YEAR-2 SUMMING UP OF THE PROJECT "MANGROVE AND CLIMATE PROTECTTION COMBINED WITH INCOME GENERATION FOR VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES "
The project "Mangrove and climate protection combined with income generation for vulnerable communities (VM069)" was implemented by the Center for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD) in Mui Ca Mau National Park and Tam Giang Protection Management Board of Ca Mau province with the goal of enhancing biodiversity protection, developing mangroves contributes to promoting carbon sequestration, enhancing climate resilience, ensuring sustainable livelihoods and social integration for poor and vulnerable communities in the Mekong Delta from 2021.
Participants to the review meeting
After 2 years of implementation, with the great support of the community and the close collaboration of local partners, the project has achieved many positive results. With the goal of sharing information and results of the project's solutions to a large number of people and relevant agencies in order to replicate and create a sharing forum between the communities, state agencies, scientists and other stakeholders. The VM069 Project Working Group in collaboration with SRD organized the second year-end meeting of the project on March 13, 2023 at Mui Ca Mau National Park.
Overview of the meeting
The meeting was pleased to welcome Mr. Tran Van Thuc - Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) as the head of the project working group; Ms. Tran Thi Kieu Yen – Chairwoman of Ca Mau Women's Union; Mr. Ly Minh Kha – Deputy Director of Mui Ca Mau National Park; Mr. Nguyen Quang Khai – Deputy Director of Management Board of Tam Giang Protection Forests; Mr. Le Hoai Phuong – Deputy Head of Agriculture Department of Ngoc Hien district with representatives of the People's Committees of Dat Mui and Tam Giang Dong communes, officials coordinating the project implementation and representatives of beneficiaries from the Hamlet-level Forestry Self-Management Groups, farmer interest groups.
Representatives of the project implementing organization, included Ms. Vu Thi Bich Hop – Chairman of the Trustee Board, Executive Director of SRD, VM069 project manager and the project coordinator have attended the meeting.
Co-Chairing the meeting: Ms. Vu Thi Bich Hop - Director of SRD Center, Mr. Tran Van Thuc - Deputy Director, Head of Working Group, Ms. Tran Thi Kieu Yen - President of Ca Mau Women's Union
Speaking at the opening, Mr. Tran Van Thuc – Deputy Director of the DARD congratulated and highly appreciated results achieved in year 2 of the project. He also believed that, with the support and good collaboration of the DARD, local partners and people during the past time, the project has brought many positive impacts on the management of forest protection, development of people's livelihoods at the National Park and the protection forests of Tam Giang. The results achieved by the project will be a very good basis for developing the next phases of the project.
Mr. Ly Minh Kha – Deputy Director of Mui Ca Mau National Park spoke in the meeting
"I suppose that the effectiveness of the project's activities in Year 2 to be much better than Year 1. The successful results of the project are also supporting the National Park in propagating and coordinating forest protection management, improving people's livelihoods. Especially, the model on 2-stage shrimp farming is widely responded to, replicated initially for positive results. In order to achieve the above results, we highly appreciate the efforts of project staff of the SRD and Provincial Women's Union in the process of project implementation. In the coming time, we will continue to work with the relevant organizations to have assessments, adjust restrictions, be ready to coordinate the project implementation, meet the project progress, as well as responsibility to the people" – Mr. Ly Minh Kha, Deputy Director of Mui Ca Mau National Park shared the assessments of the project's year 2 activities.
Mr. Nguyen Quang Khai – Deputy Director of the Tam Giang protection forest MB shared in the meeting
Regarding to the results of the forestry part at Tam Giang protection forest, Mr. Nguyen Quang Khai – Deputy Director of the Management Board supposed that the project activities have contributed to raising awareness and responsibility for forest protection of members of 7 forestry teams and local people in the protection forest area. In 2022, the project has supported the Management Board for 5 hectares new-planting and 27.45 hectares additional planting (re-planting) of mangroves. These areas will contribute and be of great significance to the forest restoration and development of the protection forests. After 2 years of implementing the project, people's responsibilities in collaborating managing and protecting the mangroves have been significantly improved, livelihood models under the forest canopy have opened up a number of new directions in household economic development.
Representatives of Dat Mui and Tam Giang Dong Commune People's Committees shared in the meeting
Representatives of beneficiaries from the project shared in the meeting
In the meeting, participants also discussed and evaluated many activities of the project that have brought positive results, the awareness of people in forest protection raiised. In addition, there are some livelihood models that are still not highly effective due to the increasingly unusual weather leading to risks in the process of piloting livelihood models. Some comments suggested more effective new livelihood solutions to apply in the coming time as well as high consensus of participants in implementing 14 major activities in the remaining year of the project. In particular, priority is given to raising awareness and finding sustainable livelihoods to support people to have economic development conditions under the mangrove canopy.
Ms. Vu Thi Bich Hop delivered the closing speech of the meeting
Conclusion of the meeting, Ms. Vu Thi Bich Hop, Director of SRD expressed thankfulness to the coordination and supports of local partners and people during the project implementation period. In the coming time, it is necessary to continue to maintain and develop the results achieved after 2 years, especially the goals related to forest development and protection, increasing carbon stock of the mangroves, livelihood and policy advocacy. The results achieved are a great basis to propose the sponsor continue supporting in the next phase./.