Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Abstract
Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a unique natural scenery of thousands of limestone islands.
It is also an area of conflicting issues, which all matter in a sustainability context. Quang Ninh province, bordering
the P.R. of China, is part of the strategic economic development triangle Hanoi-Haiphong-Quang Ninh. It is the
heart of Vietnams coal industry. Also, Halong Bay is a prime tourism area. Finally, Halong Bay is also the scene
where a major deep sea port at Cai Lan is proposed. Current planning is ad hoc and uncoordinated, with little
environmental consideration. Halong Bay provides a fine example of (environmental) conflicts to be analyzed in a
framework of competition for control of resources. Actual conflicts of interest, between ministries, institutions and
interest groups, and between the central and local governments, will intensify in the future. The authors report on
database development, based on the application of remote sensing and GIS techniques. The effort aims to
support local and national authorities with a systematic and scientific basis for decision-making. This is
exemplified through a Strategic Environmental Assessment of development planning. Also, the database
provides a means to objectify present environmental conflicts. The database constitutes a major structural
information source, with a high potential for expansion, both in thematic and spatial scope. The report presents
database design, tools and methods applied, and data used. The database is composed of physical, socioeconomic and biological/ecosystems components. Data are generated from remote sensing images (LANDSAT
TM and aerial photography), existing maps, statistical data, and fieldwork. The database is complemented with
Geographical Positioning System field photos. The physical component is finalized. Overlay of the "Master Plan
of Ha Long City" on thematic data layers (e.g. land cover/use maps) enables a preliminary impact analysis.
Statistical computations document significant potential environmental impact and land cover changes, in
particular for the mangrove areas. The socio-economic and biological/ecosystems components are being added
to allow full impact assessment. Modeling of interactions between human activities and the environment aims to
generate impact scenarios of different development alternatives. The ultimate aim is to support improved
planning.
Keywords: Remote Sensing, GIS, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
INTRODUCTION
Problem in Context
The clash between development and environment is evident in Ha Long Bay, the "Bay of the Descending
Dragons", an UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a unique natural scenery of thousands of limestone islands. Ha
Long Bay provides a fine example of conflicts to be analyzed in a framework of competition for control of (natural)
Page 2 of 16
resources. Current conflicts of interest, between ministries, institutions and interest groups, and between the
central and local governments, are expected to exacerbate in the near future. In all, Ha Long Bay may simply not
be able to accommodate for all sectoral priorities (ADB, 1996).
Page 3 of 16
Page 4 of 16
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the project "Capacity Building for Environmental Management in Vietnam" fit into these
priorities. Next to strengthening project level EIA, the project aims to conduct an SEA study. As such, the project
supports Capacity Building in SEA in Vietnam (Nierynck, 1997).
A GIS database is established for the study area. As such, the SEA, which aims at investigating the cumulative
impacts of the development of different economic sectors (coal mining, tourism, Cai Lan port), is structuraly
organised. Basically, the SEA addresses the development activities as outlined in the Master Plan of Ha Long
City. The case study does not focus on scientific aspects of the establishment and operation of a GIS-database,
but on the demonstration of how GIS (and Remote Sensing) techniques can be useful to support improved
Environmental Assessment. The output also focuses at producing different development scenarios for the
authorities and objectifying present environmental conflicts.
Page 5 of 16
The environment assessment of the Master Plan of Ha Long City requires the database to enable the:
a. determination of the past and current status of land cover/use and identification of patterns of change
during the past 10 years (1988 1998);
b. assessment of the impact of infrastructure, industry and tourism development on the environment
according to the Master Plan of Ha Long City for the period 1994 2010;
c. recommendations of modification of the Master Plan, which could reduce the impacts of development to
the environment;
d. trial application of GIS for strategic environmental assessment.
Population
Administrative boundaries
Tourism facilities
Materials
The current database has been established by drawing on the following information sources:
a. Topographical maps UTM 1/50 000 printed in 1997
b. Topographical maps GAUSS 1/10000 printed in 1998
c. LANDSAT TM image observed on February 17, 1998
d. 3 time series of aerial photographs: 1969-1971, 1985 and 1993
e. Ground truth data collected in May and November 1998
Page 6 of 16
Tools
Hardware: IBM PC Pentium II 300 MHz, 512 Mb RAM
Software: PCI EASI/PACE 6.2 & SPANS Explorer, MapInfo, WinASEAN 3.0
Other equipment:
Methodology
Land Use / Cover Mapping by LANDSAT TM Image
The LANDSAT TM image (February 17, 1998) utilised, is multi-spectral data with 7 spectral channels and 30 m
ground resolution. As the purpose of the study is environment assessment, the following legend has been used
for interpretation (Table 2):
Code
Code
No data
13
Dense forest
15
Sparse forest
16
Bare land
Forest plantation
17
Scrub land
19
20
Built up area
Grass land
24
Clear water
26
Scrub on limestone
28
10
30
Shrimp farm
11
32
Turbid water
12
The legend contains many anthropogenic land cover/land use categories, that are difficult for digital classification.
As such, digital image enhancement has been complemented with visual interpretation. The interpretation has
been supported by ground truth checking through extensive field work. To achieve the best interpretation results,
the authors have used different false color composites to enhance the different land cover/land use categories.
The following channel combinations have been applied: combination 1: Red = 4, Green = 3, Blue = 2;
combination 2: Red = 5, Green =4, Blue =3; combination 3: Red = 4, Green = 5, Blue = 7. The color combinations
can be changed at any time during on-screen digitizing. Prior to the interpretation, the image was geometrically
corrected and geo-referenced to UTM map projection. The accuracy of the geometric correction was within 2
pixels. The error is due to the hilly terrain characteristics of the study area. Better accuracy can be achieved by
ortho-rectification with digital elevation model (DEM). A portion of Ha Long City is displayed on LANDSAT TM
image with false color composite Red =4, Green =5, Blue =7 (Fig. 3).
Page 7 of 16
Category
Code
Category
Settlement
Lake, reservoir
Rice field
Scrub
Mangrove
Pine trees
Tidal flat
10
Aqua-culture
Sparse forest
11
Bare hill
Dense forest
Table 3: Legend used for aerial photograph interpretation
The interpretation results were transferred to 1/10 000 topographical maps and projected to UTM to enable
overlay on the 1/50 000 database. Fig. 5 shows Ha Long City as visualized by aerial photograph. The
interpretation result is displayed on Fig. 6. For the 1969-1971 period, 57 photos have been interpreted; for the
1985 period, the number of interpreted photos totaled 50 and for 1993, 96 photos have been interpreted.
Page 8 of 16
Page 9 of 16
Fig. 6 Interpretation result of aerial photograph of Hong Gai part of Halong City
Nomenclature
Cam Pha
6451-II
Ha Long
6450-IV
Page 10 of 16
Ba Sao
6451-III
Quang Yen
6350-I
Uong Bi
6351-II
6450-I
Cat Ba
6450-III
Nomenclature
Gieng Day
F48-119-Aa1
Khu 2A
F48-119-Aa2
Bai Chay
F48-119-Aa3
Van Yen
F48-118-Bb2
Xom Cat
F48-118-Bb4
Thon 1
F48-107-Cc3
Thon B
F48-107-Cc3
Hoanh Bo
F48-106-Dd4
Quang Ninh
F48-119-Aa4
Page 11 of 16
Fig. 9 Spatial map of Master Development Plan of Ha Long City for the period 1994 - 2010
Prior to actual assessment of the Master Development Plan, a quantified inventory of land cover/land use
categories has been carried out, based on the LANDSAT TM satellite image and topographical maps. The results
Page 12 of 16
of both inventories are outlined in Table 6. Subsequently, the results of both interventions have been compared.
Topographical maps in Vietnam reflect land cover/land use status of some date in the past. A change study can
be performed to show trends and patterns of land cover /land use change in the study area. Mangrove and forest
cover, for example, constitute one of the most important environmental indicators. According to the topographical
maps, the mangrove area in the study area totals 81,851,965 m2, of which 33,445,407 m2 (about 40%) is located
in Cua Luc estuary. From satellite image, the total mangrove area is calculated at 38,928,128 m2. It means that
only 47.6% of mangrove remains, when compared with topographical maps. In Cua Luc estuary, the mangrove
cover interpreted from satellite image is 21,660,916 m2 which is about 64.8 % of the area indicated on the
topographical maps. The most drastic change of mangrove, concerns the ones distributed along the coastline.
While on the topographical maps coastal mangroves (excluding the mangrove in Cua Luc estuary) total about
48,410,492 m2, the actual area of mangrove calculated from LANDSAT TM image is only 17,267,213 m2. As
such, only 35.7% coastal mangrove area remain.
According to the topographical maps, the forest area (excluding mangrove) is about 409,202,958 m2. However,
from satellite image 260,757,511 m2 of forest only can be interpreted. It means that about 148,445,447 m2 of
forest has been cleared for different purpose.
Inventory by LANDSAT TM image
Code
Area[ m2]
554217
Dense forest
128295825
Sparse forest
66700933
Forest plantation
102483870
Scrub
54689715
4067815
Grass land
32223619
Village
10
37681966
11
10
31705963
12
11
28074887
13
12
10853241
14
81851965 Mangrove
13
29368092
15
409202957 Forest
15
1412527
Rice field
16
16
1418518.388
Bare land
17
1047888.986
19
1807407.691
20
1340657.501
Built-up area
22
19896599.49
23
39566611.34
24
284051845.8
Clear water
25
27524569.65
26
8265159.953
Grass on limestone
27
48011291.96
Coal mining
28
1162806.006
Coal overburden
Category
Code
Area [m2]
Category
Page 13 of 16
29
246957.6514
30
7549046.124
Aqua-culture
31
76769944.77
Following the overlay of the spatial map of the Master Development Plan on thematic maps, the authors carried
out a preliminary assessment of the impact of the Plan on the environment. The impact is defined in terms of
direct and indirect impact. Direct impacts are limited to the physical boundaries of the development project;
indirect impacts include a buffer zone. As an example, Table 7 lists the direct and combined direct and indirect
impacts of industrial development for the different land use categories, as a result of the full the realization of the
Master plan. A buffer zone of 200m is considered for each industrial facility. Many resources in this buffer zone
will be destroyed or moved out. As displayed in table 7, about 13.8% of total area of mangrove and 7% of the
human settlements in the study area will be directly impacted by industrial construction; however, in the end,
20.5% of the mangrove area and 13.5% of the human settlements area will be affected, resulting from the
combined direct and indirect impacts by realization of the Master Development Plan.
Code
Direct impact
Area (m2)
Percentage
(%)
Category
Percentage
(%)
1168200
1.7
2536200
3.7
Forest plantation
338400
0.3
838800
0.8
Scrub
126000
0.2
528300
0.9
835200
2.3
1367100
3.7
10
1418400
4.7
2943000
9.8
11
1791000
6.2
2836800
9.8
12
838800
7.6
1179900
10.7
13
2844000
16.0
3998700
22.9
Rice field
19
45900
2.1
112500
5.2
20
394200
26.3
910800
60.7
Built-up area
22
1332000
6.8
1506600
7.7
23
2234700
6.2
3852900
10.7
24
459900
0.2
2388600
0.8
Clear water
25
272700
722700
2.6
27
481500
822600
1.8
Coal mining
Page 14 of 16
29
4500
1.8
42300
16.5
30
535500
6.6
610200
7.5
Aqua-culture
31
3960000
5.2
6541200
8.6
Bare hill
33
210600
210600
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research is carried out in the framework of the project "Capacity Building for Environmental Management in
Vietnam" (VNM/B7-6200/IB/96/05). This project is jointly executed by the Institute of Geography (Vietnam
National Center for Natural Science and Technology) and the Department of Human Ecology (Free University of
Page 15 of 16
Brussels, VUB, Belgium). The 3 year project, which started in April 1997, is funded by the European Commission.
The authors which are staff members of this international co-operation project wish to express their gratitude to
the European Commission for granting this project and making this research effort possible.
Also, the authors whish to honor the Department of Education of the Ministry of the Flemish Community, Belgium,
for providing additional financial means through the project "Capacity Building for Sustainable Development; GIS
and Remote Sensing: Applications for Environmental Planning".
The authors also take the opportunity to thank all project staff, and in particular Ms. Le Thi Thu Hien, Ms. Nguyen
Hanh Quyen , Mrs. Ho Le Thu, and Ms. Le Kim Thoa for their active work in the database development.
REFERENCE
Antunes, P, R. Santos, L. Joao, P. Goncalves, and N. Videira. (1996). "A GIS Based Decision Making System for
Environmental Impact Assessment", in the Proceedings of the International IAIA Conference, 17-23 June 1996,
Estoril, Portugal, pp. 451-456.
DSEE (Department of Science, Education and Environment), Ministry of Planning and Investment. (1998).
"Environmental Assessment and Sustainable Development of the Coal Mining Sector in Vietnam: a Case Study
in Quang Ninh Province", Summary report, Hanoi, Vietnam, 78 pp.
Eedy, W. (1995). "The Use of GIS in Environmental Assessment", Impact Assessment, Volume 13, Summer
1995, International Association for Impact Assessment, pp. 199-206.
Environmental Protection Agency Australia (EPA). (1996). "Environmental Impact Assessment Training Resource
Manual", prepared for the UNEP, preliminary draft, June 1996, 700p.
Asian Development Bank (ADB). (1996). "Coastal and Marine Environmental Management for Ha Long Bay,
Socialist Republic of Vietnam", Final Report prepared by EVS Environment Consultants Ltd. in the framework of
the RETA 5522 project Coastal and Marine Environmental Management in the South China Sea, Asian
Development Bank, Manila, August 1996.
Joao, E and A. Fonseca .(1996). "The Role of GIS in improving Environmental Assessment Effectiveness: Theory
versus Practice", Impact Assessment, International Association for Impact Assessment, Volume 14, December
1996, pp. 371-385.
Le Thac Can. (1997). "The Development of EIA in Vietnam", in Environmental Policy and Management in
Vietnam, eds. Mercker H. & Vu Thi Hoang, ISBN 3-931227-39-1, Berlin, pp 101-118.
Ministry of Construction of Vietnam 1994, Brief description of Master Development Plan of Ha Long City for the
period 1994 2010, Hanoi.
National Institute for Research on Urban and Rural Planning (NIURP), Ministry of Construction (1994) "Master
Plan for Ha Long City 1994-2010", Hanoi, Vietnam.
Nguyen Dinh Duong. 1998, Database Establishment for Environmental Impact Assessment in Quang Ninh, in
Proceedings of the Second Workshop on EIA, organized in the framework of the Capacity Building for
Environmental Management in Vietnam" project (VNM/B7-6200/IB/96/05)Hanoi, 23 January 1998 (in press).
Nguyen Dinh Duong et al. 1998, Database Establishment for Strategic Environment Impact Assessment of
Master Development Plan in Ha Long City and Surrounding Area, Proceeding of the Third Workshop on EIA ,
organized in the framework of the Capacity Building for Environmental Management in Vietnam" project
(VNM/B7-6200/IB/96/05)Hanoi, 25 September 1998 (in press).
Nierynck, E. (1997). "Strategic Environmental Assessment" in Proceedings of the First Workshop on Training in
EIA, organized in the framework of the Capacity Building for Environmental Management in Vietnam" project
(VNM/B7-6200/IB/96/05), December 1997, Hanoi.
Nippon Koei Ltd. & Metacean Ltd. (1998). " The study on Environmental Management for Ha Long Bay", Interim
report, December 1998, Japan International Co-operation Agency and the Ministry of Science, Technology &
Environment and the Peoples Committee of Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam
Page 16 of 16
OECD/DAC Working Party on Development Assistance and Environment. (1997). "Strategic Environmental
Assessment (SEA) in Development Cooperation: State of the Art Review", Draft Final Report, March 1997, 77 pp.
Partidario, M. (1996). "Strategic Environmental Assessment: Key Issues Emerging from Recent Practice",
Environ. Impact Asses. Review, 1996; 16: pp. 31-55.
Pham Ngoc Dang, 1997, On Environment Impact Assessment of Transportation Development Project,
International Seminar on Environmental Impact Assessment 20-24 October 1997.
Sadler, B. (1996). "Environmental Assessment in a Changing World: evaluating practice to improve
performance", Final report, International Study of the Effectiveness of Environmental Assessment, Ministry of
Supply and Services Canada 1996, ISBN 0-662-24702-7, pp. 139-182.
Smit, b. and H. Spalding (1995). "Methods for Cumulative Effects Assessment", Environ. Impact Asses. Review,
1995; 15: pp. 81-106.
UNEP (1996). "Environmental Impact Assessment: Issues, Trends and Practice", preliminary Version, June 1996,
UNEP, Nairobi, 96p.
Vo Van Kiet, (1997). Decision No. 988-TTg of December 30, 1996 of the Prime Minister approving the Master
Plan for Socio-Economic Development of Quang Ninh Province in the 1996-2000 Period", Official Gazette No. 5
(15-3-1997), pp. 15-17.
World Bank (1999). "Draft Agenda for the Conference on Options for Sustainable Development in the Quang
Ninh and Hai Phong Coastal Area", April 6-8, 1999, Ha Long City and Ha Noi, World Bank.
World Bank (1995). "Implementing GIS for Environmental Assessment ", Source book update, Environmental
Department, the World Bank, April 1993, number 3.
World Bank (1993). "GIS for Environmental Assessment and Review", Source book update, Environmental
Department, the World Bank, January 1995, number 9.