MANGROVE PLANTATION AND ADAPTIVE LIVELIHOODS TO IMPROVE CLIMATE RESILIENCE FOR VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES IN THE MEKONG DELTA

Funded by Bread for the World (Bftw), the project "Mangrove and climate protection combined with income generation for vulnerable communities (VM069)" is implemented by the SRD in Mui Ca Mau National Park and Tam Giang Protection Management Board of Ca Mau province. The proposed objectives include to strengthen biodiversity protection and mangrove forest development contributing to promote carbon sequestration, to enhance climate resilience, and to ensure sustainable livelihoods as well as social inclusion for vulnerable communities in the Mekong Delta since 2021.

To achieve such goals, in the third quarter of 2023, SRD has coordinated with local partners to organize mangrove planting activities, along with strengthening the compliance of forest management policies and the application of adaptive livelihood models in the project area.

Technical instruction and mangrove plantation support for the locals

SRD, in collaboration with Ca Mau Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Provincial Forest Protection Department and Tam Giang Protection Forest Management Board (PMB), has organized a training course on mangrove planting and fostering techniques for multiple households in Tam Giang Dong commune. At the training course, experts and local officials instructed afforestation technique using tall-stilt mangrove (a mangrove species suitable for local conditions), all from the preparation stage for planting site to seedling selection, along with other planting and fostering techniques. In addition, experts and local officials also raised people’s awareness of their responsibility in forest protection management, as well as the importance of women participation, and mangrove allotment policies.

The locals & representatives of the Department of Agriculture & PMB, experts discussed the deployment of afforestation & forest protection

The training course provides its participants with various understandings to aid their capability of applying mangrove planting and fostering techniques within their habitat, along with other knowledge on mangrove restoration and climate change mitigation activities.

The locals received technical instructions and support for the locals mangrove plantation

As soon as the training was finished, within the support of the project, the local people and officials have taken part in planting 05 ha of protective mangroves in the assigned area of Tam Giang PMB. The newly planted area was handed over to households for further monitoring and fostering in the coming time.

Mangrove forest area after planting and fostering

In the future, such mangrove area is considered to be a significant contributor in maintaining a balanced ecosystem, preserving biodiversity, preventing waves and winds, protecting and limiting erosion in coastal area, hence protecting people's livelihoods and utmostly enhancing forest carbon reserves towards climate change mitigation.

Deploying a two-stage shrimp model to better the locals’ climate change adaptability

Shrimp-forest farming livelihoods have substantially improved to the earnings of people whose lives depend on mangroves in Mui Ca Mau National Park and Tam Giang PMB. However, in the face of the increasing impacts of climate change, diseases in farmed shrimp continue to thrive. Indeed, the environment in shrimp farming areas struggles to be under control; the fluctuation of input material prices and output products, along with improper application of technical processes, has resulted in certain consequences in production activities and livelihoods of local people. After the deployment period in Mui Ca Mau National Park, the two-stage shrimp model has shown remarkable efficiency.

After households applying the instructed knowledge and techniques of the project into their production process, the progress in farmed shrimp productivity is visible. Taking households in Con Mui hamlet, Dat Mui commune as an example, after their application of water resource management, using periodic microbiology, tracking shrimp hatching timeline, etc., the productivity has a yield of about 300-500 kg/ha/year, which generates a stable income at 21 million/ha, hence assisting climate change mitigation. Such results have posed the fact that once the technical processes are applied properly, two-stage shrimp farming method can promise a quite high outcome, since its characteristics are in accordance with the natural conditions in the project area.

Representatives of households in Tam Giang Dong visited and exchanged experiences upon the two-stage shrimp model in Dat Mui commune

Following the mentioned results, SRD, cooperated with the Ca Mau Women's Union and local partners, has deployed the two-stage shrimp model for households at Tam Giang PMB in the past August and September. In advance of the deployment, participants visited the practical shrimp nursery tank at Mui Ca Mau National Park, then discussed with households in Con Mui hamlet about their experience in applying such shrimp farming method.

Accordingly, SRD, in collaboration with the Provincial Women's Union and Tam Giang PMB organized on-site training courses on two-stage shrimp farming techniques in Vinh Hoa hamlet, Tam Giang Dong commune, Nam Can district, Ca Mau province; each course consisted of 20-25 households participating with fully supported materials and tools for each lesson.

The locals participating in theoretical training before practical deployment

During these courses, participants were provided with multiple lessons upon designing and making shrimp nursery tank, as well as how to hatch shrimp on a nursery tank; techniques of renovating farming area, breeding and stocking; monitoring and managing the aquatic environment; instructions for using certain types of supplies; and prevention of diseases on shrimp.

Within the framework of these on-site lessons, the project also supported 01 floating nursery tank and full equipment to operate it, the scale of which is about 100 m³. The tank was handed over to the shrimp interest group to monitor and operate the hatching process, as well as the deployment of two-stage method in the commune.

Deploying the construction of a two-stage shrimp nursery tank

20 households voluntarily registering to participate were characterized by difficult living standard, and were also nominated by team members to receive support from the project on breeder, lime, biological products and other breeding materials to aid their application process of the two-stage shrimp farming model in their households. Currently, these tanks have entered hatching period and are going towards square preparation and will continue to raise shrimp within their household in the coming time.

Periodic inspection of breeder shrimp during hatchery

The objectives of supporting two-phase shrimp farming in the project area include income improvement, life stabilization and mangrove ecosystems preservation, all of which contributes to enhance the resilience ability of vulnerable communities towards climate change impacts. The prime participation of the locals is maximized since they are included in the whole monitoring, evaluating results and feedback process along with the support of multiple related stakeholders, which is a vital contributor to the sustainability of the projected solution. During the implementation, the advice and support from local authorities such as the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Forest Protection Department, and the Provincial Women's Union play a crucial part in assuring its suitability in accordance with the people's needs, as well as its integration into local socio-economic development plans.