Conserving the ecosystems of Halong Bay

Technopôle Brest-Iroise, in addition to being an exceptional facility, was created in 1988 with a genuine economic approach. Formed as a French law nonprofit, it assembles a network of 200 structures (corporations, research centers, elite schools, professional agencies) and fosters regional economic development by innovation. Serving as the interface between the research and corporate players, Technopôle Brest-Iroise initiates and leads collective projects to:

• create new activities in the region's pools of expertise;
• counsel the corporations in expanding their knowhow and the conquest of new markets;
• enhance the promotion and influence of the region and its players.

International action accounts for a major share of the Technopôle's activities.

A multipartner project

In 2008, the Technopôle, Brest métropole océane, the people's committee of Haiphong, the French Agency for Development (AFD) and the Institute for Marine Environment and Resources, decided to pool their efforts to restore and preserve the environmental quality of the water of the Bay of Haiphong, while allowing business activities to continue unabated. This marked the onset of the management project for Haiphong Bay. Phase 1 served to identify the levels of pollution and to facilitate subsequent environmental management of the bay; phase 2 was aimed at the design and installation of joint planning and decision-aid tools and methods to guarantee quality management of the Bay of Haiphong. These two phases were supported by the Veolia Foundation.

Phase 3: Pilot projects to conserve the ecosystem of Halong Bay

In November 2010, the partners confirm the importance of the project and AFD wanted to extend it to Halong Bay. To do this, it agreed to help Technopôle Brest-Iroise find additional funds. The efforts mounted by the Technopôle and its partners secured financing from the French Fund for the World Environment (FFEM) in summer of 2011. The aim is to carry out pilot projects to conserve the ecosystem of Halong Bay (phase 3). However, despite the availability of the funds, the contractual process with the Vietnamese authorities is a lengthy matter, and should culminate at the end of the first quarter of 2015. The Technopôle wants to take advantage of the intervening period to draft the specification of the pilot projects, which will also be conducted on three different areas. First, raising awareness and training the fishermen and installing clean aquaculture techniques; next, protecting the beaches from erosion plus the establishment of sustainable tourism; and finally, reducing industrial pollution and preventing natural risks. The first step will be followed by recommendations issuing from each of the pilot projects, and an overall report coproduced by the Technopôle and the Vietnamese authorities will ultimately be published.

The mutual interest of the Vietnamese and AFD experts in extending the project for which the foundation has provided its support from the outset, confirms the importance of this Franco-Vietnamese cooperation based on skills transfer and knowledge sharing.

The Veolia Foundation is participating in drafting the specification.