Indigenous Cultural Values Research Articles

Between a business and a social enterprise

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the function of an Indigenous commercial fishery at Norway House Cree Nation as a social enterprise, and to examine its potential to enhance community economic development.Design/methodology/approachThe research was conducted in three phases, and the outcome of each phase was used as an input for the next phase. In the first phase, questionnaire surveys were administered among commercial fishing households. In the second phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants, and in the third, with fisheries experts, food development experts and government officials.FindingsNorway House Fisherman’s Co-op functions as a social enterprise mainly because commercial fishers contribute to local food security by sharing fish, and the Co-op operates additional businesses which contribute to job creation and community economic development.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was carried out in only one community and commercial fishery from northern Manitoba, and the results will not be directly applicable elsewhere.Practical implicationsThis research provides recommendations for further development of commercial fisheries at Norway House: fuller use of existing fish resources, value-added economic development and creative use of regulatory options.Originality/valueThe Co-op is identified as the engine of community development. It functions well, but there are additional opportunities for development, such as reducing the discard of lower value fish, which is consistent with indigenous Cree cultural values of not wasting resources.

Cultural Globalization and Foreign Policy Strategies of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Case Study; the Seventh and the Ninth Governments)

Nowadays, cultural globalization is one of the most important aspects of expansion and deepening of capitalistic relations. This process exerts a great influence on all communities, especially non-Western societies, so that it has prompted them to adopt different approaches towards it. Thus, understanding the phenomenon of globalization for countries such as Iran that insists on their specificity (especially on their indigenous cultural values), to identify threats and crises which this phenomenon will be looking for them is of high importance. So, the main purpose of this research is to analyze how the seventh and the ninth governments of Islamic Republic of Iran dealt with the issue of globalization, particularly, its cultural aspect. Indeed, with realization of the differences between post-revolutionary Iranian state and most of existing ideologies in the world and also its geopolitics and strategic sensitive location in the region; all Iranian post-revolutionary governments adopted logical and rational policies in dealing with this worldwide wave. However, as regards the specific national, regional and international conditions, the seventh and the ninth governments were much more exposed to globalization and taking a clear stance. Research findings, according to the theory of ‘James N. Rosenau “Fragmegration” show that the seventh government, based on adopting political culturalism, sought for interaction and ‘convergence’ in the form of “dialogue between civilizations" as well as pacifism in addition to criticizing world’s dominant relations. Whereas, the ninth government adopting justice-oriented approach and political spirituality in the form of public participation and management in managing the world led to “divergence” of the existing global order considering realistic and power-based relations of international order.

Sexual agency, risk and vulnerability: a scoping review of young Indigenous Australians’ sexual health

ABSTRACTThis review of qualitative research examining young Indigenous Australians’ sexual health highlights the profoundly social nature of young people’s sexual lives. Nineteen peer reviewed published papers were identified for inclusion. Findings reveal efforts made by some young Indigenous Australians to control their sexual lives, mitigate risk and maintain their sexual health. The review identified factors which are conducive to sexual health risks and vulnerability, including incomplete knowledge about STIs and safer sexual practices; gossip and ridicule concerning sexual activity and its consequences; damaging expectations about male prerogatives with respect to sexual relationships; limited inter-generational communication about sexual health issues; inadequate school-based sexual health education; and tensions between Indigenous and biomedical explanations of sexual health issues. Future research priorities include a focus on young Indigenous people in cities and towns across Australia, and in regional and remote settings in New South Wales and Victoria; understanding how Indigenous cultural values support young people’s sexual health; young men’s sexual and service-based practices; and the experiences of same-sex attracted and gender diverse youth. This research would inform the design and delivery of culturally safe and acceptable sexual health services and programmes, underpinned by an understanding of factors in young Indigenous Australians’ everyday sexual lives.

“The river is us; the river is in our veins”: re-defining river restoration in three Indigenous communities

Indigenous communities are increasingly taking the lead in river restoration, using the process as an opportunity to re-engage deeply with their rivers, while revealing socio-cultural and political dimensions of restoration underreported in ecological and social science literatures. We engaged in collaborative research with representatives from three Indigenous nations in the United States, New Zealand, and Canada to explore the relationship between Indigenous ways of knowing and being (i.e., “Indigenous knowledges”) and their restoration efforts. Our research project asks the following: how are Indigenous knowledges enacted through river restoration and how do they affect outcomes? How do the experiences of these Indigenous communities broaden our understanding of the social dimensions of river restoration? Our research reveals how socio-cultural protocols and spiritual practices are intertwined with restoration methodologies, showing why cultural approaches to restoration matter. We found that in many cases, a changing political or legal context helps create space for assertion of Indigenous spiritual and cultural values, while the restoration efforts themselves have the potential to both repair community relationships with water and empower communities vis-a-vis the wider society. We show that restoration has the potential to not only restore ecosystem processes and services, but to repair and transform human relationships with rivers and create space politically for decolonizing river governance.

Content and cultural validity in the development of the Indigenous Play Partner Scale.

Culturally relevant assessments of Australian Indigenous children's social pretend play do not exist. This study investigated the content validity and cultural validity of the Indigenous Play Partner Scale (I-PPS). Six pairs of children (i.e. 12 children) aged four-six years from a remote Australian town were videoed playing in pairs, and 14 community elders and mothers participated across three focus groups. The social interactions between the children were transcribed from the videos. Nineteen verbs, grouped into five categories of social interaction, described the social interactions between the pairs of children. The descriptions of the social interaction verbs were presented to the community elders and mothers in a focus group. The themes from the focus groups were 'background of Indigenous understanding of play' and 'proposed social interaction verbs'. The first theme reflected community collaboration, children playing in multi-aged groups and the role of older children within the play. Guided by the focus group discussion, the videos were re-analysed and 20 social interaction verbs were described that reflected the cultural context of play. The content and cultural validity of the I-PPS was established through community consultation. Twenty social interaction verbs, which form the basis of the items of the I-PPS, reflected Indigenous cultural values of being non-judgemental of Indigenous children's social interactions during pretend play. Culturally relevant assessments for Australian Indigenous children do not disadvantage this population group and are essential for practice in occupational therapy.

Rockfish size and age: The crossroads of spatial protection, central place fisheries and indigenous rights

Indigenous people harvest wild species for food and cultural practice, fundamentally linking biodiversity conservation and indigenous rights. Rockfishes (Sebastes spp.) are culturally significant to indigenous people (or First Nations) of coastal British Columbia (BC), Canada, who regulate their harvest under traditional governance structures. First Nations elders, however, have observed a decline in the body sizes and abundance of rockfishes, which coincides with increased exploitation by non-indigenous fishers. Rockfishes are vulnerable to overexploitation because fecundity and offspring quality increase with maternal size or age, yet fisheries truncate size and age structure. During 2006, 2007 and 2013–2015, we worked with the Wuikinuxv, Nuxalk, Heiltsuk and Kitasoo/Xai’Xais First Nations of BC’s Central Coast, examining rockfish population characteristics at 282 of their fishing sites. We used hook-and-line gear to collect fishery independent data, and sampled landings from First Nations subsistence fishers. Spatial fishery closures served as experimental treatments. We also applied central place foraging theory to predict declines in size, age and abundance with increasing distance from recreational fishing lodges and other ports. Analyses used linear mixed models and controlled for environmental variables. Our results suggest that spatial closures for commercial and recreational fishers led to greater size and abundance of some, but not all rockfishes, possibly due to interspecific differences in the extent to which closures contain suitable habitat, effects of non-compliance, or other factors. Notably, Yelloweye Rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus), a species key to indigenous diets, were 21% larger inside than outside spatial closures. Possibly reflecting cumulative fishery exploitation, however, old-aged Yelloweye Rockfish were rare. Fishery impacts on size and relative abundance decreased at sites that required longer travel times and greater fuel costs for recreational fishers to exploit, but only for the longest-lived species (size responses) and for long-lived species analysed in aggregate (abundance responses). Measures for protecting indigenous access to rockfishes include evaluation of habitat suitability and compliance within spatial closures, improved understanding of recreational fishery impacts, and treating old-age and large size structures as explicit management objectives. Our study contributes to a global effort to integrate indigenous cultural values with biological conservation.

Cultural Interpretation toward Sustainability: A Case of Mount Kinabalu

The study looked at the role of cultural interpretation in sustainable tourism development. Using Mount Kinabalu as a case in point, it examined Kinabalu Park visitors’ (including Mount Kinabalu climbers) awareness of the indigenous cultural values of Mount Kinabalu. It also analyzed their level of satisfaction with the cultural interpretation of the mountain and their perceptions of cultural interpretation toward sustainability. Using convenience sampling, questionnaires were distributed to park visitors at several points at the park headquarters. Descriptive statistics were conducted to obtain frequencies, means and standard deviations. It was discovered that Kinabalu Park visitors did not have an in-depth knowledge of the cultural significance of Mount Kinabalu. They knew significantly more about the scientific aspects (i.e. geology, botany and zoology) of the mountain and the history of early Mount Kinabalu climbing. The cultural knowledge they had of the mountain was limited to the commonly interpreted theme of Mount Kinabalu sacredness. Despite the positive experience with the cultural interpretation presented by mountain or tour guides, visitors were dissatisfied with the overall cultural interpretation of Mount Kinabalu. They did not think the exhibit centers at the Kinabalu Park headquarters provided sufficient information on the indigenous cultural values of the mountain. They indicated that they would like to learn more about the cultural significance of Mount Kinabalu and agreed that there should be more information in that respect. Visitors agreed that the knowledge of the indigenous cultural values of Mount Kinabalu deepened their understanding of the mountain and increased their awareness of its physical environment which indirectly resulted in a desire to protect the park or the mountain. They also agreed that knowledge of the mountain's cultural significance made them appreciate the native non-material side of the mountain, enhanced their understanding of and respect for the indigenous cultural values and prompted them to behave respectfully. The present study proposed several recommendations that the park management can consider to ensure appropriate visitor interpretation.

Phylogeography, hotspots and conservation priorities: an example from the Top End of Australia

Australia's lizard fauna is among the most diverse in the world. Yet for the continent's vast northern Monsoonal Tropics, recent genomic and morphological evidence indicate that current taxonomy significantly underestimates actual biological diversity. Apparently widespread species typically contain ancient phylogenetic divisions or confounded taxonomic boundaries. Resolving the distributions and relationships across tropical species complexes reveals higher diversity than is recognised taxonomically and may warrant substantial taxonomic changes. For conservation assessments however, we need not wait for revised taxonomy, because phylogenetically informed analyses can use the best available data to inform conservation priorities now, independent of taxonomy.We present results of a large-scale conservation analysis based on comparative phylogeography of ten genera of lizards in two families (Gekkonidae and Scincidae) across the “Top End” of northern Australia, an ecologically and topographically diverse landscape recognised for its high biodiversity and indigenous cultural values. We combine the distributions and phylogeny of evolutionary lineages across multiple species complexes to estimate phylogenetic endemism, a measure of the extent to which evolutionary diversity is geographically concentrated. We demonstrate new methods for conservation assessment to incorporate phylogenetic diversity both within and across species, and for cases where taxonomy is uncertain or incomplete.We identify five hotspots of endemism, some previously known such as the Arnhem Plateau but others that are newly identified such as the Wessel & English Company Islands and the Darwin-Litchfield area. We find that, weighted by range size, the 28% of the region within protected areas holds 44% of the region's sampled phylogenetic diversity.

Self-Determination and the Right to Health: Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services

The Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector in Australia has been described as a best practice example of the implementation of the right to self-determination as enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. By prioritizing the expression of Indigenous cultural values within a predominantly western health sector, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services shift the dynamics of power to centre Aboriginal knowledges, understandings and perspectives. The effect, over time, has been to establish more equitable health services based on principles of self-determination, empowerment and coexistence. In this article, I examine more closely the role of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and the tensions that exist in embodying the principles of self-determination and the right to health at international law in the Australian health care context.

Participatory action research for rural and regional development

Participatory action research for rural and regional development

Stories in and outside DNA: Deborah Zoe Laufer’s Informed Consent

Stories in and outside DNA: Deborah Zoe Laufer’s Informed Consent Yuko Kurahashi (bio) IN THE SPRING OF 2014 I had an opportunity to attend a performance of Deborah Zoe Laufer’s Informed Consent at the New Ground Festival. Coproduced by Geva Theater Center in Rochester, New York, and Cleveland Play House, and directed by Sean Daniels, this ninety-minute play (without an intermission) captivated the audience with its fast-paced, seamless presentation.1 In August 2015 it was staged at Primary Stages in New York City with a revised script.2 Informed Consent (2014) takes the audience to the heart of an ethical controversy between Indigenous cultural values and modern scientific research conducted by scientists at Arizona State University in the 1990s that led to a suit against the school by the Havasupai tribe. In the play Laufer creates a fictional character, the scientist Jillian, who uses blood samples collected from the Havasupai in ways that clash with the tribe’s beliefs, rights, and dignity. When Laufer, a non–Native American playwright, read about the court case in the New York Times, she became interested in “the tidal changes that our growing understanding of the genome” would bring about. At the same time, Laufer recognized in the court case “new ethical dilemmas and questions” and “conflicts” between one’s knowledge and other people’s rights.3 I found the work extremely moving. I was impressed with the way the director presented, with scenery and lighting, the history of the Havasupai who became, without their consent, the object of genetic research that violated their tribal beliefs. Although the work explores contemporary DNA research and the tribal traditions and beliefs that were ignored, I was touched by another thread of the play, the researcher Jillian’s efforts to do the “right” thing for her family even at the cost of violating the law and medical and scientific ethics. Informed Consent also underscores the importance of our stories and their importance even in scientific investigation. In this article I will provide a historical context for the play to assess the value and importance of Informed Consent as artistic and cultural material that questions issues of ethics in genomic research and the cultural identity of Indigenous communities. [End Page 116] Arizona State University’s Genetic Research Project Arizona State University’s genome research on the Havasupai tribe members could be considered as part of the study of “Native American DNA,” in which anthropologists and scientists beginning in the 1960s sought to apply “new biochemical techniques” to understand “ancient human migrations and the biological and cultural relationships” of native populations.4 For example, the Human Genome Diversity Project launched by scientists at Stanford University in collaboration with other global institutions sought to record the genetic profiles of Indigenous populations and “build up a picture of how different human populations are related to each other.”5 However, this project’s “large-scale collection of the blood of Native peoples” and the “standard procedures for the procurement and disposition of blood samples from indigenous peoples”6 came under scrutiny. The real-life case Laufer alludes to in Informed Consent is a project run by geneticists at Arizona State University. The goal of this project was supposed to be different from that of the Human Genome Diversity Project. In the early 1990s members of a tribe called the Havasupai, who live in the Grand Canyon area of Arizona, gave blood samples to geneticists at ASU with the hope of providing genetic clues to the tribe’s devastating rate of diabetes. The project was led by Therese Markow, who ran a series of tests on the blood which was collected, with the help of her then colleague, the social anthropologist John Martin. Because the tribe trusted Martin, who had built a strong relationship with the tribe for more than forty years, they willingly gave their blood samples.7 The problem became clear when the tribe learned that without their knowledge or consent the blood samples had been used for other DNA-based studies, including studies of population inbreeding, schizophrenia, and ethnic migration, all of which are “highly charged topics that are taboo in the Havasupai culture.”8 In...

The Role of Media in Promoting Indigenous Cultural Values: Critical Discourse Analysis

The objective of this study was to investigate the role of media in promoting indigenous cultural values in Ethiopia. The current global communication system affects the thought and practice of the people in the multi-verse. Since the global media is occupied by the developed nations, developing countries, such as Ethiopia, are forced to see themselves and each other through the developed countries’ views. Data were collected from different 26 television and radio programs, e-discourse 213 mobile texts, 145 face-book posts, and blogs, 97 posts on public displays like School and University Walls, Bajaj and Taxi posts. The result of the study showed that the indigenous cultures are associated with backwardness and the Western cultures are considered modern. Global discourse is making it easier for the Western culture to wash away aboriginal and local cultures which are precious for the multicultural communities in Ethiopia. There are many global cultures such as “Valantine Day” “Thanks Giving Day” “April the Fool” that invade our people. The media is playing a key role in this regard. Local cultural values which the Ethiopian people have long been preserving couldn’t survive the pressure paused on them because of modern technology mediated global discourses which dominated the global information space. Although the educated society of the country could assume the position to raise the awareness of the people to value our aged assets, they themselves have become victims. Hence, the responsible citizens of the country need to write, speak and revitalize the threats that is paused to our precious cultural values by outside intruders of global discourse. Keywords : media, global discourse, indigenous cultures

The Influence Of Cultural Diversity On Marketing Communication: A Case Of Africans And Indians In Durban, South Africa

This paper investigates the cultural diversity between Africans and Indians in Durban, South Africa, based on marketing communication. While cross-cultural marketing research has been concentrated on Western and Eastern societies, there is a lack of such research in Africa. The study examines the cultural values of Africans and Indians based on the individualism-collectivism cultural dimension, adapted to account for marketing communication-specific cultural values (MCSCV). The study was a quantitative study which used judgmental sampling technique to recruit subjects and analysed data using the t-test. Surveys were completed by 283 African and 92 Indian respondents at the main shopping malls in two of Durban’s renowned African and Indian townships viz. Umlazi and Chatsworth, respectively. The findings of the study revealed that Indian respondents showed more individualistic tendencies toward marketing communication, as compared to their African counterparts. The study highlights that target markets’ indigenous cultural values may not necessarily serve as predictors for market segmentation. The study further shows that directing stereotypical marketing communication strategies toward culturally homogeneous markets based on indigenous cultural dispositions, without investigating the compatibility of both cultural contexts, can be deleterious. The paper builds on current thinking in cross-cultural marketing literature and develops an orientation of MCSCV.

Estimating indigenous cultural values of freshwater: A choice experiment approach to Māori values in New Zealand

Indigenous cultural values of freshwater resources are important in many communities, however, they are not always included in non-market valuations. While measuring cultural values can be challenging, the omission could lead to incomplete information for policy implications. This paper reports results of a choice experiment study which included a Māori cultural attribute. This attribute was considered alongside economic, recreational and environmental attributes of freshwater, all of which are impacted by the changing land-use in Canterbury, New Zealand. The results show positive willingness-to-pay for all attributes where change from poor to excellent habitat quality ($123/year) was valued highest. The cultural attribute, specifically, was valued in mid-range between economic, recreational and environmental attributes. Estimated willingness-to-pay were $40/year by Māori, and $28/year by the general public, to enhance Māori cultural attributes, where Māori willingness-to-pay is indicative only due to a small number of respondents. Importantly, this demonstrates support for the management outcome for cultural attributes, which is valued not only by those who directly participate in this use. This suggests that non-market valuation practitioners should be aware of indigenous cultural values, the omission of which could have impacts on welfare estimates and subsequent decision making.

Mainstreaming ecosystem services into policy and decision-making: lessons from New Zealand’s journey

Since 2012 there has been an upsurge in New Zealand’s interest in how ecosystem service (ES) concepts can be used to assist decision-making. This paper outlines the progress New Zealand has made in integrating the ES concept into decision-making at government and business levels and provides insights into the challenges encountered. The observations and insights outlined in this paper are based on the interaction of the authors with the various actors in these dialogues and from their involvement in initiatives being undertaken by government and business. The key challenges discussed cover knowledge, indicators, indigenous cultural values, language and communication and decision-making. The paper also provides evidence to support or counter some of the ES critiques. While challenges exist with integrating ESs into decision-making, evidence to date suggests the approach is compelling and provides a structured, transparent and neutral mechanism to manage natural resources.

Representation of Butchulla cultural heritage values in communication of K'gari (Fraser Island) as a tourism destination

K'gari is a popular international tourism destination, having gained World Heritage (WH) status for its natural values. In spite of the local indigenous population, the Butchulla, having clear aspirations for its management, indigenous cultural heritage values have yet to be recognised in the listing. This project examined the degree to which indigenous values are visible in the promotion of K'gari as a tourism destination, through content and image analysis. The study found a lack of representation of indigenous culture in tourism marketing material. This acts to marginalise indigenous values and misses the opportunity to share a rich history, makes indigenous perspectives visible for visitors and provides a different perspective to the values for which WH status is nominated. The research provides recommendations about promoting indigenous cultural values in tourism and a future review of K'gari's WH status, as well as recommendations for further research.

Operationalising the ecosystem services approach in water planning: a case study of indigenous cultural values from the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia

Cultural ecosystem services (ES) are particularly challenging to value as well as to subsequently incorporate in scientific assessments and environmental management actions and programmes. In this paper, we apply a cultural ES typology to an Australian water resources case at a location of major indigenous cultural significance, the Brewarrina Aboriginal fish traps, and consider the potential implications for water planning. Data from qualitative interviews with indigenous custodians demonstrates diverse cultural values and associated benefits with respect to the fish traps themselves and to their connectivity with another key water site, an upstream lagoon. Supported by additional analyses of water planning legislation, flow requirements, and non-indigenous tourist values, we analyse the applicability of the typology and the implications for water planning. Key issues include: the distinction between values and benefits; whose values and which cultural ES benefits are identified and managed; the challenges of categorising indigenous aspirations within cultural ES frameworks; and the implications for water planning of indigenous perspectives on connectivity. Case studies of culturally specific minorities are useful for testing cultural ES frameworks because they posit conceptual and categorisation challenges. In addition, ‘culture’ is often of strategic and symbolic value for such minorities, representing the key means by which they gain access to, and traction within, natural resource planning and prioritisation processes.

Procedural Vulnerability and Institutional Capacity Deficits in Post-Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction: Insights from Wutai Rukai Experiences of Typhoon Morakot

Post-disaster reconstruction relies on, and is shaped by, the good intentions of states, non-governmental organizations, and donors. These intentions, however, are inescapably framed by historical circumstances and cultural values. Consequently, post-disaster interventions can reinforce patterns of prejudice, injustice, and disadvantage that were entrenched in pre-disaster settings. Focusing on the experiences of Indigenous Rukai communities in southern Taiwan during recovery and reconstruction following Typhoon Morakot in 2009, this article explores the challenges faced in addressing Indigenous-specific concerns in post-disaster reconstruction and community development. We argue that institutional capacity (and capacity deficits) and the procedural vulnerability created in post-disaster responses are components of the risk landscape which require greater attention to diverse cultural values, protocols, and experiences in fostering resilient and inclusive disaster recovery approaches. In Taiwan, the particular complexities of Indigenous geographies, colonial and postcolonial circumstances, and contemporary political dynamics make developing approaches that are respectful of Indigenous cultural values, social aspirations, and political processes not only more difficult but also more important in shaping post-disaster community at multiple scales. Attentiveness to these values, aspirations, and processes generates opportunities for decreasing vulnerability to the extraordinary and the everyday disasters that communities confront.

KERUGIAN NILAI BUDAYA ADAT SUKU ANAK DALAM PEMBANGUNAN PERKEBUNAN KELAPA SAWIT DI JAMBI

Palm oil development in Jambi cause problems of society. This study was to estimate the economic loss of indigenous cultural communities palm oil development area. Economic concepts need to take into account cultural values consisting of value to direct and indirect use values which become elements of the construction costs. Direct use value from the perspective of the user community was estimated using TCM. Indirect use value is estimated using techniques CVM. The results obtained by the loss of indigenous cultural values of Rp4.517,4 million - Rp17.107,4 million. Area of research offers benefits to tourists and potential to become an eco-tourism destination nationally advanced culture to international efforts if it were made innovative improvements. This cultural value estimated using the lowest number based on population in Jambi Province alone, and do not take into account the population of other provinces in Indonesia as well as the population in the world. Increased public awareness of the importance of cultural and environmental preservation, cultural and environmental value benefits can go beyond the boundaries of a country.

VÙNG CỬA SÔNG Ở HẢI PHÒNG - TÀI NGUYÊN VỊ THẾ VÀ TIỀM NĂNG PHÁT TRIỂN

The estuarine areas (EAs) in Hai Phong have great potential for the soci-economic development of this city. Regarding the geo-natural resources, EAs are the focal location of the waterway systems; transition zone between mainland and sea; hinge between the Northeast coastal zones and Red River Delta; and the gateway to Northern Vietnam from South China. They are classic delta and estuary having, semi-closed structure, with stably large and deep river mouths, and extensive intertidal zones. EAs have the long lasting natural evolution and locate in the coastal tropical monsoon zone, where the natural conditions are rather stable and the natural disasters are not too harsh. This is also the region with other natural resource abundance; and especially the regimes of diurnal tide in large range typically bring huge benefits of economy and environment. With respect to the geo - economic resources, EAs are valuable sea wand gate in coastal Northern Vietnam and have the role in linking Hai Phong city with capital Ha Noi. These are the central area of the economic space in coastal zone of Northern Vietnam and are the centre of the economics system with two corridors (Hai Phong - Ha Noi - Nanning and Hai Phong - Ha Noi - Kunming)- one economic belt (Gulf of Tonkin) in the development process of international integration. In particular, they are favorable localities to prioritize development of marine economic sectors and key marine economic zone. Concerning the geo - politic resources, EAs are the development space of residential areas and coastal urbanization, the convergence of many factors that contribute to ensuring national security, support for national sovereignty and interests on the sea. This is also the place where the values of ​​unique indigenous culture are developed and preserved.