A management framework for Cat Ba National Park, Vietnam : a remote sensing and GIS approach | |
| Author | Hoang Viet |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no. AQ-01-26 |
| Subject(s) | National parks and reserves--Vietnam--Management National parks and reserves--Remote sensing--Vietnam Geographic information systems |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. AQ-01-26 |
| Abstract | Vietnam has been identified as one of Asia's most biologically important countries. The Cat Ba National Park was established to protect and restore biodiversity in the areas. The Park covers a part of Cat Ba Island (9,800 ha) and 5,400 ha of surrounding water body and small islands. However, the management of the Park had several constraints such as: inadequate understanding of natural resources and socio-economic systems by managers and local people; lack of a suitable zoning plan based on the physical, biological, and socio-economic characteristics of the area; and inefficient authority or lack of participatory planning. In order to solve these problems/constraints, this study was conducted, aiming to achieve the following objectives: mapping of natural resources; assessing habitat changes based on these maps; verifying these changes in selected field sites by ground-truthing; assessing the effects of socio-economics on habitat changes; determining institutional roles in the management of resources; management zoning based on physical, biological, and social factors; and fomulating a framework for the effective management of the Cat Ba National Park. Methods used to achieve these objectives, included: image processing, classification and change detection using Remote Sensing techniques, natural resources mapping, database creation, zoning models using GIS techniques, socio-economic, stakeholders and institutional analyses, and biological and underwater surveys. This study concentrated on a larger area than the existing area of the Park, covering whole Cat Ba Island and 10,466.61 ha of seawaters on the east - southeastern part. The study area was extended to get better picture of the whole natural resources system and select a new set of management zoning through the GIS zoning model. From this study, two maps of land use/land cover on Cat Ba areas in 1990 and 2001 were created. Changes during these dates in three critical habitats (inland forest, mangrove forest, and coral reef) were also addressed. It was also found out that the local people are highly dependent on the Park, and their human activities have a great impact on the habitat changes of the Park. The importance of identifying stakeholders and their interests in the Park was also realisted, and in this study, these issues was analysed. Institutional framework and their role in the Park management were also assessed based on the topdown approach. A new set of management zoning was created using GIS zoning model, namely: primitive forest protection zone (1 ,769.31 ha), restoration forest zone (3,035.27 ha), buffer zone (4, 161.02 ha), and eco-tourism zone on island (7,334.05 ha) for the terrestrial component, and strictly prohibited zone (for coral reefs) ( 1,426.29 ha), buffer zone (6,228 .87 ha), and marine eco - tourism zone (2,81 1.06 ha) of the marine component. A framework for zone management was then set-up based on the regulations and policies of the Vietnam Government and the experiences of the management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Australia. Finally, a framework for the effective management of the Cat Ba National Park was formulated consisting of 4 programmesnamely: conservation and protection, scientific research, education and awareness, and local community participation. This studyalso suggested ways to improve the effective collaboration between the Park Management |
| Year | 2001 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. AQ-01-26 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Former title: Department of Food Agriculture, and BioResources (DFAB)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources Management (AQ) |
| Chairperson(s) | Lin, C. Kwei; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Jensen, Kathe R. ;Shivakoti, Ganesh. P.;Nitin Tripathi ; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) ; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2001 |