ZONATION OF CAT BA BIOSPHERE RESERVE
Core area (8,500 ha)
The core zone is the area dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity, ecosystem monitoring, enabling research, education activities which are implemented without affecting the biodiversity of the area. The main task of the core zone is to conserve natural ecosystems that are relatively intact, preserving the genetic resources of rare flora and fauna, endemic species of the Biosphere Reserve. Biosphere Reserve Cat Ba has two core zones, the Southeast Core (6,900 ha, including 5,300 ha land/island, 1,600 hectares of marine surface) and Northwest Core (1,600 ha, including 1,200 ha land/islands and 400 ha marine section).
Buffer Zone (7,741 ha)
Contribute to limit human activities to assist biodiversity conservation in the core zone. The main task is to restore forest ecosystems, study structures required for conservation, education and training, linked with ecotourism services. Economic development, appropriate exploitation of natural resources, development of ecotourism, research, education, training … can be deployed. Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve has two buffer zones, the Central Buffer zone (Viet Hai Commune, 141ha) located between Southeast Core area and the adjoining Buffer zone (7,500ha, including 4,800 ha of land/island and 2,700 ha of marine area).
The transition area (10,000 ha)
Area of local communities, encouraging to develop the appropriate economic development forms that meet requirements of sustainable development, increase the income of farmers. Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve has two Transition Zone, the North Transition Zone (Gia Luan, 1,300 ha, including 1,100 ha land/island and 300 hectares of sea component) and the South Transition Zone (8,700 hectares, of which 4,500 hectares are land/island, 4,200 hectares of sea surface).