Population density and growth combined with illegal logging, wartime defoliation and over-exploitation of natural resources, have put severe pressure on Vietnam’s natural environment. Forest coverage decreased from about 40% in 1965 to 25% in the mid-1990s. In particular, the rapid decline of Vietnam’s mangrove forests has had a serious impact on the productivity of coastal fisheries and the rural economy of the Southern Mekong Delta. Mangrove forests act as breeding grounds for aquatic organisms, a cleansing system for sediments and nutrients in estuaries, and provide buffer zones against typhoons and floods. However, low environmental awareness coupled with limited resources and entrenched poverty prevented provincial authorities from adequately protecting coastal wetlands in the past.
- The project adopted a comprehensive, long-term approach to the protection of coastal wetlands in four Mekong provinces: Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang and Tra Vinh. In addition to planting trees to fight erosion, the project sought to tackle some of the causes of environmental degradation.
- The project established a full protection zone (FPZ) along the coast and relocated households out of the FPZ which is vulnerable to typhoons to a buffer zone protected by dikes. It tried to improve incomes in adjoining communities to reduce destructive practices through a combination of resettlement activities, extension services, vocational training, credit and social support.
- The project also introduced policy and contractual measures that give local communities incentives to protect the coast’s growing mudflats and biodiversity.
Pressure on coastal mangrove ecosystems has been reduced, erosion has declined and livelihoods have improved for coastal communities.
- 4,662 ha of mangrove planted in full protection zone; 983 ha in buffer zone. Combined with other forestry activities implemented by the government of Vietnam in the project area, more than 95% of barren areas in the full protected zones have now been reforested.
- In Ca Mau province, area of erosion decreased by 40% between 2000 and 2007; accretion area increased by 20%.
- 2.3 million scattered trees also planted.
- 1,452 poor households were relocated to new settlements, with schools, clinics, roads, electricity and new homes, improving their living standards and their social and economic opportunities two years after resettlement. The reported poverty rate among interviewed resettled households has gone from 22% prior to moving to 12% in 2007.
- Training, demonstration farm models and micro-credit helped bolster livelihoods and expand opportunities. Formerly landless households received well-built houses and secure tenure. 7,627 “red books” were issued to households in the buffer zones under the project. In Soc Trang province, all resettled households received productive land in addition to houses.
- Some investments (school rooms, musical instruments, etc) targeted poor Khmer minorities, enhancing their social and cultural lives.
- Biodiversity appears to be recovering from past disturbances with aquatic resources such as sea crabs and blood clams reappearing and increasing.
- Protection and maintenance contracts in place in all forested areas (34,395 ha under contract with smallholders supported by the project and around 100,000 ha with State-owned Forestry Enterprises supported by Government Program 661). Forest law violations along 470 km of shoreline considerably reduced from 1,757 violations in 2002 to 318 cases in 2006.
- Forestry staff gained experience in planting mangroves in challenging environments (outside protective dikes and off-shore), requiring advanced planting techniques and taller trees.
- $31.8 mln IDA credit. Denmark’s aid agency DANIDA provided a $7.3 mln grant for technical assistance.
- The initial design of the project was overly complex - it relied too heavily on technical assistance and resulted in delays. With less than 10% of funds disbursed in the first three years (2000-2003), the project was restructured in 2004 to achieve its development goals in a changed context. DANIDA’s technical assistance was reduced from $11.3mln initially to $7.3 mln. Training and poverty reduction activities were refocused to reach the poorest households and communes.
- After restructuring, the project was also more effectively decentralized. This contributed to project success and increased the capacity of provincial authorities.
- Local authorities are committed to continuing training and social activities for resettled households to help them beyond the project’s closure.
- In areas where land accretion has occurred thanks to mangrove plantings, the next step is to consolidate land gains with new dykes and plant new lines of buffer trees to continue the process.
- Experience gained in planting trees in challenging environments should be especially valuable at a time when climate change puts coastal communities at greater risk of natural catastrophes.
RSS