Dive tourism suspension planned to protect coral reefs in Nha Trang Bay
The central province of Khanh Hoa is planning to suspend dive tourism activities in vulnerable coral reef areas in Nha Trang Bay in the face of reef degradation there.
A coral reef in medium condition in Nha Trang Bay. (Photo: VNA)
Khanh Hoa (VNA) – The centralprovince of Khanh Hoa is planning to suspend dive tourism activities in vulnerablecoral reef areas in Nha Trang Bay in the face of reef degradation there.
On June 20, the Standing Board of theprovincial Party Committee held a meeting to look into the coral reefdegradation in Hon Mun Marine Protected Area and concluded that the media’sreport on reef degradation in this place is true, according to an announcementreleased on late June 21.
It blamed that fact on impactsaccumulated for many years due to both objective and subjective causes.
The objective cause is impacts ofclimate change and two strong storms, Damrey in 2017 and Rai in 2021. Meanwhile,the subjective cause is the loose management and coordination among relevant departments,sectors, and localities, along with impacts of improper human activities suchas illegal fishing, unregulated coastal construction, and waste release fromtourism activities.
The Standing Board requested theKhanh Hoa People’s Committee to suspend dive tourism activities in thevulnerable coral reef areas in Nha Trang Bay, especially the area surroundingHon Mun Island, and take measures for protecting those areas.
It ordered authorities of Khanh Hoaprovince and Nha Trang city to conduct patrols to conserve the Hon Mun MarineProtected Area, increase communications to raise locals and tourists’awareness, and ask institutes, research centres, experts, and scientists to carryout studies and surveys so as to make a precise assessment of the situation andpropose solutions.
According to the Nha Trang Bay Management Board, the coral coverage in the waters to the northeast and southwest ofHon Mun Island declined to 32.62 percent (medium condition) in 2022 from 53.7percent (good condition) in 2015. In the areas to the southeast and northwest, thecoverage stands at 11.15 percent (poor condition) this year, down from 52.2percent (good condition) in 2015./.
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A coral reef in medium condition in Nha Trang Bay. (Photo: VNA) 
