Communities in Vietnam are restoring weakened mangrove ecosystems and employing more sustainable farming and harvesting methods to boost resilience to climate change-induced flooding and other coastal pressures.

Nature-based Intervention:

With the support of international NGO CARE, local communities created an integrated approach to manage forthcoming climate change risks. Primarily, Community-Based Mangrove Management Boards (CMMB) were created to advance the planning and implementation of mangrove restoration to strengthen biological coastal barriers. The development and maintenance of a mature mangrove ecosystem also allows for its sustainable harvesting by community members. Furthermore, local households identified various ways to bolster more sustainable livelihood models by replacing chemical fertilizer with bio-fertilizer made from leaves and dung, employing innovative ways to grow rice and maize, and establishing stable contracts with domestic buyers of chili. Moreover, the CMMB established a group to patrol the forest and manage the sustainable use of forest resources.

Overview of context and outcomes:

The coastal ecosystems of the Da Loc and Nga Thuy communes have faced continual degradation due to climate change and pressures to exploit mangrove forests for timber and seafood. Upstream river pollution and the application of chemical fertiliser to crops have degraded soil quality and water resources in the area. These challenges were compounded with the devastating impact of a typhoon in 2005 that destroyed shrimp farms, 500 hectares of crops, and 100 houses. Communities were able to learn from experiences in the nearby Thai Binh province that had piloted mangrove restoration efforts in the 1990s. In the seventeen years since the initial pilot in Thai Binh, $USD 8.88 million has been spent on restoration in several parts of the country.