Community-based mangrove reforestation and management project

  • Vietnam

ENTRY DATE: 09.03.2012 | LAST UPDATE: 09.03.2012

SCALE:

  • Sub-national Level

TARGET AREA:

  • Rural

BEST PRACTICE IN:

  • Governance
  • Project Implementation

KEY SECTOR:

  • Coastal Zone Management

FUNDING AMOUNT:

  • USD 100,001 - USD 500,000

Description of Intervention

• Set up of a Community-Based Mangrove Management Board through democratic election in each village;
• Plant and maintain manually 200 ha of mangrove forest;
• Build a canal to provide freshwater for fields destroyed by saline water; and
• Pilot alternative incomes, such as raising pigs and farming oysters.

Problems to be Addressed

• In 2005, Typhoon Damrey hit the coast of Vietnam and severly damaged Da Loc commune. All the dykes broke in the heavy waves of the typhoon except for the 500 meters of dyke behind a mangrove forest that had remained untouched. Moreover, the fields flooded with seawater have become less fertile.
• Apart from the typhoon experience, Vietnam is projected to be affected by a sea-level rising, another impact of climate change.

Aims

Reduce the effects of climate change on coastal communes through mangrove reforestation and management.

Objectives

Assist Da Loc commune in the replanting of mangrove trees and maintaining the mangrove forests

How it fits into the EbA concept

The project promoted the restoration and sustainable management of mangrove forests to protect vulnerable communities from the physical and economic impacts of disasters.

The mangrove reforestation and management provided the villagers with enabling services for increasing their resilience to climate change impacts. These include:
• Protection of the village and the dykes from typhoons;
• Enhancement of the availability of natural resources important for their livelihood gains (e.g., fish and oysters);
• Reduction of coastal pollution; and
• Timber and construction materials for the villages.

The project enabled the villagers to enhance their knowledge base on different kinds of mangrove trees and practical skills in planting them.
The project intended to restore the ecosystem of the saline fields affected by saltwater flooding by constructing a canal and flushing freshwater through the fields.

Relevant Publications

» 2 CARE Vietnam films: Ethnic Minorities Tackle Climate Change: http://www.careclimatechange.org/videos/vietnam
» Ecosystems and Livelihoods Adaptation Network (ELAN). Case Studies: Community-based Mangrove Reforestation and Management in Da Loc, Vietnam
» Mangroves to protect from climate change: http://www.careclimatechange.org/files/adaptation/Vietnam_Mangroves_Thanh_Hoa.pdf)
» Project evaluation summary: http://www.care.org.au/document.doc?id=421