Many areas of Ly Son-Sa Huynh Geo-Park in the central province of Quang Ngai have been significantly affected by illegal construction activities, while the province is seeking UNESCO recognition for the site.
Quang Ngai wants to seek for the recognition of the Ly Son–Sa Huynh Geopark as a member of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network. Initially, the province was scheduled to welcome a delegation of UNESCO experts to come to Ly Son-Sa Huynh Geo-Park for appraisal this month. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the initiative was delayed.It is easy to see the core area of the park at Ba Lang An Tourist Site in Binh Son District has been levelled for illegal construction. Other buildings, including restaurants, have also been built there.
Ba Lang An tourist site has been levelled for illegal construction
Nguyen Van Thuong, a tourist, said that it would take from hundreds to thousands of years for Ba Lang An’s landscape to be formed but it has been seriously damaged.
A local resident who built a concrete dyke near his house said that it was illegal to carry out the construction, however, he had to do this to prevent landslide risks, particularly when it rained.
According to Nguyen Van Tuan, vice chairman of Binh Chau Commune, fines were imposed, but the situation remained. The locality called for higher level co-operation to deal with the violations.
The An Hai Wharf Project in An Hai Commune is among typical illegal works in the park. During the implementation, explosives were used for site clearance, damaging coral reefs.
Nguyen Minh Tri, director of the Quang Ngai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and vice head of the park’s managing board, said that checks and fines were just temporary solutions. The agency has proposed the province the community-based tourism plan, meaning that local residents would be supported for tourism development in heritage protection.
Tri added that amid the on-going Covid-19 pandemic, Quang Ngai has not yet fixed the schedule to receive the UNESCO expert mission to the park.
Associate Prof. Dr Tran Van Tan, head of Vietnam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources, said that it would be hard for the park to get UNESCO recognition because of its current state.
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