The northern province of Quang Ninh has approved a Japanese-funded project on protection of the environment of the world heritage Ha Long Bay for the 2011-2013 period.

The project has a capital of over 70 billion VND (3.5 million USD) borne by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under its technical assistance scheme.

The project aims to preserve the site’s environment, enhance capacity for environmental and natural management for sustainable tourism development.

Besides, the project will work out measures for the effective use of mainland, sea and islands in the Ha Long area to strike a balance between environmental protection and development./.