Yen islet cluster (in Nhon Hoi hamlet in Nhon Hoi hamlet, An Hoa Hai commune, Tuy An district) is valuable from the geology to the flora-fauna system, with the unique beauty created by nature. However, this has been facing high risks of reducing the eco-system caused by environmental pollution, degradation and the unreasonable exploitation activities at this region.

Youth members gathering garbage at Yen islet cluster

Therefore, protecting the coral reef and biological diversity at Yen islet cluster is the practically urgent tasks aimed at restoring, protecting the gene sources, contributing to successfully implementing the Strategy on the sustainable protection of Vietnam marine-based economy to 2030 and vision to 2045 in Phu Yen province.

The protection and preservation of Yen islet is being carried out on the principle of sustainable development, general management and inter-sectors, with the combination of the state management and raising the awareness, responsibility and the involvement of the community, and this is considered efficient solutions to contribute to implementing the above-mentioned targets.

In Nhon Hoi hamlet, An Hoa Hai commune (Tuy An district), the department of natural resources-environment, coordinated with the provincial farmers’ association to organize the propagating session to instruct more than 100 farmers on the adverse impacts of plastic bags, plastic utensils which are used once only; classifying garbage into various sources, instructing new livelihood for the inhabitants.

These are the programs belonging to the project of enhancing the community’s competence in preserving Yen islet coral reef cluster. This project has the total investment capital of nearly 3.2 billion dongs, among which, the Global environment fund in Vietnam sponsors nearly 1.1 billion dongs; Vietnam-Russia tropical center sponsors 900 million dongs and the remaining 1.2 billion dongs is from the provincial budget. The above-mentioned project is implemented in Nhon Hoi hamlet, An Hoa Hai commune and the main investor is the provincial farmers’ association. The project has the monitoring board, the project’s technical expert group; the cooperation group of preserving Yen islet coral reef cluster.

Attending the training session, Ms Nguyen Thi Hop lets known, previously she had not got no idea of how to classify garbage as well as being aware of which was damaged garbage, hence, she did not know how to deal with these, which meant she accidentally impacted the eco-system of Yen islet. “Yen islet is the great pride of Nhon Hoi inhabitant. Ms. Hop shared “ I can do whatever useful to protect this landscape”.

Exchanging information at the training session, some inhabitants proposed launching the campaign on using biodegradable plastic bags for the sake of environmental protection. Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Ngoc, owner of Cocohut homestay in Phu Yen (Nhon Hoi hamlet), lets known, when lots of tourists complain about too much plastic waste on the beach, her family immediately equip the business with biodegradable bags, and this makes the tourists really satisfied. Ms. Ngoc said, “annually, Yen islet attracts a lots number of tourists from various regions, We, Nhon Hoi inhabitants, benefit a lot from doing business in tourism service. Therefore, we are determined to preserve Yen islet to be clean and nice for the sake of attracting more tourists”.

Mr Truong Tan Lai, Head of Nhon Hoi hamlet, leader of the cooperative group for preserving the coral reef cluster of Yen islet, lets known, since implementing this project, the cadres of the organization have concentrated on propagating for the inhabitants to raise the awareness of protecting Yen islet cluster as well as managing the sources of garbage, preserving the environmental sanitation; preventing the exploitation on coral reef, minerals which invade the cluster. “The inhabitants have been aware of the fact that protecting Yen islet means protecting their own rights, hence, the self-awareness has been turned into actions”, Mr Lai lets known.

Within the framework of this project (implementation time from 8/2020 to 12/2021), there remain lots of actions like enhancing the competence of local governments, focal cadres of the unions, collectives and local residential communities on protecting and managing sea ecological system, the eco-system of coral reef. Simultaneously, organizing sessions of gathering garbage at Yen islet region, organizing sessions on informing, propagating on the project; popularizing the state policies on environmental protection and marine-based eco-system; organizing the contests on learning about the damage of waste from the land and beach; plastic waste affecting the environment, the coral reef eco-system; setting projects to preserve the nature at Yen islet.

Prior to implementing the project of preserving Yen islet coral reef cluster, at the end of 2019, the PPC approved the project of protecting, preserving the biological diversity, environmental landscape around Yen islet to the end of 2025, vision to 2035. The scheme’s overall target is to prevent the rising level of pollution, in parallel with improving environmental quality; heading towards the reasonable exploitation and use of natural resources, protecting, preserving the bio-diversity, landscape of Yen islet cluster to serve the sustainable socio-eco development in Tuy An district in particular and Phu Yen province in general.

The 5 concrete target groups include: completing investigation, statistics, comprehensive assessment on the biological diversity of Yen islet cluster, laying the foundations for the tasks of managing and establishing the preservation zone; enhancing the competence, regime, policies; preventing, controlling, and overcoming the pollution situation in Yen islet cluster; preserving the biological diversity of Yen islet region; propagating, educating and raising the awareness, sense of responsibility and attracting the attention of the community of the protection and preservation of biological diversity, environmental landscape around Yen islet cluster.

Yen islet cluster is determined to comprise of: Yen islet, Dun islet, Ban Thanh, Yen reef, Choi islet and Choi lagoon. Among these, protection I has the area of 100,275.82m²; protection zone II comprises the area of 246,270.35m².

Source: Phu Yen Newspaper

Translated by HAI LOAN