Quang Ninh is one of Vietnam’s most environmentally notable and richest provinces. Home to the famous Ha Long Bay World Heritage Site, the area welcomes thousands of visitors each day. With growing environmental impact from mass tourism and surrounding industries, however, the need for cooperation between the private and public sectors is increasingly apparent.
Photo: IUCN Viet Nam
As part of the Ha Long-Cat Ba Alliance, a USAID sponsored project to increase business and government collaboration in environmental protection, IUCN organised a press trip to Ha Long Bay in December 19-20, 2014. The trip, which was co-funded by Mangroves for the Future (MFF), a regional initiative to support investment in coastal ecosystem conservation, had the theme: Promoting Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) for Marine and Coastal Environmental Protection. On December 18 in Hanoi, IUCN co-hosted a dialogue on PPP with the Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD) and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).
By promoting PPP in environmental protection, IUCN aims to engage the media in marine and coastal conservation and raise the awareness of business, government, and general public. Introducing the media to environmental issues in Ha Long Bay builds understand and support for better environmental management.
Speaking during the press trip, Le Lam Tuan, Head of the Environmental Management Unit of the Ha Long Bay Management Board, expressed his support engaging business: “The management board is responsible for waste collection and disposal in the bay. However, due to shortages in human resources, financing and capacity, we are in need of business participation to assist with these services.”
The media plays a vital role in raising awareness about PPP. “Seven years ago we started talking about climate change and today we are starting to talk about PPP. It will take time but we will get there.” said Nguyen Hung Cuong, a journalist with Voice of Vietnam.
During the trip, journalists met leaders of Indochina Junk and Bhaya Cruises, two companies leading the way in the application of advanced waste water treatment systems. With large investments in the treatment of grey water (from sinks and showers) and bilge water (a mix of water, oil, chemicals, and run off from the decks and engine), companies such as these have minimised their environmental impacts. But without stricter enforcement or firmer government action, individual companies can't effectively handle black water (sewage) or solid waste.
Conditions are improving. “When I first visited Ha Long Bay seven years ago I had a very bad impression and no desire to return,” said Nguyen Tuan, a journalist with a magazine published by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, “but now I can see the awareness of provincial leaders is changing and environmental protection is increasing.”
In future, IUCN will make press trips more interactive and with a less cluttered agenda. To fully explore complex topics, and write more analytical pieces, journalists need enough time to listen, watch, and learn.
