ECOBOAT Environmental education program is the initiative of Fauna and Flora International (FFI) and Ha Long Bay Management Department.
From 2006 – 2008, the project was implemented by FFI in cooperation with Ha Long Bay Management Department with funding from the Darwin Initiative – United Kingdom.
From 2008 – 2012, the project was implemented with partial funding from Santos Petroleum Corporation – Australia.
From February 2012 to now, Ha Long Bay Management Department directly coordinated trips for groups of students from international schools.
EcoBoat is an English compound word: Ecology and boat, i.e. ecology boat. EcoBoat is a floating class in Ha Long Bay which was held with many diverse and useful activities in order to improve community’s awareness in environmental protection and sustainable development of World Heritage Site – Ha Long Bay.
With the motto of “learning through games, playing through study”, EcoBoat gave students direct access to the environmental status of heritage to realize the risks, threats affecting on the bay’s environment, and also discuss and contribute ideas, develop solutions to protect the environment of Ha Long Bay.
Each trip is a new discovery, the students can participate in environmental protection activities such as mangrove plantation, garbage collection on the bay and gulf shore, water monitoring, tree plantation on the island and so on. Besides that, EcoBoat is also a bridge to connect friendship in order to make domestic students and international students to have cultural exchange activities, charitable donation, and difficulty sharing with poor students at floating villages or surrounding areas of the Bay. Up-to-now, EcoBoat organized more than 300 trips for thousands of domestic students and international students to discover, study and improve awareness in protection of Ha Long Bay’s environment and values. EcoBoat program organizes 1-or-more-day trip within Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay and Cat Ba Island.
Propagate and educate the protection of Ha Long Bay’s marine environment, surrounding environment and the conservation of Ha Long Bay’s biodiversity value.
Improve awareness and promote the importance of community in conservation of natural, cultural and environmental values of Ha Long Bay.
Support environmental education activities in local high schools.
Hold high-quality practical environmental education programs.
EcoBoat will be an effective tool in promoting young generation, local communities and other groups to participate in the sustainable conservation and promotion of values of World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay.
* Activities in one trip
– Study values and potentials of Ha Long Bay.
– Study impacts of socioeconomic development activities on Ha Long Bay environment and the conservation of Ha Long Bay values, landscape and environment.
– Visit, explore values of landscape, geology and geomorphology, biodiversity, culture and history of Ha Long Bay.
– Study fishermen’s life in Ha Long Bay (visit Cua Van Floating Culture Centre and enjoy “Giao duyen” singing).
– Participate in activities of environmental protection (plant trees, mangrove, collect waste, etc…); activities of community help (present books, notebooks, school supplies, decorate the library, clean the school, and plant trees).
– Participate in environmental games, and active games.
* Activities of community awareness improvement:
Besides holding Ecoboat trips, the program implemented a lot of activities of community awareness improvement to protect environment:
– Exhibit activities of environmental education.
– Organize the contest of awareness improvement to protect Ha Long Bay environment with the topic “I love Ha Long Bay” and “Civilized, beautiful and clean floating villages in Ha Long Bay” for students, youth, teenagers and fishermen of 3 big floating villages in Ha Long Bay, namely: Cong Dam, Vong Vieng, Cua Van.
– Train freelances, communication staffs from Cat Ba National Park and Bai Tu Long Bay, fishermen in Ha Long Bay in order to improve awareness and enlarge the network of propaganda, education of environmental to many subjects.
– Print and distribute leaflets, fliers of environmental protection to tourists.
Ha Long Bay Management Department (HBMD) is an agency under Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Committee with functions of management, conservation and promotion of World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay, and is also the owner of Ecoboat.
Fauna and Flora International (FFI) is a big conservation organization in the world and was formed a long time ago. FFI has been putting their efforts in seeking for sustainable measures based on scientific basis and local demands in order to conserve endangered fauna and flora species. FFI is present in 40 nations and has implemented biodiversity protection program in Viet Nam since 1995.
Quang Ninh Department of Education and Training: has a close coordination with FFI and Ha Long Bay Management Department in holding Ecoboat trips for students of secondary schools and high schools. Quang Ninh Department of Education and Training contributed many ideas in building educational lectures of EcoBoat program.
Provincial Agencies’ Youth Union cooperated to hold many Ecoboat trips for youth and teenagers of Ha Long city and mangrove plantation events.