WWF helps Cat Tien National Park promote eco-tourism

Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Cat Tien National Park jointly opened a community tourism guesthouse in the Southern province of Dong Nai as part of their plan to boost eco-tourism.

The guest house, commonly known as Long House, which took 5 months to complete, will help ethnic people living near the park earn a living and mitigate their reliance on natural resources. Located near the forest’s edge at Cat Tien National Park, the 125m² communal house is made from environmentally-friendly materials such as bamboo, wood and palm leaves. This is the result of the hard work of ethnic minorities such as Tay, Ma and S’tieng.

Local people will be trained by WWF on eco-tourism in order to become tour guides for tourists visiting the park. In addition, a supervisory board will also be set up to regulate the impact of tourism on the ecosystem of Cat Tien National Park. They will make suitable adjustment to protect the park from any adverse effect caused by tourism activities.

Cat Tien is an important national park, which comprises an important reserve in Vietnam, both for the habitat it protects and the number of species it contains. In 2008, WWF Vietnam collaborated with Cat Tien Park on an ecotourism development program in the effort to foster a greater appreciation for the latter’s national habitats and enhance the cultural integrity of local people.