Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu’s tourist site goes carbon neutral

Suối Rao Ecolodge is recognised as a net zero station. VNA Photo

BÀ RỊA - VŨNG TÀU – Suối Rao Ecolodge in Suối Rao commune, Châu Đức district has become the first tourist destination in the southern province of Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu to obtain the net zero station certificate from the Institute of Applied Research and Innovation in Enterprises (IARIE).

The tourist site, a pioneer in carbon neutrality, has adopted various measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions like planting trees, managing forests and improving soil quality to enhance carbon storage capacity.

According to the IARIE, Suối Rao Ecolodge is able to capture around 260 tonnes of carbon, and emits 19 tonnes of the gas a year.

Lê Thị Nga, investor of the tourism site, said Suối Rao Ecolodge has affirmed its strong commitment to preserving, and promoting biodiversity, with more than 95 per cent of its area covered with trees, adding due attention has been paid to the protection of primeval and secondary forests, environmental surveillance, and improvement of public awareness of environmental protection.

Once a barren land cultivated with corn and cassava crops, Suối Rao Ecolodge has been planted with some 700 species of trees, and home to around 300 types of medicinal herbs, and various kinds of birds. It is striving to grow and maintain 1,000 species of domestic fauna and flora by 2025.

Suối Rao Ecolodge gains the carbon neutrality certificate is significant to build a green, circular and sustainable economy, while helping improve the living quality of the tourism workforce, as well as better visitors’ green tourism experience.

Receiving a maximum of 50 visitors at a time, Suối Rao Ecolodge offers a space of tranquility as well as local standout cultural traits to its guests.

According to Director of the provincial Department of Tourism Trịnh Hằng, the locality eyes to branch out its ecotourism towards carbon neutrality under the tourism development strategy by 2030 with a vision to 2050. He hopes that Suối Rao Ecolodge will promote its ecotourism model, and form a set of green tourism criteria to encourage a green lifestyle. - VNA/VNS