In September, the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD), in coordination with local partners, implemented activities to collect supplementary information for the Climate Risk Assessment (CRA) and to evaluate the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) indicators for the project "Strengthened climate resilience and sustainable income generation for mangrove forest-dependent vulnerable communities" (VM077) in Ca Mau province. 

The VM077 project, funded by Bread for the World (BfdW), is currently being implemented in Mui Ca Mau National Park, the Dat Mui Protection Forest Management Board, and the Tam Giang Protection Forest Management Board. After more than 1.5 years of implementation, the project has achieved significant initial results. 

A notable aspect of this assessment is the new administrative context. Following Resolution No. 202/2025/QH, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau provinces were merged into the singular Ca Mau province, which now has a population exceeding 2.6 million. This administrative boundary adjustment resulted in the number of participating project communes decreasing from four to three. Consequently, in addition to reviewing existing data, the assessment team expanded the survey to include new households not yet participating in the project, ensuring the baseline data is both comprehensive and up-to-date. 

Throughout the survey period, SRD experts and staff conducted numerous field activities. These included in-depth interviews with officials from the Management Boards and the National Park, as well as representatives from seafood enterprises (Minh Phu, Seanamico, CASES). Group discussions were held with representatives of Village Forestry Self-Management Groups (VFSMG) in the three project areas, along with cooperatives and hamlet heads. Furthermore, questionnaire interviews were administered to 85 households using Kobotoolbox software. 

A multi-stakeholder consultation meeting was also organized, featuring participation from representatives of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the Forest Protection Sub-Department, the Agricultural Extension Center, the Fisheries Sub-Department, the Environmental Protection Sub-Department, and the Irrigation Sub-Department. The meeting aimed to gather expert opinions, discuss challenges, identify solutions appropriate to the local context, and solicit recommendations for improvement activities during the project's remaining duration. 

This activity not only fulfills a project management requirement—contributing to enhancing the transparency, scientific basis, and effectiveness of interventions—but also advances the long-term goal of protecting the mangrove ecosystem and ensuring sustainable livelihoods for the local communities in Ca Mau.