plan to build and promote the title of Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark, the province emphasizes the issue of ensuring livelihoods for people associated with promoting the title. The focus of this content is propaganda,education to raise public awareness and promote cultural values and craft villages.

Cao Bang province currently has 21 traditional craft villages, of which 8 are recognized by the Provincial People's Committee (Photo: Management Board of Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark)

According to Ms. Hoang Thi Hue, Cao Bang province currently has 21 traditional craft villages, of which 8 are recognized by the Provincial People's Committee. These craft villages are all located in the Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark, with 3 craft villages located on the Geopark experience tour route.

In recent times, the Management Board of Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark has implemented many activities to promote cultural values, craft villages, and improve people's livelihoods. On average, each year, the unit organizes 15 community training courses for more than 1,000 people; regularly organizes surveys and experience learning for partners and craft village people.

Consulting activities on preserving traditional architectural spaces, customs, indigenous cultural beliefs, preserving traditional handicraft production stages; supporting the design of check-in points, sales booths, experience points, display spaces for visitors, testing... are focused on.

In particular, the Management Board of Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark also invited artisans and businesses to directly "hold hands and guide", instructing people to improve product designs, reduce costs, input materials, improve product quality and price; connect businesses to cooperate and purchase products for people.

Tourists experience the paper making craft of the Nung people (Photo: Management Board of Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark)

Ms. Hue cited that the Dia Tren paper-making village is a heritage site on the “Indigenous cultural experience in the fairyland” tourist route of the Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Geopark. In order to change the way of thinking and doing traditional crafts for the people, from 2021 to now, the unit has implemented many consulting, training, and direct “hand-holding” activities...

Among many models, the typical one is the family of Ms. Nong Thi Kinh, Dia Tren village, Phuc Sen commune, Quang Hoa district, Cao Bang province, chosen as a partner of CVĐC. Ms. Kinh has preserved and promoted the paper-making craft of the Nung people, when successfully producing 40x60 sized paper and hand-held fans made of dyed paper from 100% natural materials.

“In addition to large orders of 2,000-3,000 sheets of paper and hand-held fans for domestic and foreign customers, Ms. Kinh also organizes experiences for visitors. Every month, about 20-30 groups of visitors come to the village to visit and experience the stages of making paper and producing handicrafts... contributing to improving family income,” Ms. Hue added.

From the success of Ms. Kinh’s family, the UNESCO Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark Board continues to advise on the implementation of community benefit sharing activities, mobilizing people to participate in the work of preserving the craft village. Up to now, this unit has established a group of more than 10 people to share benefits and develop the craft village.

According to Ms. Hue, propaganda and education to raise community awareness is not only limited to training courses but has moved to the stage of "people's participation" in activities to preserve and develop the value of the Geopark.

Ms. Hoang Thi Hue, Deputy Director of the Management Board of UNESCO Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark

In particular, Phja Thap incense products, Dia Tren paper, and Luong Noi brocade were chosen by the province as gifts for delegates attending the 8th International Conference of the UNESCO Global Geopark Network in Asia - Pacific in 2024 in Cao Bang.

“The work of propaganda and education, raising public awareness of developing traditional crafts associated with sustainable tourism has, is and will contribute to preserving and promoting the value of traditional crafts, promoting the tourism potential of Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark and contributing to the sustainable socio-economic development of the local community,” Ms. Hue affirmed.

Not just geological heritage

On April 12, 2018, UNESCO officially recognized Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark as a Global Geopark. This is a place that demonstrates a complex geological development history spanning over 500 million years, and at the same time contains many tangible and intangible cultural values preserved by ethnic minorities and crystallized into core values.

After 6 years of being recognized by UNESCO, the title of UNESCO Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark has contributed to sustainable socio-economic development, environmental protection, nature conservation, preservation and promotion of national identity and cultural traditions for this locality.

According to Vice Chairwoman of Dak Nong Provincial People's Committee Ton Thi Ngoc Hanh, Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark is a model of socio-economic development associated with nature and cultural conservation and enhancing community awareness.

From the lessons learned from Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark, Dak Nong province determined that Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark is not only a valuable geological heritage but also a model of socio-economic development associated with nature and cultural conservation and enhancing community awareness.

Currently, Dak Nong has built 3 tourist routes in the Geopark area. Along with that, the province has invested in completing infrastructure systems at tourist attractions; focusing on promoting investment, supporting the development of production cooperative models, preserving traditional crafts to ensure quality and standards, providing products for tourists to learn, visit, experience, aiming to create a Dak Nong tourism brand.

Mr. Nguyen Khac Anh, Head of Tourism Management Department, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dak Nong province, said that the great potential of the locality with beautiful natural landscapes, cool climate and diverse ecosystems, creates ideal conditions for developing agricultural tourism.

"The province has built 44 agricultural tourism models, from fruit orchards, organic farms to the experience of "a day as a farmer", attracting the attention of tourists, especially international ones," said Mr. Nguyen Khac Anh.

Dak Nong has great potential with beautiful natural landscape, cool climate and diverse ecosystem.

From its natural advantages, Dak Nong province focuses on forming unique tourism products, especially agricultural products.

According to the assessment, the land belonging to Dak Nong UNESCO Geopark is suitable for many agricultural products that can be developed into specialties, due to the inheritance of special minerals from the eruption of the volcanic system. Up to now, districts and Gia Nghia city have developed agricultural products such as vegetables, tubers, fruits, rice... which are specific and unique with the distinct identity of Dak Nong to serve tourism development.

Since 2018, Krong No district has coordinated with OCOP entities to name products associated with volcanic sites.

Mr. Doan Gia Loc, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Krong No district, said that since 2018, Krong No district has coordinated with OCOP entities to name products associated with volcanic sites so that consumers can easily remember them. This is also a way to "position the brand" on the tourism map, thereby contributing to enhancing the value of products associated with the Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark.

“Currently, there are very few volcanic sites nationwide. This is one of the goals for Krong No to attach the two words “volcano” to product labels so that consumers and tourists can easily remember. This is like a form of traceability on the tourist map,” Mr. Doan Gia Loc informed.

In addition to the task of preserving and promoting heritage values, Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark also focuses on promoting propaganda activities associated with education, aiming to raise public awareness of the Geopark. Every year, Dak Nong province organizes an English presentation contest to learn about Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark for secondary and high school students. The contest attracts about 2,000 students to participate.

Recently, Dak Nong Community College has organized a Tourism major to train human resources for tourism development. Localities in the Geopark region also organize short-term training courses to improve the quality of human resources for tourism; training on preserving and promoting national cultural identity, teaching skills in brocade weaving and traditional costumes of ethnic minorities, etc.

Besides preserving heritage, Dak Nong province focuses on preserving and promoting traditional values associated with Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark.

Recently, at the Ceremony to receive the title of Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark for the second time in 2024, comrade Ho Van Muoi, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee affirmed that in the coming time, Dak Nong will focus on synchronously implementing tasks on zoning, preserving and promoting heritage values in the Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark area. The province prioritizes planning and converting land use purposes to meet the needs of socio-economic development associated with the heritages of the Geopark; building a strategy to develop the brand "Dak Nong Geopark - Land of Melodies"...

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/kinh-nghiem-phat-trien-ben-vung-cvdctc-unesco-nhin-tu-tinh-cao-bang-238428.html