The special-use forest and marine ecosystems of Côn Đảo are being oriented towards eco-tourism development linked to conservation and green growth. — Photo nongnhiepmoitruong.vn

HCM CITY — Two cable car routes will be added to the adjusted eco-tourism plan for Côn Đảo National Park, with a combined length of 5.5km and a high-tech marine farming zone covering about 100ha.

Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Bùi Minh Thạnh has approved adjustments and additions to the eco-tourism, resort and entertainment development plan for Côn Đảo National Park through 2030.

Underground cable, electricity and water infrastructure will be developed alongside the routes to support forest protection and development and serve multiple purposes.

The cable cars will also help develop eco-tourism, resort and entertainment products connecting Côn Sơn Island with smaller islands in the archipelago.

A total of 19 eco-tourism, resort and entertainment routes are planned, 17 of which will make use of existing forest patrol and protection roads, trails and marine routes, with a combined length of about 293.5km.

The plan also calls for upgrading the four-kilometre Ma Thiên Lãnh–Đất Thắm–Bãi Bàng forest patrol route for multiple uses, including forest patrols, forest fire prevention and control, and eco-tourism activities under the forest canopy.

The route will provide access to heritage trees, Bãi Bàng Waterfall and Đất Thắm Beach. Green electric vehicles with low noise and zero direct emissions are envisaged for tourism activities.

A new high-tech marine farming zone covering about 100ha will also be established in the marine buffer zone around Hòn Trọc. The area has been identified as a buffer zone under the Côn Đảo National Park sustainable forest management plan through 2030 and under the Fisheries Law.

The zone is intended to attract investment in high-tech marine aquaculture, combine aquaculture with marine eco-tourism and create jobs and livelihoods for residents of the Côn Đảo special administrative zone.

The plan aims to make rational use of the park’s natural landscape and ecological values for tourism while balancing economic and tourism development with nature conservation and sustainable development. Environmental communication and education will also be integrated into tourism activities.

Under the plan, HCM City will seek investment in a number of high-quality eco-tourism, resort and entertainment projects under the forest canopy, while carrying out policies on leasing forest environments.

The projects are expected to create new tourism products, generate jobs and livelihoods for local residents, and mobilise resources for green development in the Côn Đảo special administrative zone.

Tourism development must go hand in hand with the conservation of endemic natural resources, sustainable forest environment leasing and the development of green-standard tourism infrastructure.

Nguyễn Khắc Pho, director of the Côn Đảo National Park Management Board, said the park would publish investment criteria and conditions and call for investors.

“This will provide an important basis for moving from a policy of attracting investment to a process based on clear criteria, in which investors’ interests must remain within the limits of the ecosystem’s carrying capacity and conservation requirements,” Pho said.

Investment, construction and operation of projects in the area must comply with regulations on fisheries, seas and islands, environmental protection, biodiversity, investment and construction.

Under the adjusted plan, Côn Đảo will have 20 eco-tourism, resort and entertainment sites covering a total of 905.9ha, including 885.9ha of forest land and 20ha of marine area.

In addition, a 100-ha marine buffer zone near Hòn Trọc is planned for high-tech marine farming.

By 2030, Côn Đảo aims to welcome about 90,000 visitors a year, with international tourists accounting for about 30-35 per cent. — VNS