The comparative analyses of selected aspects of conservation and management of Vietnam’s national parks

Abstract

The national parks in Vietnam are protected areas in the national system of special-use forests created to protect natural resources and biodiversity. In order to improve the effectiveness of management of national parks, the study assesses some current aspects of conservation and management of natural resources with respect to management plans, financial sources, staff, cooperative activities, causes of limited management capacity and threats to natural resources. Out of the total of 30 national parks, six are under the responsibility of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST) and 24 national parks are managed by provincial authorities. It was found that most of the national parks have updated their management plans. Financial sources of funding for national parks mainly originated from the central and provincial budgets, with an average of 51% and 76% respectively. Fifty percent of national parks spent 40-60% of their total funding on conservation activities. About 85% of national parks' staff had academic degrees, typically in the fields of forestry, agriculture and fisheries. Biodiversity conservation was considered a priority cooperative action in national parks with scientific institutes. Major causes of a limited management capacity of national parks included human population growth and pressure associated with resources use, lack of funding, limited human and institutional capacity and land use conflict/land grab. Illegal hunting, trapping, poaching and fishing, the illegal wildlife trade, illegal logging and firewood collecting appeared to be the most serious threats to the conservation and management of natural resources. In addition to RESEARCH ARTICLE Launched to accelerate biodiversity conservation A peer-reviewed open-access journalLe Thanh An et al. / Nature Conservation 25: 1-30 (2018) 2 these results, significant differences were found between the VNFOREST and provincial parks in terms of financial sources, staff and the threat of illegal logging and firewood collecting. The authors' findings offer useful information for national park planners and managers, as well as policy makers and researchers in seeking solutions for the sustainable management of natural resources in national parks.

Tourist and Local Resident Preferences for the Northern Yellow-Cheeked Gibbon (Nomascus annamensis) Conservation Program in the Bach Ma National Park, Central Vietnam

“…Tourism, or more specifically, nature-based tourism, could have a considerable potential to generate funds for conservation, alternative livelihoods of local people, and for shaping people's attitudes to the environment and nature protection (Ballantyne et al, 2009;Balmford et al, 2009;Rinne & Saastamoinen, 2005). In Vietnamese NPs, the development of nature-based tourism has contributed to supporting the financial resources of parks and enhancing local socioeconomic development (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, 2011;Rugendyke & Son, 2005;An et al, 2018). However, the Vietnamese government views nature-based tourism as one of the key tourism products for the country's development (Government of Vietnam, 2013) and suffers from a lack of the development of national nature-based tourism plan, particularly for protected areas.…”

“…Despite being ranked as the 16th most biodiverse country in the world (Butler, 2016), Vietnam faces threats to its biodiversity conservation activities, as well as its protection of natural resources. Funds for the country's protected areas are also inadequate, as they cover only operations and maintenance costs for protected areas (International Centre for Environmental Management, 2003;An, Markowski, & Bartos, 2018). In the protected areas of special use forests, including NPs, the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (2014) and An et al (2018) have identified a range of pressures on biodiversity and natural resources, such as illegal hunting and the wildlife trade.…”

International Tourists' Willingness to Pay for A Wildlife Conservation Program: A Case Study of Northern Yellow-cheeked Gibbons in Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam

“…In developing and managing protected areas, national parks (NPs) are designed to safeguard biodiversity and large-scale biological processes, as well as to offer spiritual, educational, and recreational possibilities [8]. Specifically, NPs can promote the growth of nature-based tourism due to their potential social and economic advantages [9][10][11]. It is crucial not only to bolster the finances of protected areas, but also to influence the perspectives of tourists toward the natural environment [10,12,13].…”

“…Annually, more than two billion people visit European NPs, resulting in a consumer surplus of approximately EUR14.5 billion [11]. In Vietnam, 9% of the overall funding of NPs is received on average from tourism [9]. Combining diverse financing sources is therefore essential for the long-term financial viability of PAs [13].…”

“…Despite the growing number of protected areas, Vietnam confronts multiple challenges to its nature protection efforts, such as illegal hunting and resource exploitation in national parks [9]. The situation of PAs' biodiversity continues to deteriorate, e.g., with Tram Chim NP observing a substantial drop in endangered species [26].…”