Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park

• Ground transport infrastructure (Negative impacts of a road construction project in the World Heritage site) (issue resolved)
• Illegal activities (Illegal logging and forest crimes (poaching))
• Management systems/management plan (Lack of a visitor Management Plan, Inadequate Sustainable Tourism Development Plan)
• Impacts of tourism/visitor/recreation (Cable car project to provide access to the Son Doong cave)
• Invasive/alien terrestrial species

Total amount granted: USD 33,000 from UNESCO/Netherlands Funds-in-Trust to support Stakeholder’s Consultation for the transboundary cooperation with Lao PDR (2006)

On 31 January 2023, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/951/documents, which reports the following:

• In 2021-22, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected heritage conservation, tourism revenue was reduced, and socio-economic activities were negatively affected. Reported solutions included to continue forest protection, prevent trapping and capturing wild animals, control invasive alien species (IAS), and promote international cooperation. Conservation and tourism activities were reactivated in early 2022;
• The Management Board coordinated environmental education and public awareness activities on biodiversity conservation including to control and prevent IAS. In 2022, the Quang Binh Provincial People’s Committee (PPC) issued Plan (No. 1866/KH-UBND) on implementing the national strategy on climate change to 2025 in Quang Binh Province, which includes a project on the distribution, invasiveness and eradication of Merremia boisiana from the property, pending for approval by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE). The project report on implementation of the experimental eradication of M. boisiana is being finalised and will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre soon;
• Tourism activities are implemented towards developing ecotourism, tourism research, and regular monitoring of environmental impacts at tourist sites through periodic Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports. Research with the Viet Nam Academy of Sciences has been approved to assess the exploitation status of caves in the wider Quang Binh Province, and tourism capacity of caves in the property, to propose more efficient exploitation and sustainable tourism. A project on “ecotourism, resort and entertainment” will inform sustainable tourism development in the property. There are plans to re-evaluate the 18 existing routes and ecotourism sites in the property to improve the quality of cave tourism and reduce pressure on the environment;
• To integrate the management, conservation and promotion of heritage values into the overall development and management plan (2020-2040), PPC has directed authorities to implement the “Master plan for the development of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Tourist Area to 2030”, finalize the “Tourism development planning in the Quang Binh provincial master plan for the period of 2021-2030, vision to 2050”, called for investment in the construction and development of the tourist urban area, and to develop an Ecotourism project for the property;
• No infrastructure will be approved in or near the caves to avoid impacting the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). Impact assessments will be conducted for construction projects and large-scale tourism projects likely to impact on the OUV and submitted to the World Heritage Centre;
• Inter-agency coordination for forest protection and fire prevention has been strengthened. A USAID funded project running to 2025 will establish 11 community-based snare removal patrol teams. Monitoring tools include GIS mapping, Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) and camera trap surveys which allow the identification and protection of high biodiversity areas and early warnings for disasters. Annual monitoring of key species has been established;
• Stakeholder engagement includes strengthening community engagement in ecotourism and forest protection activities. Activities are underway to improve livelihoods in the buffer zone.
• The functional zoning of the property includes three subdivisions with different management mechanisms (administrative service, ecological restoration, strictly protected) with no difference in objectives and management requirement;
• Cross-border collaboration continues through a 2022 work program to coordinate activities on forest protection, monitoring and management of natural resources in the area adjacent to the border of Quang Binh (Viet Nam) and Khammouane (Lao People’s Democratic Republic - PDR) provinces. Collaboration continues on the preparation of a nomination dossier for Hin Nam No National Park (Lao PDR), with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) expected to be signed in early 2023, and a Transboundary Management Framework;
• The potential reorganization of heritage management under Decree 01/2019/ND-CP issued by the Prime Minister on forest protection would result in forest rangers not being under the management of the Management Board.

  On 20 May 2022, the State Party submitted a final report on the implementation of Emergency Assistance funding following floods in the property which included a flood damage assessment report, implementation of a disaster warning system (forest fire, flood, landslide), and development of a natural disaster response action plan.

  On 13 April 2023, the World Heritage Centre transmitted to the State Party third party concerns regarding cattle grazing within the property. The State Party replied on 6 June 2023 confirming that the reported cattle grazing in Doong village, which predates the establishment of the National Park and is currently located in a strictly protected subdivision of the property, is subsistence based and not for commercial purposes, and that the grazing area has been wire-fenced since April 2023 to prevent pollution from cattle waste. The State Party also assured that the cattle grazing in the village is managed in line with Plan No. 04/PA-NP issued by the Management Board, which will continue monitoring the entire forest area to prevent illegal grazing.

The continued commitment of the State Party to address Committee decisions and recommendations of the 2018 joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission is appreciated.

The continued actions to address IAS, including community awareness and the planned M. boisiana control project, are noted with appreciation. However, noting that the requested M. boisiana pilot project results have still not been provided, that COVID-19 has reportedly delayed further research, and that an action plan to address the 14 previously identified IAS remains to be developed, it is important that actions are continued, informed by the development of a clear action plan to address IAS in line with the 2018 mission recommendations. It is recommended the State Party implement and report on the new project when approved by MNRE, and develop a clear strategy and action plan that is sufficiently resourced to address the threat posed by the 14 previously reported invasive species identified within the property, as requested in Decision 44 COM 7B.189.

Recalling the importance of tourism and the need to effectively manage tourism pressure on the OUV, it is positive that research to assess the tourism capacity of the property and the efficiency of existing tourism operations is underway, as well as plans to develop sustainable cave ecotourism. It is however unclear how the various tourism related plans mentioned above are part of a cohesive tourism strategy, and it is recommended to reiterate the 2018 mission recommendation to ensure the integration of a revised and updated tourism plan with other key management tools for the property, as well as to ensure visitor numbers to the caves do not exceed pre-COVID highs recorded in 2019-2020, and that future tourism development should be based on carrying capacity. The commitment that no infrastructure projects will be approved in or near the caves is positive. For all future project proposals, the State Party should be requested to undertake impact assessments in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, which applies to both cultural and natural attributes.

The various management actions to strengthen enforcement, limit encroachment, address poaching, and establish wildlife surveys that enable the identification of high priority conservation areas, are welcome and should be continued to inform management decisions for protection of the OUV. The annual monitoring of key species will provide important data in this regard. The State Party’s confirmation that the reported cattle grazing within the property is not for commercial purposes but subsistence based, and that management measures (i.e. to fence the area) have been put in place to prevent negative impacts, is noted. Given its location in a strictly protected part of the property, the State Party should be requested to continue monitoring the grazing activities in line with the aformentioned Plan, while ensuring that no illegal grazing is allowed within the property.

The ongoing cross-border coordination on monitoring and management activities between the border provinces in Viet Nam and Lao PDR remains important for the protection of the area adjacent to the border, and a potential tranboundary extension of the property to include Hin Nam No National Park should be further encouraged.

Noting the potential reorganization of heritage management staff under a 2019 decree, it is important to highlight that the State Party should maintain sufficient staff capacity to ensure ongoing protection and management of the property.

It is positive that the implementation of emergency response measures to address impacts of landslides and flooding in October 2020 have allowed the State Party to assess the impacts of flood damage, and implement preventative measures to respond to future events through the disaster warning system and action plan.