Developing tourism in association with forest protection

Xuan Son National Park (NP) is a valuable resource of Phu Tho province, boasting a diverse system of flora and fauna. In recent years, the park has successfully developed ecotourism products. However, achieving sustainable development requires addressing the challenge of balancing resource exploitation with forest protection and ecological preservation.

Located in Tan Son district, Xuan Son NP spans a buffer zone of 18,369 hectares, including a 15,048-hectare core area and 11,148 hectares designated as a strictly protected zone. The park is notable for its unique landscapes, environmental significance, diverse flora and fauna, and the rich cultural heritage of ethnic minorities. Each year, Xuan Son welcomes approximately 30,000 visitors who enjoy a variety of activities such as eco-tourism, adventure tourism, mountain and cave exploration, scientific research, and relaxing in nature.

Cycling and exploring activities at Xuan Son National Park

To attract more visitors, the National Park has prioritized implementing measures for forest management and protection. For example, it has signed coordination agreements with the Tan Son District Police to ensure security and order, and with forest rangers in Da Bac (Hoa Binh) and Phu Yen (Son La) districts for forest protection. Efforts have focused on forest fire prevention, signing emulation agreements with six buffer zone communes, and assigning 6,500 hectares of natural forest to 16 village communities, involving 1,635 households.

Additionally, the park has facilitated commitments from community members to manage and protect its forests, organized regular patrols and inspections, and provided timely information to ranger stations for combating forest encroachment effectively.

The national park also focuses on disseminating and popularizing laws on forest management and protection to all classes of people, such as building 4 propaganda signs and 10 propaganda classes to disseminate and educate about the law on forest protection, forest protection, and forest fire prevention; broadcasting forest fire warning bulletins in the 6 dry months in 11 buffer zone villages combined with organizing 200 mobile propaganda rounds; installing 9 propaganda signs on waste and 10 trash bins in Xuan Son commune; printing and distributing 5,000 leaflets on environmental protection, etc.

The staff of the Xuan Son National Park forest management and protection team propagate and popularize forest protection and ecological environment protection to people in the buffer zone communes.

To raise awareness of local people and tourists about the Law on Forest Protection and Development, to create a widespread influence on all classes of people in the work of forest management, protection, ecological environment protection, biodiversity conservation in Xuan Son National Park, continue to build a model of planting medicinal plants Xạ đen in the area of ​​the Center’s office and the Stilt House in Lap hamlet, Xuan Son commune with 200 trees to serve the work of propaganda and environmental education; deploy a model of collecting, processing and using organic waste in Xuan Son National Park towards creating a stable source of fertilizer to care for medicinal plant models.

The Center for Environmental Education and Services, Ecotourism of Xuan Son National Park, has proactively and actively coordinated with the District Youth Union, the Department of Education and Training, and schools in the district to organize 9 propaganda sessions for students in the area on environmental protection and wildlife conservation through the form of dramatization. Organize a contest to learn about nature and environmental protection education; install 3 propaganda boards for nature protection education at schools in the buffer zone of Xuan Son National Park. Carry out propaganda, promote the image of natural resources, people, and tourism of Xuan Son National Park through the Center’s fan page with 1,158 page followers in 2024.

Xuan Son National Park forest management team staff propagate about plant diversity in Xuan Son National Park to the local people.

In addition, many programs, topics, and scientific research projects are also implemented to preserve and develop the biodiversity of flora and fauna. Notably, the provincial-level scientific research topic is "Investigation, assessment of the current status, and proposal of measures to conserve, exploit, and sustainably develop Shan Tuyet tea in Xuan Son National Park, Phu Tho province." Proposal to implement the Provincial Science and Technology Project in 2025: “Conservation and development of some valuable medicinal plants in Xuan Son National Park, Phu Tho Province.”.

Mr. Tran Ngoc Cuong, Director of Xuan Son National Park, said, "Developing tourism in Xuan Son National Park is a reasonable trend, but in the process of exploiting resources to serve tourism, it is necessary to put conservation interests above economic interests. Tourism development must go hand in hand with landscape and environmental protection and forest development, especially upstream and primary forests.

Attention should be paid to protecting clean water sources, collecting and treating waste, building more public toilets, and reasonably calculating the carrying capacity of the National Park towards sustainable development... Doing this depends not only on the authorities and managers but also on the active cooperation of the people and tourists".

Achieving sustainable development requires the synchronized implementation of forest management solutions. These include strict control of tourism activities, enhanced resource monitoring, and heightened awareness among both locals and tourists. Additionally, more economic support policies for buffer zone communities are essential to improve livelihoods and foster greater commitment to forest protection.

Equally important is encouraging every visitor to recognize their role in the conservation journey. Respecting nature and maintaining a clean environment not only safeguards ecological values but also enriches the visitor experience. By prioritizing conservation over economic gain, Xuan Son National Park can be preserved as a pristine gem, offering sustainable value for generations to come.

Quoc An