8436 cave evaluation by knolle GTZ EN

GTZ Visit Tour Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park and Caves 2009 Report by Dr.. Executive Summary The Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh province, Vietnam, is of central im

GTZ Visit Tour Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park and Caves 2009

Report by

Dr Friedhart Knolle*

1 Executive Summary

The Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh province, Vietnam, is of central

importance for biodiversity and karst conservation in South East Asia and worldwide Tourism in the park, the visitor caves and their surroundings is rising, but must be still sustainable with higher visitor numbers For this reason, this visit tour was planned as the author is experienced

interdisciplinary in national park as well as cave tourism

Chapters 2 to 5, i.e pages 1 to 8 of this report are general introductory chapters with facts mostly known to the thematically experienced reader New literature was added and speleological, i.e cave research facts amended

Up to now, cave management in Hang Tien Son and Hang Phong Nha does not meet international and world heritage standards This problem should be adressed urgently

Based on the existing situation in 2009 in the caves and in line with the International World

Heritage Karst Guidelines, 12 General Recommendations with more than 70 Action Proposals are given They comprise the following topics: Check-In Terminal at Phong Nha Township, Boat Tour

to the Caves, Visitor Center at the Caves, Hang Tien Son (Dry Cave), Hang Phong Nha, New Caves and Adventure Tours, Suoi Nuoc Mooc Spring Eco Trail and other Trails, Park History and Regional Legends and Stories, Research, Marketing and Park Region, General Management and Training, Brand Animal and Priority Recommendations Additional recommendations were given

in the author’s presentation at the International Seminar “Sustainable Tourism Development Plan Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Region” in Dong Hoi, March 3 - 5, 2009 (Knolle 2009)

Priority should be given to the restoration of the visitor cave Hang Phong Nha and the Tien Son cave, a new LED lighting system and the restoration of the historic temple and the old stairway to Hang Tien Son

Parallel, the staff training should be intensified, especially parallel to the restoration work in the caves This is necess ary not only to explain this and the philosophy behind it to the visitors, but also to optimize the group management in the caves in a permanent learning-by-doing process

A presentation given at the International Seminar “Sustainable Tourism Development Plan Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Region” in Dong Hoi, March 3 - 5, 2009, gave some ideas and

solutions from the Harz National Park and may be seen as an appendix to this report (Knolle 2009)

2 Introduction

The Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park is located in central Vietnam at its narrowest part, about

500 km south of Hanoi Its western boundary is on the Lao-Vietnamese border, which is here only

42 km from the sea The Park lies between 17o 20’ to 17o48’ N and 105o 46 to 106o24’ E

Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, with the neighbouring Him Namno Biodiversity Conservation Area in Laos, is one of the largest areas of intact forest habitat on limestone karst still found in Indochina The presence of tall lowland forest, which is regionally threatened as a habitat type, increases the area’s conservation value The biodiversity is very rich with many endemic species The Park is situated within the Annamese Lowlands Endemic Bird Area

(www.birdlifeindochina.org), a WWF Global 200 Eco-region and a Conservation International-designated Biodiversity Hotspot

The oldest evidences of human occupation of the Phong Nha - Ke Bang area are Neolithic axe heads and similar artefacts found in some of the limestone caves The Phong Nha Cave has long been a site of religious importance and was a place of worship in the ninth and tenth centuries An old Champa era temple was discovered in the cave The Phong Nha-Ke Bang River Cave was first described by Minister and Geographer Duong Van An in 1550, and on one of the dynastic urns at Hué, the site was depicted as one of the great landscapes of Vietnam In 1986, the Phong Nha Cultural and Historical Site was declared (5,000 ha) In 1993, Phong Nha was declared a Nature Reserve and extended to 41,132 ha in 1991 Out of this protected area, the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park evolved and was finally established in 2000, incorporating part of the limestone plateau of the Ke Bang Conservation Area 2003, the park was inscribed on the World Heritage List under Natural Criterion viii (UNEP-WCMC 2006)

Fig 1: Map of project area- core zone, buffer zone, district and commune boundaries From Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park

3 Geology, Karst and Caves

Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh province in the Central Annamite Mountains and its bordering lowlands is one of the most distinctive tracts of complex karst topography in Southeast Asia Its geological sedimentation history is traced back to the Ordovician period 464 million years ago With the neighboring Ke Bang Conservation Area and karst landscapes it

consists of a wide deeply dissected plateau of some 200,000 ha extending into Hin Namno, the mentioned similar area in Laos The limestone is discontinuous, being interbedded with shales and sandstones and capped by schists and apparent granites, rising to a number of unexplored peaks over 1,000 m high The extensive transitional landforms derive from an extremely complex

intercalation of limestone massifs and terrigenous terrain which has produced three distinctive types of topography Two-thirds of the site is Cenozoic karst Another main type is old tropical mainly Mesozoic karst A third type is a non-karst landscape of low round-topped mountains with planation surfaces and abrasion-accumulation terraces along the valleys of the Son and Chay rivers and at the margins of the central limestone massif

As a result of tectonic uplift over geological time, seven successive periods of karst formation have created many varying levels of fossil passages, major changes in the routes of underground rivers, once buried and now uncovered palaeokarst, and evidence of changes in the solutional regime, some even by hydrothermal action, i.e hydrothermal karst phenomena are also present (Hamilton-Smith 2004)

Fig 2: Interpreting the Phong Nha - Ke Bang River Cave From http://dulichvietnam.com.vn

From March 1990 on, extensive research and surveys of the cave system were conducted by

expeditions under the leadership of the U.K speleologist Howard Limbert from the British Cave Research Association (BCRA), in co-operation with the Faculty for Geology and Geography of Vietnam National University, Hanoi The result is a mapped network of more than 13 major and many smaller explored caves, extending over actually more than 80 km (Limbert 2003 and 2009 press releases)

The active river caves are divided into the caves of the Phong Nha system discharging to the Son River, and the caves of the Vom system, discharging to the Chay River Their variety is immense,

comprising dry caves, terraced caves, suspended caves, dendritic caves, intersecting caves, giant speleothems and unusual forms such as sub-aerial stromatolites

The Phong Nha Cave is the most famous of the system, with a currently surveyed length of 7,7 km (Limbert 2003) Its entrance is the last part of an underground river that connects with the Son River and tour boats penetrate inside to a distance of 1,500 m Other extensive caves include the Vom cave, 15 km long, and the Hang Khe Rhy cave, 18,9 km long Phong Nha - Ke Bang contains the catchment area of many but not all of the streams and rivers that feed the Gianh river Flooding

of the valleys occurs between September and November, but in the dry season from February to August almost all the streams dry up

Fig 3: Hydrological scetch map of the Phong Nha - Ke Bang cave system of more than 80 km From Limbert (2001)

In 1991, the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute (FIPI) surveyed the vegetation cover, flora, fauna and socio-economic characteristics of the area, prior to the preparation of a management plan for the Nature Reserve From 1991 to 1995 a survey of primate species was conducted by a group

of scientists from FIPI and Xuan Mai Forestry College From 1996 to 1997 research on the

biodiversity of Phong Nha led to a symposium on biodiversity conservation along the

Laos-Vietnam frontier Further surveys of the bird and mammal fauna were conducted by a team of scientists organised by Fauna and Flora International in 1998, to assess the conservation importance and priorities of the National Park The LINC project conducted by WWF in 1999 - 2003 has carried out a systematic review of the biodiversity implications of a linkage with the Hin Namno Conservation Area of Laos In 1999 scientists from the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre also

conducted zoological and botanical surveys in the Ke Bang area (UNEP-WCMC 2006, Limbert

2003, ZGF 2009)

It is astonishing in a biodiversity hotspot like Phong Nha - Ke Bang, that apparently only few biospeleological investigations in the caves of the area were conducted up to now An initial survey

on the water environment and aquatic fauna in the rivers and underground lakes of the Phong Nha cave was carried out in 2001 The study method focused on hydro-physical and multi-quantity hydro-chemical factors Aquatic organism samples were collected and bought directly from

fishermen and markets The study results showed that in terms of natural condition and water environment, in the rainy season some physio-chemical indicators of river water were higher than

in the dry season Opacity of river water was rather high, pH value was alkaline, in particular CN- content was rather high The aquatic fauna was relatively abundant and had specific features,

including 54 phytoplankton species, 39 zooplankton species, 14 shrimp, crab, oyster and snail species, 13 aquatic larval families and 36 fish species Two copepod crustacean species of the new

Diaptomidae family were found, in which there was a new strain (Ho Thanh Hai et al 2003)

Bat findings in the Phong Nha - Ke Bang caves were published by the Joint Russian-Vietnamese Science and Technological Tropical Centre & Zoological Museum of Moscow M V Lomonosov State University (Borissenko & Kruskop 2003)

A research unit was established in 2003 as part of the new management program for the National Park Research on the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park biodiversity, like the exploration of the cave systems, is continuing, and new species of both flora and fauna are regularly identified

Actually, a team of Frankfurt Zoological Society is working in the park

4 Conservation Management

At the national level management of the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park is in the

responsibility of the Forest Protection Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural

Development Direct responsibility for park management lies with the Phong Nha - Ke Bang

Management Board, under the jurisdiction of the People’s Committee of Quang Binh Province This was created in 2000 to implement the management plan of the National Park, and supersedes that created for the Nature Reserve in 1993 One section of this Board oversees forest resources and biodiversity protection It also conducts awareness raising and educational programs with the local people and authorities, and implements programs such as rare orchid cultivation to raise the

standard of living of people in the buffer zone The conservation of cave systems, historical relict landscapes and the developments of tourist services are entrusted to the Phong Nha historical relict and landscape management board The local people do not otherwise participate in the Park’s management

In 1998, a Transboundary Biodiversity Protection Plan was initiated between Laos and Vietnam This has the potential to preserve a vast 315,000 ha area of forested karst Regular meetings are held between the neighbouring provincial authorities of both countries to discuss co-operation in the management of the two adjacent nature reserves

The National Park is included in the Master Plan for economic development in Quang Binh

Province for 1997 - 2010 The nomination included an Investment Plan which has some of the elements of a management plan but was not very detailed The management plan included maps and classifications of the ten forest types and cultivated land, a geomorphological map, land uses and zoning The three zones are Strictly Protected zone (about 76 % of the area), Ecological

Recovery zone (20 %) and Administrative & Service zone (People’s Committee of Quang Binh Province 1999) The recovery zone concerns the regeneration of destroyed forest Protection of the watershed to prevent floods in the coastal plain is also of great importance The Investment Plan for

the National Park includes Programs for Protection, Forest and Wildlife Regeneration, Education & Scientific Research, Infrastructure, Tourism & Education and a Socio-economic Program These Programs cover activities such as the construction of a Park Headquarters and guard stations,

equipment for staff, reforestation, research on threatened wildlife, training of staff and guides, and resettlement and provision of health and education services to the Ruc and Arem peoples (UNEP-WCMC 2006)

5 Tourism in the Phong Nha Cave, the Park and the Province

The Phong Nha Cave has long been a site of religious and touristic importance to the people and continues to be one of the most visited destinations in Vietnam Tourist activities were reorganised

in 1990 and visitor numbers have since increased each year from 1,000 in 1993 and 5,000 in 1995, including 200 foreign tourists, to 28,000 in 1997, including 1,900 foreign tourists In 1999 there were 80,500 domestic visitors and 900 international visitors The figures from 2003 – 2008 rised as given below

Table 1: Visitors to the two caves Phong Nha and Tien Son in the period 2003 - 2005

Year Domestic visitors International visitors Revenue Remark

From: Provincial Project Management Unit of PNKB Region Project (2008)

Phong Nha Cave is the principal attraction of the park, with a large team of boatmen taking people into the cave There is accomodation near the Xuan Son ferry where boats leave for the cave

Tourism in the area is in the responsibility of the Trading and Tourism Department of Quang Binh province The forest guards of Son Trach commune in Bo Trach district provide tourist security (UNEP-WCMC 2006) A parallel development took place in the park as a whole The visitor

numbers in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park from 1995 – 2003 rised as given below

Table 2: Visitors to Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in the period 1995 - 2003

Year Total No of vistors Foreign

visitors

Annual increase %

Revenue (Vietnamese Dong)

Source: Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, 2004; from Momberg (2003)

According to the Tourism Development Master Plan of Quang Binh Province for the period 2006 -

2010, by 2010, tourism in Quang Binh shall achieve the following targets: Increase of total tourist numbers from 1 up to 1,2 million arrivals, of which 30,000 are international arrivals; 4,2 million tourist arrivals for the whole period of 2006 - 2010, doubling that of the period 2001 - 2005, with

an average growth rate of 17% per annum (People’s Committee of Quang Binh Province 2006)

6 International World Heritage Karst Guidelines

The relevant guideline for cave management in World Heritage sites was written and compiled by Prof Paul Williams (IUCN 2008: World Heritage Caves and Karst A Thematic Study - IUCN World Heritage Studies 2, Gland, Switzerland) It comprises a global review of karst World

Heritage properties - present situation, future prospects and management requirements

Fig 4: IUCN (2008): World Heritage Caves and Karst A Thematic Study - IUCN World Heritage Studies 2, Gland, Switzerland

Some relevant quotations shall be given here (structure and bold markings by the author of this study)

6.1 General

“Cave management within World Heritage locations must be to international standards and

should be a model for commercial tourist caves elsewhere Special skill is required to develop a

tourist cave to the standards worthy of a World Heritage location A balance is required between the engineering required to facilitate access and the minimization of engineering for the sake of

access In a World Heritage site, this balance must err on the site of conservation: minimization

of impact on natural conditions must take precedence over engineering for mass public access

Further, to maintain a cave in excellent condition, management is required not just of the cave but also of the area above and around it The main environmental objectives of cave management

should be to keep temperature, humidity and atmospheric carbon dioxide conditions within the natural range of variation, to minimize light available for photosynthesis, and to maintain water quality and quantity.”

6.2 Cave Lighting

“Natural vegetation conditions must be maintained directly above and around the cave to protect the quality of infiltrating water and the epikarst habitat (i.e no buildings or car parks should be

located there) Tourist cave lighting sources should be high efficiency lamps to minimize heat input into the cave atmosphere and to minimize light wavelengths suitable for photosynthesis The duration and spectral quality of lighting should be such as to restrict the development of plant and algal growth (lampenflora) around light sources A green halo around cave lights is a

clear indicator of poor environmental management In a World Heritage site, it is more

appropriate to reveal natural colours than to impose artificial tints through coloured lights.”

6.3 Tourism Management

“Tourist caves are particularly susceptible to damage both during development, when paths and lighting are installed, and during tourist operation Decisions made during the development of the cave and during its operation for tourism should always try to ensure the maintenance of natural hydrological and ecological processes and the preservation of cave values and natural resources

If significant variation to measured baseline conditions occurs after tourist visitation commences, then maintenance of World Heritage values must take precedence over tourism, with tourist traffic being modified to reduce human impact to acceptable minimal and sustainable levels, even to the extent of closing the cave A precedent for this is found at Lascaux World Heritage site in France

Tourist routes through the cave should be designed to have minimum impact on delicate cave formations (speleothems) and on biological habitats within the cave

Cave sediment floors should be protected by raised pathways to preserve their habitat value, fossil record and sediment history Cave entrances may be important archaeological sites, and so require special protection Tourist guides should be aware of these special features, should help protect them, and should explain to visitors the significant features of the cave that led to its inscription on the World Heritage List.”

6.4 Wild Caves

“Many natural (or ‘wild’) caves are found in World Heritage properties with abundant karst Park managers need to recognize that even the most experienced, careful, and environmentally

conscious cavers do inadvertent damage underground, especially in caves with abundant

speleothem formations and fossil deposits.”

6.5 Evaluation and Monitoring

“To be reassured that management activities have been effective there needs to be a method of evaluating progress Monitoring measures change over time; and it is required to provide objective evidence of the effectiveness of the implementation of management practices …Monitoring is an essential management tool and is designed to provide reliable information on the current

situation that can be compared to ‘baseline’ conditions, i.e to the situation that existed before management commenced By monitoring before, during and after developments, changes can be

recorded and there is objective evidence of impacts and improvements Sensitive sites and sensitive indicators should be chosen for monitoring In karst, for example, stream-sinks and springs (input and output sites) should be used as water quality monitoring stations Apart from a range of

chemical and physical measures (e.g dissolved oxygen, temperature, suspended solids, etc),

presence and abundance of sensitive species with a low tolerance to pollution should be monitored For example, at the surface and in caves, endemic snails, arthropods and plants are examples of sensitive species that can be monitored.” (IUCN 2008)

7 13 General Recommendations with more than 70 Action Proposals

The author carried out a literature survey since 2008, took part in the International Seminar

“Sustainable Tourism Development Plan Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Region” in Dong Hoi, March 3 - 5, 2009 (Knolle 2009), and subsequently worked as consultant from March 6 - 11,

2009 in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Region for a study on the development of the tourist use of the cave in Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park

In the following sections, the resulting findings, conclusions and recommendations are given The recommendations are in direct line with the International World Heritage Karst Guidelines quoted above in Chapter 6 and broken down to the special Vietnamese circumstances and situation in the area existing in march of 2009

7.1 General Recommendations

Recommendation 1: Check-In Terminal at Phong Nha Township

The general site of the present visitor center with check-in terminal in the Phong Nha township is suitable and should be kept The current information technique in the visitor center is out-dated It has to be remodified and renewed into a modern and sophisticated information and interpretation center to satisfy UNESCO standards Information on

- Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park and its

- habitats

- animals

- vegetation

- geology

- history and also

- the limestone karst caves and their inventory

should be implemented, but just in form of a short pre-information – the main information should

be given at the caves themselves Also information on

- the UNESCO status and

- other UNESCO sites

should be presented, as well as information on the National Park region:

- the buffer zone

- history of the area

- people and

- cultural landscapes around the park

- what else can I see there?

Also information on other National Parks in Vietnam:

- where are they and

- what do they protect?

- how can I get there?

Techniques used may be classic information tables, info desks, AV shows and shops

It is important to understand that the visitor excitement curve starts here and must be kept up

throughout the whole tour to and through the caves All information must be presented in an

interesting and touching way so that the visitors are kept by the emotion “This must be an

interesting and very precious cave and area I want to learn more about that”

Recommendation 2: Boat Tour to the Caves

This is step 2 of the Phong Nha caves excitement dramaturgy The general route to the caves is suitable with no alternative

The boat tour guides should give more interesting information on the surrounding karst and cultural landscape: villages, life and people, new buildings like the Phong Nha - Ke Bang new headquarter etc

The guides probably need additional training on interpretation techniques, especially with foreign visitors

The boats are quite loud, an E-motor boat drive should be implemented generally on the long sight Also, the boats are too small for larger non-Asia visitors, the roofs should be higher

Headsets could be used, this would offer the opportunity to use more languages than Vietnamese, English and French To prevent headset losses, they should be given out against refund