18/02/2009

Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve, Hoa Binh province (Vietnam) / It’s starting the design of the first ecotourist activity in the Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve by the AECID in Vietnam

A meeting was delivered at Mu village (Tu Do Commune, Tan Lac District, Hoa Binh province) and organized by the Ngoc Son Ngo Luong project, on 16^th Feb 2009, with the participation of Nature Reserve staff (FPD), the FPSC team in Vietnam, local authorities, key locals for ecotourism and the  local Vietnam tour operator from Hanoi named “Footprint”. They all discussed about 4 possible suitable options to develop a trekking route through the Nature Reserve while still observing the Environmental values and the Nature Reserve’s biodiversity, and at the same time to promote the Community Based-Ecotourism (CBET) as a complementary economic alternative for the local people who live inside of the Nature Reserve. Finally, one option was approved.

The option chosen is the aim of a very long process done at Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve, a protected area established in 2006, and where FPSC has been directly working since 2007. Before starting any activity related to the tourism, the Ngoc Son Ngo Luong project ordered some scientific studies on Flora and Fauna, delivering the first surveys about the biodiversity at the Nature Reserve. At the same time, the Ngoc Son Ngo Luong project helped local people to make 51 Village Development Plans of the total of 51 villages which are located into this protected area. The consolidation from the Environmental Information, Socioeconomic Plans plus the desire/wishes of the villagers inside of the Nature Reserve and the technical knowledge about ecotourism from the private sector through Footprint had to enable to design the first ecotourism product with the participation and opinion from all stakeholders. This product will be discussed with key stakeholders in provincial level in the coming time.