Thanh Hoa: Evaluating the community-based mangrove forest management project

The scene of the conference

This project was funded by Bread for the World organization and has been implemented from September 2021 to October 2024 in three communes: Da Loc (Hau Loc district), Nga Thuy and Nga Tan (Nga Son district) of Thanh Hoa province. The project is led by the Research Centre on Nature Resource Management and Climate Change Adaptation (CORENACCA), under the Provincial Union of Science and Technology Associations. The total funding for the project is 9.88 billion Vietnam dong, with counterpart funds provided by the provincial People's Committee's budget. The objective of the project is to enhance the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities in Da Loc commune (Hau Loc district), Nga Thuy and Nga Tan communes (Nga Son district) in Thanh Hoa province through community-based mangrove forest management activities.

At the conference, representatives from CORENACCA presented the project implementation report as of May 2023, which included the following details:

Conducted 6 training courses and 18 workshops/seminars on forestry laws for commune officials, participating farmer groups, and communities in the mangrove forest villages of the three project communes.

Established a Mangrove Seedling Nursery in Nga Thuy commune (Nga Son district), which has already produced 26,000 quality seedlings for mangrove reforestation with a survival rate of over 95%.

Implemented mixed planting of mangroves with Trang trees and sour Bần trees to increase the area of multi-layered forests. The survival rate for mixed planting with Trang trees was over 60%, and with sour Bần trees was over 90%.

Supported livelihood activities by establishing a honey beekeeping model. The total number of beehives reached 496 colonies (an increase of 96 colonies from the initial stock), resulting in a honey harvest of 2,976 kg.

Additionally, the project provided support for the establishment of seaweed farming models, as well as organic bamboo and vegetable cultivation models without the use of chemical fertilizers.

Despite facing numerous challenges during the project implementation period, the project management board has received great supports from the Standing Committee of the Associations, as well as departments, agencies, and the People's Committees of Hau Loc and Nga Son districts. The project has also gained the consensus and support from the local authorities and residents of the three project communes. Thanks to the proactive and flexible approach of CORENACCA, the project has been able to ensure its timely and planned implementation according to the set schedule.

At the conference, delegates discussed and evaluated the achieved results, identified existing limitations in the implementation process, and proposed various suggestions to enhance the effectiveness of the project in the next phase.

In the conference's conclusion, President of the Provincial Association Union Nguyen Van Phat acknowledged and appriciated opinions and proposals put forward by the delegates. Comrade Phat recommended that the Center learns from and addresses the identified limitations and shortcomings to ensure the quality and progress of the project's implementation. He also suggested continuing discussions with the project's sponsors and the Provincial People's Committee on expanding and replicating the project within the province's territory. Furthermore, he urged the local authorities and residents to maintain and leverage the successful models from the project even after its completion.