Bùi Chính Nghĩa, director of the National Biodiversity Conservation Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, speaks at the event. — VNS Photo Tố Như

HÀ NỘI — A UN‑supported project was launched on Thursday to link wildlife conservation with responsible, nature‑based tourism, channelling new revenue to protected areas and creating green jobs for local communities.

The US$7.15 million initiative is funded by the Global Environment Facility through the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Việt Nam through 2030, and is led by the National Biodiversity Conservation Authority (NBCA) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

The project will pilot models in Núi Chúa and Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng national parks, integrate biodiversity safeguards into tourism planning and operations, and channel a share of tourism revenue back into conservation and community livelihoods.

“Biodiversity and nature conservation are foundational to sustainable development,” NBCA Director Bùi Chính Nghĩa said at the launch.

“When people directly benefit economically from keeping nature intact, they become the strongest on-the-ground defenders of the forest.”

Việt Nam is among the world’s 16 most biodiverse countries, home to more than 62,600 species. But land-use change, habitat fragmentation, overexploitation and climate change are straining ecosystems. The 2024 Vietnam Red Data Book lists nearly 1,400 threatened species.

The project will set standards and guidance for nature-based tourism, embedding conservation requirements and addressing carrying capacity, visitor management, zoning and protection of sensitive habitats.

Under the project's pilot partnerships, park authorities, local government, businesses and communities in both parks will work together to share benefits and reinvest tourism income.

Plans also include measuring the economic value of ecosystem services at Núi Chúa, and testing a marine payments for ecosystem services model. Biodiversity protection and monitoring will be strengthened.

Meanwhile, a SMART patrol system will be deployed at Núi Chúa and expanded at Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng.

Drones, mobile apps and other data tools will support rangers. Campaigns to change damaging behaviours will reduce demand for illegal wildlife products and promote low-impact tourism.

Project targets include improved management across about 145,414 hectares and emissions reductions of an estimated 15.7 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, along with 1,800 new, restored or stabilised green jobs – 70 per cent for women – delivering direct benefits to roughly 3,000 people.

About 295 tour guides are expected to gain certification with enhanced biodiversity knowledge.

Francesca Nardini, UNDP Việt Nam’s deputy resident representative, said that well-planned, well-managed nature-based tourism could forge a positive link between conservation and development.

“Protecting nature and promoting sustainable development are not competing objectives. They can, and must, reinforce one another," she said. — VNS