THE ACTIVITY OF THE PROJECT “Mangrove and climate protection combine with income generation for vulnerable communities – VM069”

The project “Mangrove and climate protection combine with income generation for vulnerable communities – VM069 has been implemented for 3 years starting from April 2021, in Dat Mui commune in the area of ​​Mui Ca Mau National Park and Tam Giang Dong commune under Tam Giang Protection Forest Management Board. The goal of the project is to increase the carbon accumulation of mangroves through efforts of forest conservation and development, livelihood improvement for poor and vulnerable communities living in mangroves, without compromising the protection of the environment and mangroves, to integrate into national and provincial policies regarding climatic protections in the mangroves-a unique but vulnerable ecosystem.

Within the framework of the project in the last May and June, the Center for Sustainable Rural Development organized the following activities: 

1. Investigation into carbon reserves of mangroves:

The Center for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD) in collaboration with Mui Ca Mau National Park and Tam Giang Protection Forest Management Board launched an investigation of forest carbon stocks on mangrove areas in Mui Ca Mau National Park and Tam Giang Protection Forest Management Board. 

Using standard plots and calculating the classes of forest age, diameters, and heights of trees in standard plots in fixed areas. These data will be processed by remote sensing software and inherit equations to convert from forest state data to carbon reserves and biomass.

2. Carried out an assessment of socio-economic status and livelihoods, society, and gender equality:

To achieve the project's goals on livelihoods, the SRD research team has also gathered the people's current socio-economic status and livelihoods in the project area as a premise for developing a sustainable and effective livelihood model through a Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), interview questionnaire, group discussion.

Nearly 400 households that have and do not have land for production were examined in the project area. 

3. VILLAGE FORESTRY SELF-MANAGEMENT GROUPS (VFSMG)

Village Forestry Self-Management Groups (VFSMG) were established in each hamlet, each sub-zone within the framework of the project through the coordination between the SRD Center and project partners in Ca Mau province.

The project team has supported the establishment of 6 VFSMG groups at Tam Giang PFMB, with the number of members from 24-28 members/group, each group has a group management board, specifying functions and tasks of the group and the plan to coordinate with the local forestry management agencies. 

After being put into operation, the forestry self-management team will support the NP and the PFMB in patrolling, protecting forests, developing forests, and preventing forest fires. The participation of groups in forest monitoring and forest management is essential.

In addition to patrolling and monitoring forest developments, VFSMG groups in hamlets and sub-zones also participate in propaganda, getting people's opinions, contribute ideas, and advising the People's Committees of communes, PFMB, National Park on forest protection and development, forest fire prevention and fighting yearly. 

For excellent performance, the project will provide some equipment and tools to each team in the coming time, and at the same time provide training on how to use those devices as well as prepare the plan and the use of technology in forest protection. Thus, the self-governing groups can take the initiative to implement measures of forest protection and forest fires prevention at any time. 

4. FARMER INTEREST GROUP (FG)

During the last days of June, the Ca Mau Women's Union cooperated with the SRD Center to establish 4 Farmer Interest Groups (FG) in the area of ​​Dat Mui commune and Mui Ca Mau National Park. The establishment of interest groups is a way to encourage the active participation of farmers in implementing models and project activities as well as enhancing their voice in making decisions on farming, aquaculture, and agroforestry activities to adapt, increase adaptability, withstand and recover due to climate change and meet the needs of the people. Members of interest groups will also accompany the project in the implementation of sustainable aquaculture activities under the forest canopy, effective management and protection of mangroves, management of forest resources in the context that the impacts of climate change are heavily affected in the project area.

With the activities the project has implemented, it is hoped that when the project is put into operation in the coastal mangrove forest area, it will support 02 forest management units in maintaining forest and marine resources, improving capacity to adapt to climate change, reducing natural disasters for coastal communities and creating conditions to help people living in the forest change jobs, improving community livelihoods through the implementation of models, suitable to natural conditions in coastal areas.

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