Da Nang moves forward to OECM recoginition for biodiversity conservation

Co-management linked to sustainable livelihoods

At Ba Dau Coral Reef in Ha Loc Village, Tam Xuan Commune, the local community plays a vital role in protecting 64 hectares of nearshore waters. The area contains approximately 20 hectares of coral reefs and supports a rich diversity of valuable marine species, including spiny lobster, grouper, and marine snails. It serves not only as an important habitat and breeding ground for marine life but also as a critical coastal ecosystem.

Over the past five years, a co-management model has enabled local communities to take an active role in conservation. The Ba Dau Coral Reef Co-management Group, comprising more than 40 members, has conducted regular patrols to prevent illegal fishing, collected plastic waste, and encouraged local residents to protect the marine environment.

As a result, the local environment has gradually improved, coral reefs are better protected, and increasing numbers of visitors are returning to the fishing village. Tam Tien Beach and Ba Dau Coral Reef are also becoming more widely recognized on Quang Nam’s tourism map. Many households have gradually shifted from harvesting marine resources around the coral reef to developing community-based tourism, with the aim of expanding sustainable tourism services and reducing pressure on coastal fisheries resources.

“We are working toward establishing a community-based tourism service cooperative that will bring together homestay operators and local tourism service providers in the village. The goal is to develop sustainable community tourism while protecting fisheries resources and the coral reef ecosystem,” said Vo Thanh Vien, Deputy Head of the Ba Dau Coral Reef Co-management Group.

In Tu My Village, Tam My Tay Commune, the local community is also playing a central role in the conservation of the gray-shanked douc langur. What began as a completely spontaneous volunteer protection group has, over the past decade, grown into a more organized community conservation initiative with the participation of local authorities, mass organizations, and residents. As a result, the gray-shanked douc langur population has remained stable and increased from about 20 individuals in 2017 to 75 individuals in 2024. Surveys in the area have also recorded 176 animal species, including 10 rare and endangered species.

According to Huynh Cong Phuong, Head of Tu My Village Development Board in Tam My Tay Commune, although the area has not been officially designated as a protected area, local authorities and residents have remained highly committed to protecting the forest and safeguarding the habitat of the gray-shanked douc langur. The community has established volunteer patrol teams to prevent forest encroachment while raising awareness among students, local residents, and visitors about the importance of conservation.

“Our community hopes these areas will soon be recognized as Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs). Once an OECM is established, local people will not only continue protecting wildlife, forests, and the natural environment, but will also have greater opportunities to develop sustainable livelihoods, particularly through ecotourism and community-based tourism,” Mr. Phuong said.

Expanding the application of effective conservation measures

According to Van Ngoc Thinh, Country Director of WWF-Viet Nam, residents of Ha Loc Village in Tam Xuan Commune have, over the past several years, voluntarily implemented a co-management model to protect Ba Dau Coral Reef. The community has also expressed a desire for a more structured management and conservation mechanism that can better safeguard the reef while promoting sustainable livelihoods, particularly community-based tourism. In response, WWF-Viet Nam will support the community in implementing OECMs at the site.

In addition, WWF-Viet Nam has been working with the GreenViet Biodiversity Conservation Center to support local communities in Tam My Tay in protecting the habitat of the gray-shanked douc langur. Although neither Ba Dau Coral Reef nor the gray-shanked douc langur habitat is officially designated as a protected area under current regulations, both sites have strong potential to be recognized and managed under the OECM framework that WWF-Viet Nam and the Da Nang authorities are actively pursuing.

“WWF-Viet Nam is currently supporting efforts to promote community participation in biodiversity conservation through the application of OECM criteria at more than 15 sites located outside officially designated nature reserves, national parks, and marine protected areas,” said Mr. Thinh.

“WWF-Viet Nam will continue working closely with local partners and the Department of Nature Conservation and Biodiversity under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to develop technical guidelines and regulatory frameworks for implementing biodiversity conservation measures in line with the OECM criteria.”

Da Nang currently has seven nature reserves and two landscape protection areas. In addition, the city is home to many ecologically significant sites outside the formal protected area network, including the Dam River and the Pa Da Forest in Ben Giang Commune. These areas require further assessment and identification so that appropriate conservation and management mechanisms can be established.

According to Ms. Vu Thi Bich Hau, Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Agriculture and Environment, practical experience from the Ba Dau Coral Reef and Tam My Tay Forest demonstrates that, beyond officially designated protected areas, many sites of high biodiversity value are already being effectively conserved by local communities, grassroots authorities, and civil society organizations. When local people are recognized as key stewards, beneficiaries, and responsible custodians of natural resources, conservation outcomes become more sustainable.

“Nature does not follow administrative boundaries, and biodiversity cannot be conserved only within the boundaries of protected areas. OECMs offer an opportunity to shift from a mindset of protecting by zoning to one of conserving through connectivity; from focusing solely on the size of protected areas to emphasizing the effectiveness of governance; and from viewing conservation as the sole responsibility of government agencies to recognizing it as a shared responsibility of society as a whole,” Ms. Hau said.

In the coming period, Da Nang will continue collaborating with relevant partners to review existing data and identify potential sites for conservation under the OECM framework. The city will also strengthen community-based co-management models, helping safeguard nature, conserve biodiversity, and create a solid foundation for sustainable livelihoods for local communities.

The National Biodiversity Strategy for the 2021-2030 period identifies the development of OECMs as one of its key priorities to expand conservation areas while enabling local communities to participate in natural resource management linked to sustainable livelihoods, a green economy, and ecotourism.