Promoting the value of geological heritage to develop the highland economy

Preserving and rationally exploiting geological heritage at Dong Van Karst Plateau Global Geopark will create momentum for economic development in the highlands.

On the land of the Fatherland's headland, Dong Van Stone Plateau is not only endowed by nature with majestic landscapes, but also contains hundreds of millions of years of history of the Earth. The layers of rock and precious paleontological vestiges here, if preserved and exploited properly, will not only contribute to enhancing scientific value, but more importantly, will also open up opportunities for economic development and poverty reduction for the people of the highlands.

Perspective view of the Permian - Triassic (P/T) stratigraphic boundary paleontological model at Lung Cam geological section in Sa Phin commune, Tuyen Quang province. Photo: Lan Chi.

Heritage and livelihood

People in the core communes of Dong Van Karst Plateau Global Geopark are used to a life of farming and raising livestock on the rocky slopes. Difficult production conditions and unstable incomes make poverty reduction a big challenge. However, when the values ​​of geological heritage are exploited for tourism , the door to new livelihoods is gradually opening.

For example, in Pu Tru Lung village, Sung La commune, Dong Van district, Ha Giang province (now Sa Phin commune, Tuyen Quang province), the model of exploiting the heritage value of the Permian - Triassic (P/T) stratigraphic boundary at Lung Cam geological section is expected to attract thousands of additional visitors each year. This means that dozens of households can open homestay services, cook, sell agricultural products, brocade; young people in the commune can become tour guides, tour guides. It is expected that 30-45 local workers will have stable jobs, with an average income of about 5-6 million VND/month, a not small number in the highlands.

Each tourist who visits and experiences heritage sites usually spends from 500,000 to 700,000 VND on food, accommodation, and shopping. If the number of visitors increases by 8,000-15,000 per year as calculated, the additional revenue for the locality can reach 6-10 billion VND. That source of revenue does not stop at statistics, but goes directly to the people through the services they provide.

Figures from the 2024 socio-economic report of Sung La commune (old) show the potential of the paleontological model if linked to national target programs. In the past year, the commune has disbursed more than 3.38 billion VND from production support projects, including a fattening cattle model for 205 households in 9 villages, helping to increase the total herd to more than 4,200 heads, exceeding the plan by 116%.

Along with that, the new rural construction program has helped improve infrastructure and life: 38 solar lights, 50 sanitation facilities, domestic water tank support for 36 poor households, kiosks and stone fences for community tourism.

Dr. Nguyen Duc Phong (Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources) and a team of Polish experts surveyed the Permian - Triassic (P/T) stratigraphic boundary in Pu Tru Lung village, Sa Phin commune, Tuyen Quang province. Photo: Mai Anh.

When geological heritage clusters are put into operation, their benefits will resonate with national target programs. People will not only have more income from tourism services, but also enjoy new infrastructure, a more convenient living environment, and more diverse production livelihoods.

Dr. Nguyen Duc Phong, Head of the Department of Paleontology and Stratigraphy, Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources, said that if the cluster of geological heritage sites is put into exploitation, the synergy effect between new infrastructure, tourism livelihoods and poverty reduction programs will be even stronger.

Science tourism - opportunity for the young generation

Not only does it bring economic benefits, geological heritage is also a valuable educational channel for children in the highlands. Through bilingual explanatory panels and paleontological models, the story of the extinction event more than 250 million years ago will be told vividly and easily. Students not only "learn" from books, but also experience it directly on their homeland.

When geological heritage sites are exploited, people will not only have more income from tourism services, but also enjoy new infrastructure, a more convenient living environment, and more diverse production livelihoods. Photo: Lan Chi.

When tourists, especially students from other places, come to visit, local children also have access to new knowledge, raise awareness of environmental conservation, and appreciate their homeland's heritage. This is an important foundation for the young generation to not only be attached to their homeland, but also know how to enrich themselves from the cultural and geological resources here.

The story of Pu Tru Lung shows that preserving heritage does not mean “locking it up” in a museum. When linked to life, heritage can become a source of sustainable development: creating jobs, increasing income, expanding learning opportunities, and helping people escape poverty.

For the highlands of Ha Giang (now Tuyen Quang), this is a strategic move: shifting from mass tourism to developing high-quality tourism, associated with conservation and education. The poor will be the direct beneficiaries, having more livelihoods and participating in preserving and spreading the heritage values ​​of their homeland.

People in the core communes of Dong Van Karst Plateau Global Geopark are used to a life of farming and raising livestock on the rocky slopes. Photo: Lan Chi.

The Permian - Triassic (P/T) stratigraphic boundary heritage site model at Lung Cam geological section in Pu Tru Lung village, Sung La commune, Dong Van district, Ha Giang province (now Sa Phin commune, Tuyen Quang province) is the first paleontological model designed and built by a group of authors from the Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources. This paleontological model belongs to the Ha Giang provincial-level science and technology project "Research and investigation of scientific values ​​of geological heritage in some newly opened or expanded road sections serving the conservation and promotion of the value of Dong Van Karst Plateau Global Geopark", code DTCN.HG-04/2023. The project is chaired by Dr. Nguyen Duc Phong, Head of the Paleontology and Stratigraphy Department, Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources.

The P/T boundary is geological evidence of the largest extinction event in Earth’s history, which occurred approximately 252.2 million years ago, causing the disappearance of more than 90% of marine life and 70% of terrestrial life. The heritage site at Pu Tru Lung can be directly compared with the global benchmark at Meishan (China) and is considered a valuable “natural laboratory” for scientific research.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/phat-huy-gia-tri-di-san-dia-chat-de-phat-trien-kinh-te-vung-cao-d767729.html