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Preserving endangered ecosystems: Ha Long Bay

Situated in Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin, Ha Long Bay extends over about 1,500 km2. Its landscape is characterised by some 1,600 islands and islets which has earned its listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. Ha Long means “descent of the dragon” in Vietnamese. The main feature of the bay is the many rocky outcrops, indented with caves and inlets, and covered with vegetation. One of the well-known caves is called “Surprise cave”. Ha Long is made up of small islands, called “fenglins”, that reach a height of 50 to 100 m. The largest are conical fengcong karst towers with summits that reach an average of 100 m above sea level, and sometimes even 200 m. Only a few islands are populated by fishing villages, the sheer escarpments making human settlement difficult. 2,214 people live in floating houses. These wherry-shaped boats made of woven bamboo are typical of Ha Long Bay, and they enable the fishermen access to caves in which the entrances are cut off at high tide. The flora of the Bay is very varied, and virgin tropical forest is found mainly on the islands of Ba Mun and Cat Ba. Studies have also revealed the presence of at least 400 species of fish. Many archaeological sites and traces of occupation by the Hoa Bong culture have been discovered there. The archaeological sites of Tuan Chau, Hgoc Vung, Cai Dam, Dong Niam and Cat have revealed so many objects that they have been grouped under the term “Culture of Ha Long”. During prehistoric times, Ha Long was an important port, located on the trade routes between China, Japan and other south-east Asian countries. With over one million tourists visiting the area annually, the quality of tourism management is continually being improved. Jaeger-LeCoultre invites you to look at the photographic reports and videos on Ha Long Bay on The New York Times/International Herald Tribune websites from 17 January. Read the IHT articles by clicking here. You can also find out about all the marine sites supported under the Tides of Time scheme, read International Herald Tribune articles and listen to interviews with Jérôme Lambert, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Francesco Bandarin, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre on our official Youtube page. 2010 marked the third year of the partnership between Jaeger-LeCoultre, the International Herald Tribune and UNESCO. This partnership has already seen the realisation of several ambitious projects : - The promotion of protected sites to raise public awareness; - The recruitment of a co-ordinator for the marine programme implemented by the World Heritage Centre; - The development of a watch specifically for the partnership, the Master Compressor Extreme W-Alarm Tides of Time; - Auctions with the proceeds going to endangered sites; etc. Jaeger-LeCoultre has already held two auctions on its website. All the proceeds (13,540 GBP and 12,600 GBP) have been donated to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, such as the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park and the Sundarbans National Park. This donation has enabled Tubbataha to purchase a radar system to control traffic in the Park’s waters. Lastly, thanks to the support of Jaeger-LeCoultre and the International Herald Tribune, the first international conference for managers of marine sites listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites was held in Hawaii (USA) from 1 – 3 December, 2010. Copyright @Ocean/Corbis