Dua reef
Dua Reef is one of the largest coral reefs in coastal Tam Hai commune, Nui Thanh district, just 100km from Da Nang city. It is one of two coral reefs in the south of Quang Nam province. The biggest coral reef in Quang Nam province is around Cu Lao Cham Island, an area selected as one of the 15 national Marine Protected Areas.
With the total area of 8000m2, Dua Reef is located at An Hoa cape and consists of hard coral covering 20-35 per cent of the area. An Hoa cape is located near the centre of the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone - where a sea port, an industrial park featuring steel and mineral processing plants, garment manufacturing and business centres are being built. The zone is having a great impact on the local ecosystem and marine environment.
The protected area
The Dua Reef Locally-Managed Marine Protected Area (LMMPA) was established in 2006 with the support of Quang Nam Provincial Department of Fisheries and the Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD).The local people of Tam Hai commune are participating in its management and the protection of its coral reefs and marine resources. The area has diverse marine fauna and flora with 225 fish species belonging to 96 breeds and 35 groups.
The establishment of the protected area was based on experiences from the Trao Reef Marine Reserve in Khanh Hoa province.
Tam Hai commune
Located along the southern coast of Quang Nam province, Tam Hai commune is 1.561ha and has a population of more than 7850 people. Ninety per cent of the Tam Hai community work in fishing and aquaculture and rely heavily on coral reef resources for their livelihoods.
There are 140 tiger prawn juvenile nursery farms in the commune with the annual capacity of 5-10 million posts per farm, supplying the entire province and domestic markets. In the past, fishing in Tam Hai and neighbouring communes boomed. Lobster catching was popular and destructive fishing methods, including dynamite and arsenic fishing, were used extensively. These methods and over-fishing have seriously reduced the marine resources and degraded the coral reef area, affecting the lives and livelihoods of the local people.
There is an urgent need to support the Tam Hai community in establishing strong management of the Dua Reef LMMPA, in finding alternative sustainable livelihoods as well as recovering and protecting the marine environment and its resources.