Can Vietnam protect its marine environment?

09:38' 24/04/2008 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet Bridge – For centuries the sea has proven to be a rich source of both food and income, particularly for coastal inhabitants.
Whether it’s fisheries, or more recently, tourism, coastal provinces believe that marine-related industries deserve top priority. Indeed, marine-related industries such as oil and gas, fisheries, shipbuilding and tourism, account for nearly 50% of the nation’s GDP.

Yet conservation is a relatively new concept in Vietnam, which poses many challenges to a Government led initiative to establish a network of marine-protected areas (MPAs).

While the benefits of MPAs are not immediate, the creation of such areas threatens the livelihood of coastal communities.

"MPA waters will be closed to fishing, which would lower the income of local fishermen," said Nguyen Giang Thu, director of MARD’s (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) Sustainable Livelihoods in and around MPAs (LMPA project).

"The first three to five years would be difficult. Only when fish stocks in and around the MPAs recover then increase, would fishermen benefit."

Meanwhile, other sources of income in and around MPAs like resorts and eco-tourism, cannot provide jobs for local people that lack the necessary skills.

"We need a strategy for sustainable tourism development as well as a mechanism for locals to benefit from tourism," said Nguyen Giang Thu.

Some consultants maintain that it will take "a lot of political will" to develop successful MPAs.

"It’s very ‘attractive’ for provincial authorities to let investors build hotels to generate income," said Richard Rastall of consulting firm FRR East Asia Ltd.

"If not restricted, however, such activities threaten the environment and biodiversity in the MPAs."

MARD recently submitted a plan to the Prime Minister for approval. The plan proposes the establishment of 15 MPAs by 2015, with a view to protecting marine biodiversity and ensuring sustainable use of marine resources.

Since 2001, three nationally-managed MPAs have been set up: Nha Trang Bay, Cu Lao Cham and Phu Quoc – plus a few locally-managed marine-protected areas.

As the name suggests, the idea behind LPMA is to ensure a steady income for local communities, which has become a thorny issue in terms of getting local approval.

Alternative living

According to Bernard O’Callaghan, programme co-ordinator of IUCN Vietnam, Nha Trang Bay MPA, established in 2001, is an example of an MPA that can generate substantial income.

In 2001, 240,000 tourists visited Nha Trang Bay taking part in a range of activities from sightseeing to diving. That figure grew to 400,000 in 2006.

By charging VND5,000 for sight-seeing, VND30,000 for diving within the MPA and VND10,000 for visiting the biodiversity core zone of the bay, a total of US$150,000 was collected in 2006. Of that total, 77% was allocated to the Nha Trang Bay MPA Authority for the management and upkeep of the area.

This year, the province designated 8-10% of the fund to community development within the MPA.

The challenge remains, O’Callaghan said, in identifying a clear mechanism for dispersing the funds to local villages.

However, not all MPAs are able to generate the same level of revenue from tourism. Cu Lao Cham (Cham Islands) in central Vietnam found that training fishermen in other skills is a practical solution.

According to Chu Manh Trinh, project officer at Cham Islands MPA, Cham Islands has a population of 3,000, 80% of which say fishing is their only source of income. This places intense strain on fish stocks.

Established in December 2005 and covering 6,710ha, Cham Islands MPA offers vocational training courses for those most affected by MPA regulations.

Some have turned to producing, marketing, and selling fish sauce. Last year 14 individuals successfully produced 1,543 litres of fish sauce.

The WWF, in a critical review of livelihood support in MPAs, suggested that alternative job schemes be introduced with thorough consideration of the feasibility of projects, credit mechanism, community awareness and organisation.

"I think the key issues here will be to take lessons from the prior experiences [of existing MPAs], and come up with a new process that works better," said Keith Symmington, WWF marine programme co-ordinator.

The foremost lesson is to obtain active community involvement in all stages. Participation needs to be encouraged, particularly in MPA zoning process, and more support should come from individual provinces now that the MPAs are decentralised to provincial level, he said.

"Although each MPA is different, mistakes needn’t be repeated. We ought to find a balance between urgency and strategic, comprehensive consideration," he said.