Scaling up mangrove EbA in the Mekong Delta

State of implementation/results

• The project provided evidence base through 2 years piloting in Ca Mau province for MARD who using the project results, experiences and recommendations established a new Forestry Decree 156/2018/ND-CP, ‘Detailing the implementation of the Forestry Law‘ , was issued on 16/11/18 and became effective on 01/01/2019.
• The decree has now mainstreamed mangrove polyculture into a national level regulation to be implemented at the provincial level as an EbA strategy. The contents lay the foundation of a direct PES scheme for integrated mangrove aquaculture at a national level.
• The project expanded its impacts in Ca Mau province at Kien Vang Forest Management Board (3,000ha) and Ben Tre/Tra Vinh 2,000 ha).-- So far, 5617 farmers trained in sustainable methods of mangrove polyculture and prepared for organic certification of their production
• Currently, 70% of farmers participating in the project produce their shrimps according to organic standards
• Currently, 77 % of shrimps sold by farmers participating in the project certified according to organic standards
• Advisory services for 4 Forest Management Boards, 4 seafood export companies and hundreds of shrimp farmers on the implementation of pilot projects in Ca Mau province
• Study trip of 28 shrimp farmers from Tra Vinh and Ben Tre to the province Ca Mau to learn about mangrove protection and improved techniques of sustainable shrimp breeding in mangroves
• Workshops at provincial and regional level in Ca Mau on topics such as integrated coastal management, promotion of mangrove-friendly shrimp farming, payments for environmental services (PES) and organic certification
• Payments made by export company Minh Phu to 884 farmers for ecosystem services; average $47-$48 per household in 2017
• Recommendations of the project for the national PES policy in Vietnam (www.snv.org/…) and the new forestry law formulated
• Production of a demonstration video on practices to the productivity and income of sustainable shrimp farming(drive.google.com/…)
• Meeting of the Vietnam Forest Fund with project representatives and key leaders of Vietnamese forest protection, resulting in recommendations for the drafting of the government decree on forest law by UN Forest and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) (www.snv.org/…)
• Visit to Ca Mau by 17 high-ranking representatives from Myanmar to learn about the project model of sustainable mangrove use and restoration.
• Exchange of experience between authorities and selected farmers from Tra Vinh, Ben Tre and Ca Mau with an Indonesian project on mangrove cultivation
• Start of building up a model shrimp farm
• Start of a cooperation with the University of Can Tho to establish a monitoring system for sustainable aquaculture
• The project was presented on national and regional television as a successful model for sustainable shrimp production in mangroves in the Mekong Delta and coastal areas: Ca Mau TV: www.youtube.com/…;feature=youtu.be VTV9 (regional TV): youtu.be/… VTV2 (national TV): www.youtube.com/…;feature=youtu.be
• Award for the project leader SNV by the province Ca Mau for the efforts for a sustainable aquaculture in Ca Mau (www.snv.org/…)
• Close coordination of project activities with a large World Bank project on certified organic shrimps, approved in 2016, to maximise synergies

Latest Update:
03/2025