Cu Lao Cham Marine Park
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Cu Lao Cham Marine Park also known as Cham Islands Biosphere Reserve is part of the eight islets of the
Chàm Islands The Cham Islands ( vi, Cù lao Chàm) constitute a group of 8 small islands of Quảng Nam, which form a part of the Cu Lao Cham Marine Park, a world Biosphere Reserve recognized by UNESCO, in the South China Sea (East Sea) in Vietnam. The islan ...
, located in the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...
under the administration of Tân Hiệp Commune and
Hội An Hội An (), formerly known as Fai-Fo or Faifoo, is a city with a population of approximately 120,000 in Vietnam's Quảng Nam Province and is noted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Along with the Cu Lao Cham archipelago, it is part o ...
town, in Quảng Nam Province,
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. The terrestrial and coastal ecosystems of the islands have been recognized as a global
Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...
by
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
on 26 May 2009 under its 'Man and the Biosphere Programme' for its rich biodiversity value. The eco system also includes the ancient
Hội An Hội An (), formerly known as Fai-Fo or Faifoo, is a city with a population of approximately 120,000 in Vietnam's Quảng Nam Province and is noted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Along with the Cu Lao Cham archipelago, it is part o ...
, which is away from the islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Biosphere reserve area covers including of coral reefs and of underwater plant life. 947 aquatic species have also been identified in the biosphere.


Objective

The Cham Island Biosphere Reserve, which comprises a group of 8 coastal islands and marine site in the central part of the Vietnam, is now one of the 553 UNESCO Biosphere Reserve sites in 107 countries of the world. The objective of declaring the islands as Biosphere Reserve is to adopt different approaches of integrated management of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine resources and biodiversity. The biodiversity marine species of the reserve are particularly
coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...
s,
mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000  extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...
s,
crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...
s and
seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...
. This ecosystem also includes
Hội An Hội An (), formerly known as Fai-Fo or Faifoo, is a city with a population of approximately 120,000 in Vietnam's Quảng Nam Province and is noted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Along with the Cu Lao Cham archipelago, it is part o ...
, a UNESCO cultural
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
, which is well known as an ancient trading port that blends Vietnamese and European cultures; this blend is expected to encourage sustainable ecotourism
tour cu lao cham


Topography

The islands that constitute the biosphere are eight, including the main island of Hòn Lao (pearl). The other seven small islands, with their meanings in English, are: the Hòn Dài (long), Hòn Khô mẹ or the mother Hòn Khô (dry), Hòn Khô con or the child Hòn Khô, Hòn Lá (leaf), Hòn Tai (ear) and Hòn Ông (east wind). Each islet has mountains and sand beaches. The uncluttered, least inhabited island group, with their steep rock slopes, sea waves and rich vegetation has been given the soubriquet “unpolished sapphires”. The largest island is Hòn Lao. It has an area and has two mountains, one a peak in the centre of the island and another a peak at the western end. The historical monuments seen are the 300-year-old Hai Tang Pagoda set amidst three mountains known as Bat Long, Ngoa Long and Time. The swamps and marshes of maritime-marsh origin evolved as a result of receding seas in ancient times (about 2000 years old). These areas are located to the east of the township of Hội An (in the villages of Cam Chau, Cam An, and Cam Thanh). They are also found in stretches along the coast, south of the Thu Bon River that runs past Trung Phuong (Duy Xuyen district). These are to be developed into income generating zones for the people.


Biodiversity

The rich biodiversity of the islands comprise both
terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...
and aquatic
marine ecosystem Marine ecosystems are the largest of Earth's aquatic ecosystems and exist in waters that have a high salt content. These systems contrast with freshwater ecosystems, which have a lower salt content. Marine waters cover more than 70% of the surf ...
. ;Terrestrial The major terrestrial ecosystem components are: "the
seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the orde ...
beds,
seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...
s,
coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...
s,
mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...
s,
tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...
s and others" and the major habitats are "Forest, sea beaches, rocky hills and mountains, rice and other cultivation, grass fields and others". The terrestrial resources consist of the traditional resources extracted from the islands by the Cham people of the islands. These comprise rice farming, trading in pepper, cinnamon bark, ivory and wood for trading with neighbouring countries, accessed through the port of Hoi An. The most important terrestrial fauna of the islands are the salanganes, also called
swallows The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...
, whose nests have been a source of revenue to the local people. These are a delicacy, favoured by the rich and the famous for the popular Chinese dish known as birds nest soup. On a clear day, on the hills of the islands, the nests and nest harvesters can be seen interacting. The swallow nest harvesting is an industry in the islands, which provides important revenue to the state. The annual Swallow harvest is reported to be about 1.4 tonnes, valued at US$4,000 per kilogram. ;Aquatic The aquatic system is composed of of seaweed algae, marine algae and sea grass. With its of coral and sea creatures, the island is known as a "kingdom of aquatic animals". The coral species identified are 135. The algae and sea grass species number. The fish
fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...
has been recorded as 202 species, in addition to 4 species of
lobster Lobsters are a family (biology), family (Nephropidae, Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs ...
and 84 species of
molluscs Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil sp ...
. Coral and shoals of colourful fish are seen in the clear fresh water zones. Some of these species are listed in the Vietnam's and the World's
Red Book of Endangered Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...
. Medicinal plants have also been inventoried on the islands.


History

The social history of the islands is traced to the
Cham people The Cham (Cham: ''Čaṃ'') or Champa people (Cham: , ''Urang Campa''; vi, Người Chăm or ; km, ជនជាតិចាម, ) are an Austronesian ethnic group. From the 2nd century to 1832 the Cham populated Champa, a contiguous territo ...
who reside in these islands. They have inhabited the islands from 2nd century AD and are of Austronesian descent. They have been subject to attrition by wars by the Chinese and internecine wars with Khmer regime on the south and the Vietnamese to the north during the 10th century and finally they were fully subsumed within the present day Vietnam. However, their identity as a major ethnic group in Vietnam has been recognized. They retain their ethnic culture, which is rooted mainly in Hinduism. Islam and Buddhism have made inroads into their social culture and ethnic diversity since the 14th century. Their written language is a derivative of
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
.Pham, p.206
Mỹ Sơn Mỹ Sơn () is a cluster of abandoned and partially ruined Hindu temples in central Vietnam, constructed between the 4th and the 14th century by the Kings of Champa, an Indianized kingdom of the Cham people. The temples are dedicated to the wo ...
was their religious centre at the height of a Hindu empire, which ruled from
Da Nang Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one ...
, which was the capital of
Champa Champa (Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ; km, ចាម្ប៉ា; vi, Chiêm Thành or ) were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is contemporary central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd cen ...
in the past.Pham, p.228


Integrated management

As one of the six UNESCO recognized biosphere reserves in Vietnam, the Island Reserve, inhabited by about 3,000 people (mostly of fishermen community) in a total area of , is now slated for integrated conservation and development efforts. The conservation efforts shall cover two core areas with emphasis on land/seascape diversity, habitats, species and genetic resources. The corridor that lies between the two core areas is a major factor to the biodiversity to recover the "marine ecosystems in the whole area". Now, under the proposed integrated biosphere reserve conservation programme, which will be coordinated by the People Committee of Hội An City, plans have been drawn for sustainable development of the area with emphasis on preservation of the environment concurrent with enhancing the income generating capacity of the local people. The issues proposed to be addressed are: to conserve biodiversity, cultural diversity and natural resources with due regard to cultural values; conserve anthropogenic ecosystems; improve the natural environment; create corridors of ecological zones; restore and rehabilitate environmentally degraded areas. The research and monitoring activities proposed to achieve these goals are climatological and hydrological measurements, abiotic assessments, biodiversity inventorying and assessment of all related socio economic factors. Integrated monitoring is an essential feature to assess and evaluate all studies to evolve appropriate action plans for the biosphere conservation and preservation.


References

{{reflist, 2 Biosphere reserves of Vietnam Landforms of Quảng Nam province Islands of Vietnam Protected areas established in 2009 2009 establishments in Vietnam