Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark is a home of 17 ethnic groups, with the unique culture and architecture and different traditional customs and practices. This land is characterised by geological heritages, cultural heritages and biodiversity. Until now, scientists have investigated and identified 139 particular geological heritages of all sorts, with 15 international heritages, 68 national heritages and 56 local ones and many caves, fossils in sedimentary karst layers which have not been researched, investigated and evaluated.
In the past 4 years, the Management Board has collaborated with the Propaganda and Education Commission of Ha Giang Provincial Party Committee, the People's Committees of 4 districts in the area to hold training courses to raise awareness of local people; simultaneously, cooperate with the Provincial Department of Education and Training to design materials on the Geopark and heritage sites suitable for students of all grades: Kindergarten, Primary, Secondary School, High School. In addition, the Management Board in coordination with People’s Committees of 4 mountainous districts to deploy propaganda activities in each locality, local people as well as tourists. The community education has obtained a certain achievements. Local people have basic awareness of the purpose of the building and development of the geopark. Authorities and local people have consensus in the conservation and promotion of heritage values of the geopark.
Local people claimed their responsibilities, obligations and benefits of biodiversity protection as well as consequences of destroying natural resources. In order to strengthen the biodiversity protection in forests, conventions of the community in the protection of biodiversity and protection of genetic resources on Dong Van Geopark, the Management Board of Dong Van Geopark also built detailed plans such as creating a heritage map; localising heritage protection zones and karst exploitation zones, continuing to carry out research of heritages, archaeological sites to complete heritage documents.
In 2013, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung approved contents of the master plan to preserve, store and promote the value of Dong Van Karst Pleatau Global Geopark in the period 2012-2020 with the vision of 2030. This programme aims to preserve, restore and promote values of the geopark as a natural museum of geology, biology and history under 3 special subjects, namely Culture Geopark, Geobiology Park and Geoscience Park. Investment planning of four tourist centres including Dong Van Centre for Culture, History and Tourism, Meo Vac Border Gate Tourism, Science, Adventure and Trade centre, Yen Minh Green Urban Eco-tourism Centre, Quan Ba Entertainment and Tourism Centre. Programmes of upgrading infrastructure for tourism and local economy development have attracted enterprises inside and outside the province in the field of tourism. Currently, the geopark has been building stops, sightseeing areas to serve tourists in the Geopark area; clean water projects to serve local people and tourists have also been deployed.
The synchronous implementation and active coordination of the management board and people in the building, conservation and development of Dong Van global geopark, in recent years, has changed the look and enhanced the life of ethnic minorities in the geopark region. Thereby, the image of Dong Van Geopark is better known among international friends – a land with new discoveries in which there is a close connection between heritage sites and cultural heritages.
Thanh Nga
Vietnamese
