Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago

• Identity, social cohesion, changes in local population and community (Population growth)
• Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation
• Housing
• Industrial areas
• Financial and human resources
• Management systems / management plan
• Water pollution

Total amount provided to the property: USD 100,000 under the Youth Volunteers for Cultural Heritage Preservation project (2003-2006); USD 519,000 for Cua Van Floating Cultural Centre, a component of the Ha Long Eco-museum (funded by the Government of Norway, for the period of 2003-2006).

On 1 February 2024, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/672/documents, which reports the following:

• Ha Long Bay Management Department advised Quang Ninh Province (responsible for Ha Long Bay) and Hai Phong City (responsible for Cat Ba Archipelago) to extend the existing ecological carrying capacity analysis conducted for Ha Long Bay to the entire property, in view of finalizing the Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy. Priority solutions under this strategy include developing an Integrated Visitor Management System to enable coordination of visitor management, timed ticketing, issuing a code of conduct, and tourism revenue retention for heritage management. A ‘plan for sustainable tourism development of Ha Long Bay’ will be developed in consultation with the World Heritage Centre and submitted before 1 December 2024;
• Reported improvements to address pollution include waste and wastewater collection and treatment, that large projects are strictly controlled, there are no establishments causing serious environmental pollution, air pollution is more tightly controlled through an automated monitoring system, and water quality continues to be monitored periodically and remains within national allowable limits. An action programme was launched by the province in March 2023 to end industrial activities by 2030 including through closure of power plants, cement plants and mines in Ha Long, Cam Pha areas;
• The planning of Quang Ninh Province for 2021-2030 (Vision to 2025) approved by the Prime Minister in February 2023 in Decision No.80/QD-TTg applies environmental zoning to control industrial development;
• A new Master Plan for the property for 2025-2035 (Vision to 2050) is under development by Ha Long Bay Management Department and will be submitted for approval by the Prime Minister. It will integrate a variety of parameters, consistent with existing other legal and conservation policies;
• A map of the current boundaries of the property and its buffer zone, including details on the use and management regime within the buffer zone, has been completed. The State Party intends to submit a proposal for minor boundary modification of the buffer zone to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2025;
• Some project proposals to be implemented near the property were cancelled.

On 25 August 2023, the State Party submitted a report in response to the World Heritage Centre’s letter dated 3 June 2022 regarding the construction of new infrastructure and tourist facilities along the coastline of Ha Long city. The State Party confirmed that eight projects related to tourism or urban development have been approved following Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), of which two projects have been completed and others are under construction. The State Party acknowledged that the World Heritage Centre had not been informed of these development projects in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines. On 13 November 2023 and 13 March 2024, the World Heritage Centre sent letters to the State Party regarding third-party information on a large real estate project reportedly in the property’s buffer zone, and on waste management and water pollution respectively. No replies have been received from the State Party on the two letters at the time of writing of this report.

Recalling the extension of the property in 2023 to include Cat Ba Archipelago (Decision 45 COM 8B.3), it is noted that the State Party report provides limited information on the state of conservation of this area. Whilst noting that the State Party has been requested to report on the implementation of the aforementioned Decision, it will be important that, moving forwards, the State Party reports on the state of conservation of the property as a whole. It is therefore recommended that the next State Party report address both the state of conservation of the property and progress in the implementation of the aforementioned decision. An effective coordination mechanism between the Quang Ninh Province and Hai Phong City is crucial to ensure integrated management of the property, including for monitoring and reporting.

Regarding tourism management, the planned expansion of the existing carrying capacity analysis to the entire property, as recommended by the Committee, is appreciated. Reiterating the importance of a strategic approach to tourism management for the property, it is recommended to complete the carrying capacity study as soon as possible and integrate the results into the finalization of the Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy and the Integrated Visitor Management System, while seeking guidance from the World Heritage Centre and IUCN as needed.

It is important to recall the previously raised concerns regarding development pressure on the property. While the State Party has reported that strict controls are in place for large projects, it is of significant concern that multiple development projects for new tourism and urban residential areas along the coastline in Ha Long City, which is located along and within the buffer zone of the property, have been approved without informing the World Heritage Centre in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines and without clear confirmation whether their potential impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property have been assessed. Specifically, in August 2023, the State Party’s response states that the eight approved projects are in line with the Ha Long City Land-use Plan 2021-2030 and that EIAs have been completed, but it remains unclear whether the potential impacts on the OUV have been adequately assessed, including to consider alternatives, in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context and Paragraphs 172 and 118bis of the Operational Guidelines. The report that there is no regulation on management of the buffer zone yet is also of concern. Considering the significant growth plans for large-scale tourism and industrial developments, the State Party should be requested to submit as soon as possible an overview of ongoing and planned development projects in the vicinity of the property including the aforementioned eight projects to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN. Also considering that the further expansion of infrastructure developments in the coastal area has significant potential to impact the OUV (e.g. the scenic values under criterion (vii)), either individually or cumulatively, it is recommended that before proceeding with further developments, the State Party undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to assess the cumulative impacts of multiple development projects on the OUV of the property, to inform effective management planning and strategic decision making. It is important that the various plans for the property, including a new Master Plan for 2025-2035 (Vision to 2050) and an updated Management Plan, provide a solid legal basis and management framework to ensure impact assessment processes that are in accordance with the Operational Guidelines and the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, while addressing key threats to the property as requested by the Committee in its Decision 45 COM 8B.3.

It is positive that various measures to address waste and pollution are implemented by Quang Ninh Province in order to maintain the air and water quality within allowable national limits. However, it remains of concern that the World Heritage Centre continues to receive third-party information on water pollution observed in the property area. The State Party’s commitment to end industrial activities in the Ha Long area by 2030 is also appreciated, although it is unclear how this is implemented through the proposed environmental zoning.

While the clarification of the boundary of the Ha Long Bay property and its buffer zone has been noted by the Committee (Decision 45 COM 8D),it is recalled that the State Party is still requested to submit a detailed zoning map of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago, showing the land use and management regime, within its inscribed area, buffer zone and wider setting, to the World Heritage Centre as requested by the Committee in its Decisions 44 COM 7B.98 and 45 COM 7B.89.

It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to assess the overall state of conservation of the extended property, in particular, in relation to its governance, the effectiveness of the overall management framework to protect the OUV, the expansion of tourism and urban infrastructure development along the coastline, and to provide guidance on any outstanding boundary issues.