Dak Nong demarcates protection area for caves C7 and C8

Cave C7 is located in Nam Da and Dak Sor communes; Cave C8 is located in Nam Da and Buon Choah communes, Krong No district, are two typical caves in the Krong No volcanic cave system, a complex of tube-shaped lava caves formed about 600,000 - 200,000 years ago from the eruption of Nam B'Lang volcano.

This is a large-scale volcanic cave system with unique geological and geomorphological structures, considered the most prominent in Southeast Asia and currently located in the core zone of the Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark in the period 2024 - 2027.

1(1).jpg — The working delegation met and agreed at the People's Committee of Krong No district.

In addition to their scientific value, the two caves are also located near the Central Highlands villages rich in cultural identity as well as national relics such as Dray Sap waterfall, B4 base - Interprovincial IV... creating great potential for sustainable development of ecological and cultural tourism.

2(1).jpg — Director of the Provincial Museum Nguyen Van Lung emphasized that establishing a clear protection boundary is an important basis in the process of building a scientific dossier and proposing to rank relics for these two typical volcanic caves.

Recently, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dak Nong province assigned the Provincial Museum to conduct research, collect documents, and complete scientific dossiers. The implementation process involved consultation with the Department of Cultural Heritage and geological experts to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the dossier submitted to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to propose the ranking of national relics for the scenic spots of C7 and C8 caves.

3(1).jpg — Major Dang Van Mau, General Staff Department, Provincial Military Command, gave many opinions related to the area of C8 cave, which needs to be carefully considered because it is related to the planning of some military areas, ensuring security and defense factors in the process of preserving and developing the relic.

After field surveys and expert consultations, Dak Nong Provincial Museum proposed a plan to demarcate the protection zones for two scenic spots of volcanic caves C7 and C8 in Krong No district.

4(1).jpg — Mr. Huynh Cong Nga, Deputy Head of the Department of Culture, Science and Information of Krong No district, agreed with the plan and area of the protected area of the C7 and C8 caves proposed by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. He also said that currently, the entire area planned to be protected as a relic is forestry land managed by the district People's Committee, and has not been allocated or granted the right to use to local people.

For Cave C7, the area is 49.6 hectares, located in Nam Da and Dak Sor communes. Of which, the protected area I is about 32.5 hectares wide, including the entire cave with a length of 1,066.5m and a cave mouth of 10-12m wide. This is the area that needs to be kept intact to preserve the original elements of the relic.

Protection area II has an area of about 17.1 hectares, is the space surrounding area I, oriented to build works serving sightseeing, research and promoting heritage values.

6(1).jpg — The surveying unit updated and accurately determined the boundary and protected area of the relic at Cave C7.

For Cave C8, the protected area is 15.7 hectares, belonging to Buôn Choáh and Nam Đà communes. Of which, protected area I occupies about 10.2 hectares, including a cave mouth about 20m wide and the entire cave length of 791m.

Protection area II is about 5.5 hectares wide, arranged around area I to serve educational and tourism activities associated with conservation.