Multi-Stakeholder Coordination in Environmental Management at the Marble Mountains Scenic Area, Da Nang City, Vietnam

Abstract

This study delves into the coordination among stakeholders in environmental management at the Marble Mountains (Vietnam)—a heritage site facing intense pressure from urbanization and tourism development. The research clearly identifies a disconnect between the awareness and actions of tourists and local communities and establishes an organic link between livelihood issues and the conservation responsibilities of travel businesses. Notably, the study points out that the current coordination mechanism remains largely formal. Current environmental protection efforts primarily operate according to a hierarchical administrative structure between the heritage site management board, local authorities, and relevant departments. This approach reveals gaps such as: overlapping and fragmented responsibilities leading to a situation where responses to environmental incidents are either shirked or only handled locally and piecemeal; The voices of the community and households involved in the stone carving craft village are still not being given due importance; they are placed in the position of being managed rather than being co-managers with vested interests in the heritage. Coordination agreements are often merely symbolic, lacking sufficiently strong sanctions to bind the parties to legal responsibility. Based on this, the study proposes a model of “Shared responsibility–Linked benefits”. This represents a groundbreaking shift in thinking from unilateral administrative management to a multi-stakeholder coordination mechanism, aiming to transform environmental management from an imposed obligation into an inherent benefit, creating momentum for the sustainable development of the Scenic Area.