Suối Rao Ecolodge is covered by more than one million trees belonging to 700 species. It is recognised as a net-zero development. Photo Huỳnh Sơn

HCM CITY — Suối Rao Ecolodge in the southern coastal province of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, has become the first eco-tourism site to receive a net-zero certificate in the province.

The certificate was awarded by the Institute of Research and Applied Innovation for Entrepreneurs at a ceremony held on September 8.

Speaking at the event, Trịnh Hàng, director of the province Department of Tourism, hoped that the eco-tourism model would be scaled up across the province, promoting commitment to net-zero goals and offering tourists experience in green tourism.

Lê Thị Nga, owner of the 5-hectare Suối Rao Ecolodge, said more than 95 per cent of the property is covered by greenery, and is planting more trees and seeks to preserve biodiversity.

By 2025 it would be home to 1,000 species of flora and fauna and native plants, she promised.

It has more than one million trees belonging to 700 species, many of them rare native ones, and 300 types of medicinal herbs, she added.

To achieve its carbon neutrality goal, the ecolodge has implemented emission-reduction solutions, including tree planting, forest management and improving soil quality to enhance carbon storage capacity.

The Institute of Research and Applied Innovation for Entrepreneurs has monitored carbon emissions at Suối Rao Ecolodge for six years, and Carbon dioxide (CO2) measured them at the average annual volume of 19 tonnes. 

The total amount of CO2 stored in trees and the soil is 260 tonnes a year.

The resort’s activities only consume around 7 per cent of the stored carbon annually. —VNS