Protection of Cu Lao Cham forests is an important task, parallel and inseparable from the objective of conserving marine resources. This approach is based on the linkages and interactions between forest-marine ecosystems that the Management Board of Cham Islands Marine Protected Area (MPA) is working hard to establish a scientific basis for inter-sectoral management, multi-purpose development, building a foundation for researches and applications of science and technology to the conservation and sustainable development of natural resources and outstanding values of The Cu Lao Cham – Hoi An World Biosphere Reserve.
To implement a series of activities of the Green Annamites project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), starting from March 17, 2020, the Management Board of Cham Islands MPA coordinated with “Cu Lao Cham Community Conservation Group” to launch a communication campaign to propagate and raise awareness for people in protection of forest natural resources, wildlife protection. This time the activities are the premise for the promotion of the establishment of Cu Lao Cham Nature Reserve in the coming time.
Although it was in the process of implementing the “social distancing” measure to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in the spirit of the Government’s directive 16, the members of the Cu Lao Cham Community Conservation Group together with MPA flexibly and effectively organized the communication programme in the island commune, and still ensured the strict observance of Directive 16 of the Government. This has showed the efforts of the Community Conservation Group in promoting the role of the group from its inception to the present.
Activities planned to be implemented within one month include:
– Activity 1 (took place on March 17, 2020): Ambulatory communication to raise community awareness in wildlife protection in Tan Hiep commune (Cu Lao Cham). The parade group consisting of members of the Community Conservation Group, MPA and volunteerswere equipped with banners, pictures, and loudspeakers to move along the roads on the island to make the local people aware of forest protection, wildlife protection on the island. The simple and easy-to-understand message: “Let the wild animals live in the wild” was used by the group to convey to people who live in the core zone of The World Biosphere Reserve.
Photo 1: Communication banners
Photos 2, 3: Content of the communication panel
Photos 4,5,6,7: Members of the Community Conservation Group participating in the ambulatory communication session (Photos by Thuy Trang)
Activity 2: Picture and photo exhibition (scheduled to be held at the Culture House of Bai Huong village). There will be pictures and photos of lively and majestic nature here; rare and precious fauna & flora species, the role of Cu Lao Cham forests in water resources, climate regulation, wildlife survival and especially in maintaining the lives of 2,500 inhabitants together with forces stationed on the island, and served more than 500,000 visitors annually to the island; besides, the works will also reflect the reality of the current situation and impacts from nature and people to the existence and development of Cu Lao Cham primary forests / special-use forests in biodiversity, the linkages with marine resources in the island, including the Thu Bon estuary and the western forest ecosystem of the country.
Some pictures and photos at the exhibition:
Photo 8: Majestic nature in Cu Lao Cham (Photo by Phan Cong Sanh)
Photo 9: A Pangolin in Cu Lao Cham forests (Photo by @Time-Shrines)
Photo 10: Monkey (Photo by Le Xuan Ai)
Photo 11: The beauty of flower in Cu Lao Cham (Photo by Trần Ngọc Toàn)
Live in harmony with nature like the way it gives us what it has, it gives us beauty, it gives us fresh air … It would be beautiful if birds could fly in the sky, animals could jump and play on the branches of trees, flowers bloom, without any harm caused by human. So let’s protect nature, wildlife, like our lungs, our own life.
The picture and photo exhibition together with other types of communication have showed the diversification of communication forms, helping island people realize how beautiful and valuable Cu Lao Cham forests are and that “The forests are the life of the islanders ”. For that reason, each person should be self-aware and think to take specific actions to contribute to preserving and nurturing the primeval forests so that they are strong enough to protect and nurture people here like the history of thousands of years of Cu Lao Cham archipelago – the core zone of the World Biosphere Reserve.
* Cu Lao Cham Community Conservation Group was established on July 16, 2018, consisting of 25 members with the objective of communication, awareness raising, community participation; strengthening supervision and coordination in biodiversity conservation in accordance with the Party and the State’s policy on socialization of forest management and protection and nature conservation.
Photo 12: The Community Conservation Group (photo by Phan Cong Sanh)
Vietnamese Writen by Thuy Trang – MPA
Translate into English by Thuy Huong – MPA