ADVANCING ECOTOURISM FOR PU LUONG NATURE RESERVE AND ITS SUROUNDING COMMUNITIES

Pu Luong Nature Reserve situated within the border of Ba Thuoc and Quan Hoa districts, in the northwestern Thanh Hoa. The integration of habitat between Ngoc Son – Ngo Luong Nature Reserve and Cuc Phuong National Park forms notable ecosystem of limestone mountain forest of Pu Luong Nature Reserve, featuring the rich biodiversity, magnificent landscape and culture of Thai, Muong ethnic communities.

The significant illustration which attract tourists is Pu Luong’s landscape embedded with signs of terrace fields integrated with special ecosystems on limestone mountain forest. Such image can be found in Don, Bang, Kho Muong, Hieu villages, etc., bringing an distinctive experience for tourists. As the result, Pu Luong is receiving interests and raising its tourist traffic, but mainly focusing on communities at the buffer zone of the Reserve, with few connection with its nature.

To harness potentials of Pu Luong Nature Reserve, Center for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) cooperate with the Reserve to formulate tourism development plan in the 2022 – 2030 period. The plan will support the orientation of Pu Luong’s tourism products toward professional, diverse, and saturated with its unique features.

CCD puts efforts in promoting tourism to be a reliable tool in advancing public awareness and responsibility in protecting nature and environment. In addition, tourism should create more jobs, sustain livelihoods, reduce the dependence and anthropogenic impacts on forest and nature resources.