3:26:34 PM | 7/8/2005
The northern port city of Hai Phong will hold a grand ceremony on April 1 to officially receive a UNESCO certificate recognizing its Cat Ba archipelago as a world biosphere reserve, mark the 46th anniversary of Uncle Ho’s visit to the island, celebrate national Fishery Day, and launch the 2005 Cat Ba tourism season.
“In late 2004, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) officially recognised Cat Ba and the
He said the recognition helps Hai Phong accelerate its sustainable socioeconomic development, preserve its flora and fauna, participate in global networks for nature research, and boost regional and international cooperation programmes on biodiversity and environmental protection.
Covering a total area of 26,240 hectares near the World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay, Cat Ba is home to 2,320 species of animals and plants, including a lot of rare and precious ones such as the golden-headed Langur (threatened endemic monkey species) and Eretmochelys Imbricata (sea turtles). The Ngoc (Gem) island of the Cat Ba archipelago houses a rain forest with total area of more than 17,300 hectares which houses a special kind of medicinal plant used for heart nourishment, and rare species of geckos and antelopes.
The Cat Ba biosphere reserve is very suitable for the development of fishing, aquaculture and tourism. “We plan to launch a wider range of eco-tourism services, offering visitors opportunities to explore primitive forests, grottoes, climb mountains, take photos underwater, row kayaks and enjoy wave surfing,” the vice chairman said.
Cat Ba, home to one four-star hotel, 45 three-star hotels, 12 two-star hotels and many other small hotels with a total of over 2,000 rooms, has received some 400,000 tourists each year in recent years. “We hope to annually welcome over one million visitors, one-third of whom are foreigners from 2005 to 2010,” he noted.
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