Participants discussed such topics as conservation and sustainable development of volcanoes and volcanic caves; the volcanic cave system in Vietnam; and regulations on zoning for heritage protection in the Dak Nong Geopark, the third UNESCO-recognised Global Geopark in Vietnam; among others.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha said the international symposium, the first of its kind taking place in the country, marks a new mile stone in scientific cooperation between Vietnam and other nations housing cave systems worldwide.
Ha hoped the province will attract scientists to research, further enhance the value of its cave system and typical cultural values, and share experiences contributing to the conservation and effective exploitation of the Dak Nong geopark.
UNESCO representative in Vietnam Christian Manhart acknowledged Vietnam’s and Dak Nong’s efforts in the conservation and sustainable development of valuable geological heritages.
He stressed a need to organise conferences to exchange new scientific values about volcanoes and volcanic cave systems around the world, and to propose and determine how to effectively preserve and exploit geological heritage values.
The Dak Nong geopark, covering 4,760 sq.km. of land, is home to 65 heritage and geomorphological sites, including volcanic craters, volcanic caves, and waterfalls. Notably, it houses the largest system of volcanic caves in Southeast Asia, with more than 50 caves and a total length of over 10,000m.
