Hon Me Nature Reserve
| Alternative site name(s) Dao Me, Dao Hon Me Province(s) Thanh Hoa Area 500 ha Coordinates 19°22' - 19°23'N, 105°55' - 105°56'E Agro-ecological zone North Central Coast Decreed by government Yes Management board established No |
Investment plan prepared No VCF eligibility criteria met B Social screening criteria met None Conservation needs assessment prepared No Operational management plan prepared No Tracking tool completed No Yes |
Management history
Hon Me was decreed as a 500 ha nature reserve by Decision No. 194/CT of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, dated 9 August 1986. According to Thanh Hoa Provincial FPD (in litt. 2000), the nature reserve does not yet have an investment plan, and a management board has not been formed. However, the Asian Development Bank (ADB 1999) states that Hon Me Nature Reserve currently has 11 personnel, five of whom are assigned to the administrative office, and six of whom are assigned to a single guard post. Furthermore, an operations budget has apparently been provided by the central government (ADB 1999).
Hon Me Nature Reserve is believed to only contain terrestrial and coastal habitats. However, the nature reserve is included within the Hon Me archipelago, a larger area, which has been proposed as a marine protected area (see Hon Me proposed marine protected area site card).
In 1997, it was decided that Hon Me no longer met the requisite standard for Special-use Forest status and should be removed from the national protected areas network (MARD 1997). Consequently, the site is not included on a list of Special-use Forests to be established by the year 2010, prepared by the FPD of MARD (FPD 2003).
Topography and hydrology
Hon Me Nature Reserve comprises Hon Me island, a 420 ha island located about 10 km off the coast of Tinh Gia district, Thanh Hoa province. Hon Me is the biggest of the nine sizeable islands in the Hon Me archipelago, and reaches a height of 256 m.
Biodiversity values
The Hon Me archipelago consists of several small islands, which support high levels of biodiversity and an abundance of habitats. Hon Me island is the biggest and most uniquely vegetated island in the archipelago, and harbours wildlife that has yet to be studied adequately (ADB 1999). The waters around the islands were the subject of a study by Hai Phong Institute of Oceanography in October 1998 (Nguyen Chu Hoi et al. 1998). However, very little is known about the biodiversity value of the island itself.
Conservation issues
Tinh Gia district suffers from a lack of financial resources, and has a poorly developed economy. This has lead to high levels of dependence on marine resources among local populations, with well documented negative impacts (ADB 1999). Thanh Hoa Provincial FPD (in litt. 2000) gives the main threat to the site as illegal exploitation of forest products. There are no permanent residents on the island except for a few civil servants and army personnel (ADB 1999). People from outside the area are, therefore, responsible for most of the threats to biodiversity at Hon Mun, which are identified by ADB (1999) as unsustainable and destructive fishing practices (including dynamite fishing and use of small-mesh nets), and siltation of coral reefs.
Other documented values
The Hon Me archipelago is an important fishing ground in the Gulf of Tonkin, and supports the livelihoods of communities in Tinh Gia district, Thanh Hoa province, as well as commercial fishing enterprises. A number of fish of high economic value occur in the area, such as members of the Pomacantridae and Holocentridae (ADB 1999). There is no information available about the non-biodiversity values of the nature reserve itself.
Related projects
No information.
Conservation needs assessment
A conservation needs assessment has not been conducted for the site.
Operational management plan
An operational management plan has not been prepared for the site.
Eligibility against VCF criteria
The site is ineligible for VCF support because it does not meet the criteria for supporting forest biodiversity of international importance. In addition, the site is not under appropriate conservation management.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| AI |
|
| AII |
|
| BI |
Decision No. 194/CT, dated 09/08/86 |
| BII |
Nature Reserve |
| BIII |
Under provincial management |
| CI |
|
| CII |
Social screening requirements
A social screening report has not been prepared for the site.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| A |
|
| B |
|
| C |
|
| D |
Literature sources
ADB (1999) Draft coastal and marine protected areas plan. Hanoi: Asian Development Bank.
Nguyen Chu Hoi, Nguyen Huy Yet and Dang Ngoc Thanh eds. (1998) [Scientific basis for marine protected areas planning]. Hai Phong: Hai Phong Institute of Oceanography. In Vietnamese.
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