Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba Archipelago is a World Natural Heritage

A corner of Cat Ba. (Source: VNA)

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, at 5:39 p.m. local time (ie 9:39 p.m. September 16, Vietnam time), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee approved the nomination dossier, recognizing Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba Archipelago (in Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong city) as a World Natural Heritage.

Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba Archipelago is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site because of its areas of natural beauty including limestone islands covered with vegetation; limestone peaks rising above the sea level along with related karst features such as domes and caves.

With 1,133 limestone islands of various shapes and sizes (775 limestone islands in Ha Long Bay and 358 limestone islands in Ca Ba Archipelago) covered with rich vegetation on the sparkling emerald water, Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago appears like a chessboard of precious stones; peaceful, overlapping mountains and rivers; pristine, fine white sand beaches.

With the intersection of mountains, forests and islands, Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago has a high level of diversity in Asia, possessing 7 adjacent, successively developing marine-island, tropical and subtropical ecosystems.

These are primary tropical rainforest ecosystems; cave ecosystems; mangrove ecosystems; tidal flat ecosystems; coral reef ecosystems; soft bottom ecosystems; and saltwater lake ecosystems.

These ecosystems represent ecological and biological processes that are still evolving and developing, as demonstrated by the diversity of plant and animal communities.

Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago is also the habitat of many rare species of animals and plants. Possessing the largest marine forest in Vietnam with an area of over 17,000 hectares and diverse ecosystems, Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago is home to 4,910 species of terrestrial and marine animals and plants, of which 198 species are on the Red List of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), 51 endemic species.

The area of primary forest of about 1,045.2 hectares on Cat Ba Island is one of the important factors contributing to the ecological value and biodiversity of the heritage.

In particular, the Cat Ba Langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus) is a rare species, listed as one of the most endangered animals and listed in the World Red Book. To date, there are only about 60-70 individuals distributed in Cat Ba, and this species appears nowhere else in the world...

Ha Long Bay was twice recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage in 1994 and 2000 according to criteria vii and viii.

In 2013, the nomination dossier for Cat Ba Archipelago as a World Natural Heritage according to biodiversity and ecosystem criteria (criteria ix and x) was sent to the World Heritage Center.

After the assessment process, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) drafted Decision No. WHC-14/38.COM/INF.8B for adoption by the World Heritage Committee at its 38th Session in Qatar in 2014, which recommended: “The State Party considers the possibility of proposing an extension to Ha Long Bay, according to criteria (vii) and (viii) and possibly criterion (x), to include the Cat Ba Archipelago.”

Ha Long Bay. (Source: VNA)

Since then, the implementation of conservation activities and research to nominate Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago as a world heritage site has continued to be promoted.

In September 2016, the Prime Minister agreed to allow Hai Phong city to preside over and coordinate with Quang Ninh province to develop a dossier to expand Ha Long Bay to Cat Ba Archipelago to submit to the Prime Minister for consideration and approval to UNESCO under the guidance of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism according to the recommendations of international agencies.

At the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee taking place in Riyadh this time, the Vietnamese delegation was led by Ms. Le Thi Thu Hien, Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), Standing Member of the National Cultural Heritage Council.

Also attending were Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van - Head of the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to UNESCO in France, representatives of the Secretariat of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; representatives of the leaders of Hai Phong city and Quang Ninh province.

Vietnam has worked with specialized agencies and 21 member countries of the World Heritage Committee to provide information, explain, clarify, express views and commitments on the management, protection and promotion of heritage values after being listed as a World Heritage Site.

International experts, scientists and member countries of the World Heritage Committee all highly appreciate the heritage value, support Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago to become a World Natural Heritage, and wish to visit the heritage in the near future./.

According to THANH GIANG (Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

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