Land crabs, Gecarcoidea lalandii, native to forest and tidal areas, are considered a tropic factor sustaining the food chain and food web in marine-mountain ecosystem/ecotone, and a valuable source of nutrition for tourism and livelihood development. Land crab populations are used as indicators for forest and marine ecosystems health and are considered a contributing factor to the sustainable development of Island communities. Cham Island, located in Quang Nam province in central coastal Vietnam is explored as a case study to examine the influence that socio-economic development and natural disasters can have on land crab populations and associated benefits for sustainable development.
Land Crab Management for Conservation and Tourism Development in UNESCO Cu Lao Cham
