"Development in Cu Lao Cham means not developing anything, just keeping intact what is available" - Photo: DO HUU TIEN
After 15 years of being listed as a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and becoming a model in biodiversity conservation, Tan Hiep island commune - Cu Lao Cham (Hoi An, Quang Nam) is only less than 15km2 wide with a population of about 2,500 people but has welcomed more than 200,000 tourists to visit and stay each year.
On average, Cu Lao Cham has up to 500 tourists visiting and staying every day. On weekends, the number of tourists visiting the island can reach nearly 1,000 per day.
It is noteworthy that the number of international tourists coming to Cu Lao Cham is always higher than domestic tourists.
What attracts more and more tourists to this beautiful island even though Cu Lao Cham's tourism infrastructure is still simple and lacking in amenities compared to many other places in the country?
Mr. Nguyen The Hung - Vice Chairman of Hoi An City People's Committee, Head of the Management Board of Cu Lao Cham World Biosphere Reserve - said: The establishment of the Marine Protected Area in 2005 and Cu Lao Cham World Biosphere Reserve in 2009 has urged the government and people of the island commune to make every effort to protect the environment and conserve natural resources of forests and seas.
The most important thing in preserving Cu Lao Cham is that people gradually become aware that preserving the forest and the sea means preserving their rice pot.
Of course, from the idea of the city leaders to the mobilization of commune residents to respond to the programs "Carrying baskets to the market", "Say no to plastic bags", "Say no to plastic straws", "granting quotas for stone crab exploitation" and then to the conservation and preservation of intact coral reefs, conservation of eggs and sea turtles... it did not come true overnight.
But by convincing the people and these unique ways, Cu Lao Cham has transformed from a poor island commune, lacking in all aspects of infrastructure, uncontrolled exploitation of forest and marine resources, plastic waste everywhere... into a bright spot in environmental protection, nature conservation, poverty alleviation and rising to lead the province in terms of income.
Perhaps the biggest lesson that can be seen in Cu Lao Cham over the past decades is that the people here have known how to live "with their backs against the mountain and their faces toward the sea".
Since 1998 - 1999, the people of Cu Lao Cham have used honeycomb charcoal for cooking instead of cutting firewood in the forest. Border guards and commune officials are the pioneers for the people to follow. Thanks to preserving the forest, the source of clean water for daily life of the residents in the commune is preserved.
From preserving the forest, people agree with the government not to exploit coral to make lime, protect coral reefs, not to fish with explosives that destroy the marine environment...
And nature, when protected and preserved, has also brought the people of Cu Lao Cham a healthy, full and increasingly improving life.
Knowing how to rely on nature, conversing with nature, not forcing nature - "Thuan thien gia ton" (living according to the laws of nature will survive) is the philosophy of life that the people of Cu Lao Cham have applied in their lives.
That is also a lesson for us in dealing with nature.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bai-hoc-tu-cu-lao-cham-20240527081923669.htm
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