Preserving the 'heart' of heritage and tourism Phong Nha - Ke Bang

On the morning of June 30, the international workshop "Promoting the value of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park World Heritage in the trend of integration and sustainable development" was organized by the People's Committee of Quang Binh province in coordination with the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Dong Hoi city.

The workshop was attended by representatives of UNESCO, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), international organizations in the field of conservation and development, central ministries and branches, representatives of Khammouane province (Laos), foreign partners, experts, scientists ... This is an activity in a series of events to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park being recognized by UNESCO as a world natural heritage (July 5, 2003 - July 5, 2023).

Inside Son Doong Cave. TL

The formation of the earth's crust more than 450 million years ago has "worked hard" to create for Quang Binh a Phong Nha - Ke Bang with special and unique values ​​in geology, geomorphology, ecosystem and biodiversity. This place has a green cypress forest over 500 years old, newly discovered species of fish and amphibians. In particular, there are thousands of large and small caves, of which more than 400 have been surveyed, notably Son Doong (the world's largest cave), Phong Nha (with the world's longest underground river), Thien Duong (with the most magical and unique stalactites in the world) ... Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park has been honored twice by UNESCO as a world natural heritage, and has been recognized by the Prime Minister as a special national monument.

Over the past 20 years, Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park has implemented 24 programs/projects, participated in 17 meetings of the World Heritage Committee, and participated in 21 international forums. Regarding scientific research, 43 new species of plants and animals have been discovered; 425 caves with a total length of 243 km have been surveyed and measured; 1,439 wild animals have been rescued. Regarding tourism, 17 tourist routes and destinations have been put into operation, welcoming more than 9.5 million tourists, collecting entrance fees of 1,742 billion VND.

At the workshop, dozens of presentations by domestic and international managers, experts and scientists focused on the following contents: evaluating the achievements of 20 years of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park World Heritage; management of cultural heritage, forestry, biodiversity, geology, geomorphology; tourism, economic , communication issues...

Mr. Hoang Dao Cuong, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, commented that in addition to the achievements, Phong Nha - Ke Bang still faces many difficulties and challenges such as the impact of climate change , the impact of development pressure and the increasing number of tourists... This requires managers and scientists to continue to research, study and solve, and the international conference is an opportunity for all parties to sit down and discuss for a bright future for Phong Nha - Ke Bang. Some experts also affirmed that Phong Nha - Ke Bang is not only a rare natural heritage that needs to be protected and preserved, but also a particularly important resource for local socio-economic development.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giu-trai-tim-di-san-va-du-lich-phong-nha-ke-bang-185230630231955476.htm