Cu Lao Cham – A Pioneer in Smart Application for Marine Protected Areas

Cu Lao Cham (Cham Islands) Marine Protected Area (MPA) is established on approximately 24,000ha of marine ecosystems and coastal forest ecosystems surrounding seven main islands in Quang Nam province. One of the seven islands,  Cham Island, is known as a model in harmonising both conservation and development.

The MPA also actively implemented and became a pioneer in utilising the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) in the management and protection of biodiversity, being one of the first PAs in Viet Nam applying this tool in a marine context. To enhance the capacity of MPA managers in cooperation with community members, GIZ and the Department of Forestry (DOF) organised a training course on the application of SMART for more than 40 trainees from August 8 to August 13, 2023.

By attending the training, the local community could coordinate closely with management agencies in SMART patrolling to cover both the marine and the special-use forest areas on the island.

Since 2020, GIZ has cooperated with the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (now the DOF) to support equipment and technical guidance for SMART in this MPA. In the coming time, capacity development for the uniform implementation of SMART in all protected areas across Viet Nam will be continued.

For more information on SMART in Vietnamese language:

VNFOREST’s (now DOF) Decision on Promulgation of the Procedure in the application of Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) at protected forests: https://vnforest.gov.vn/content/uploads/files/QĐ%20197.QĐ-TCLN-ĐDPH.pdf

(The link above has included SMART software and the national SMART data model, along with other relevant instructional documents)