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INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE Cross-border learning on community-based coastal resilience building: CambodiaThailand study tour

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Page 1: Cambodia–Thailand study tour

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INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE

Cross-border learning on community-based coastal resilience building: Cambodia–Thailand study tour

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The designation of geographical entities in this

book, and the presentation of the material, do not

imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on

the part of IUCN or the European Union concerning

the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or

of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its

frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this

publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN,

the European Union or any other participating

organizations.

This publication has been made possible by funding

from the European Union.

Published by: IUCN Asia Bangkok, Thailand

Copyright: © 2014 IUCN, International Union for

Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources

Reproduction of this publication for educational or

other non-commercial purposes is authorized

without prior written permission from the copyright

holder provided the source is fully acknowledged.

Reproduction of this publication for resale or other

commercial purposes is prohibited without prior

written permission of the copyright holder.

Citation: Nguyen Thi Phuong, T., Tang Phuong,

G., and Le Thi Thanh, T. (2014). Cross-border

learning of community-based coastal resilience

building: Cambodia-Thailand study tour.

Thailand: IUCN. 46 pp.

Cover photo: © IUCN Viet Nam

Edited by: Ria Sen

Layout by: Ria Sen

Produced by: IUCN Southeast Asia Group

Available from: IUCN Asia Regional Office, 63

Soi Prompong, Sukhumvit 39, Wattana 10110

Bangkok, Thailand

Tel: +66 2 662 4029

www.iucn.org/building-coastal-resilience

http://www.iucn.org/vietnam

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to IUCN Cambodia and the

Sustainable Development Foundation (SDF) Thailand for helping to organize visits in Cambodia

and Thailand from 24 February to 2 March 2014. Special thanks are conveyed to Mr Sun Kong,

Mr Vanny Lou, Mr Sar Kimleong and Mr Jonathan Shott.

The authors are also grateful for the support from local authorities, partners and communities in

Kampot and Koh Kong provinces in Cambodia, and Trat and Chanthaburi provinces in Thailand.

They also thank all the participants who came for this trip.

The study tour greatly benefited from the inputs and supervision of Dr Robert Mather, Mr Jake

Brunner, Mr Andrew Wyatt, Mr Kong Kimsreng and Ms Ravadee Prasertcharoensuk. The

authors also gratefully acknowledge funding support from the European Union for the Building

Coastal Resilience to Climate Change Impacts in Southeast Asia (BCR) project.

Last, but in no way the least, the authors’ deepest thanks go to the IUCN Viet Nam team for

their enthusiastic assistance.

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Table of contents

I. Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………..........3

II. List of abbreviations .............................................................................................................. 5

III. List of images ........................................................................................................................ 6

IV. Executive summary .............................................................................................................. 7

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 9

2. Study tour approaches and methods ..........................................................................10

3. Observations and key findings....................................................................................11

3.1 Cambodia ....................................................................................................................11

3.1.1 Crab banks and marine fish culture in Chang Hon Village, Kampot Province ........11

3.1.2 Trapeang Sangke Fishery Community - Co-management mangrove rehabilitation

and a mangrove-based ecotourism model, Kampot Province .........................................14

3.1.3 Koh Kapik Community Protected Area, Koh Kong Province...................................16

3.1.4 Peam Krasop Protected Area – A community based ecotourism model.................18

3.2 Thailand .......................................................................................................................19

3.2.1 Traditional massage – An alternative livelihood for women’s groups in Mai Root

Sub-district, Trat Province ..............................................................................................19

3.2.2 The community’s blue swimming crab bank model in Ban Klong Yai, Mai Root Sub-

district .............................................................................................................................21

3.2.3 Community-based marine resource conservation activities in Laem Klad Sub-

district .............................................................................................................................22

3.2.4 T-fence sediment trap in Mou 5 Village, Bang Chan Sub-district ...........................23

3.2.5 Oyster farming along brackish water bodies ..........................................................23

3.2.6 Sustainable shrimp farming ...................................................................................24

3.2.7 Participatory community research on fixed set bag nets in Ban Rong Mai Village..25

4. Learning analysis .........................................................................................................26

4.1 Community-led natural resource conservation and management .................................26

4.2 Sustainable fisheries through crab banks .....................................................................28

4.3 Sustainable poly-culture under the mangrove canopy ..................................................30

4.4 Alternative livelihoods ..................................................................................................30

5. Recommendations and potential application in target provinces……………………32

IV. Conclusions .........................................................................................................................33

V. Annexes ...............................................................................................................................35

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List of abbreviations

ADB Asian Development Bank

BCR Building Coastal Resilience to Climate Change Impacts in Southeast Asia

Project

DANIDA Danish International Development Agency

DARD Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

DONRE Department of Natural Resources and Environment

DPC District People’s Committee

FMB Forest Management Board

FPD Forest Protection Department

IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature

MCC Mangroves and Climate Change Project

MFF Mangroves for the Future

PKWS Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary

PPC Provincial People’s Committee

SA Situation Analysis

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

VASI Viet Nam Administration for Seas and Islands

VCA Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment

WU Women’s Union

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List of images

Photo 1: Chang Hon Village on the coast of Kampot Province, Cambodia ................................11

Photo 2: Meeting with local communities in Chang Hon Village ................................................12

Photo 3: Visiting the crab bank ..................................................................................................12

Photo 4: Solar drying house ......................................................................................................14

Photo 5: Processing dried shrimp .............................................................................................14

Photo 6: A mangrove restoration project in Trapeang Sangke Commune .................................14

Photo 7: Vietnamese delegates with the Trapeang Sangke Fishery Community .......................15

Photo 8: The Koh Kapik community ..........................................................................................16

Photo 9 : The eroded coastal area ............................................................................................17

Photo 10-12: Community Protected Area of Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary ..........................19

Photo 13: Meeting with local authorities in Mai Root, Trat Province ..........................................20

Photo 14: Participants visiting the blue swimming crab bank in Ban Klong Yai Village ..............21

Photo 15: A gravid crab with grey eggs; the optimal choice for crab banks ...............................21

Photo 16: Floating buoys to demarcate the conservation zone in Laem Klad Sub-district .........22

Photo 17: Adapting the T-fence model from Soc Trang Province, Viet Nam …………………….23

Photo 18-19: Re-using plastic bottles for oyster culture .............................................................23

Photo 20: The shrimp farm attracts eagles in Bang Chan in Chanthaburi Province ...................24

Photo 21: Meeting with the local community in the Koh Kapik Community Protected Area…….26

Photo 22: Mr Doan Van Phuc of Ben Tre’s DONRE ..................................................................26

Photo 23: Mr Nguyen Huu Be of Ben Tre’s DARD ....................................................................27

Photo 24: The crab bank in Kampot Province, Cambodia .........................................................29

Photo 25: Oyster culture in the Bang Chan mangrove forest in Chanthaburi Province ..............30

Photo 26: Thai traditional massage as a livelihood acitivity in Mairoot Sub-district……………...30

Photo 27: Participants discussing coastal erosion in Koh Kong Province, Cambodia ................32

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Executive summary

The study tour to Cambodia and Thailand was initiated as part of the capacity building activities

under the “Building Resilience to Climate Change Impacts in Coastal Southeast Asia” (BCR)

project. BCR is working to strengthen the ability of local governments and people to plan for,

and adapt to, future climate risks in eight coastal communities between Bangkok and Ho Chi

Minh City; including Kien Giang, Soc Trang, Ben Tre and Can Gio in Viet Nam.

Between 24 February and 2 March 2014, IUCN Viet Nam organized a six-day exposure visit for

30 local government and community officials; including staff from the Department of Natural

Resources and Environment (DONRE), the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

(DARD), Women’s Union (WU), the Forest Management Board (FMB), the Provincial People’s

Committee (PPC), the District People’s Committee (DPC), farming community representatives

from Kien Giang, Soc Trang, Ben Tre and Can Gio District in Ho Chi Minh City.

The trip aimed to enhance the knowledge and capacity of local government officials and

communities on climate change adaptation along different parts of the coastline; from the Gulf of

Thailand to Ho Chi Minh City. This BCR study tour concentrated on specific topics that urgently

require attention in order to tackle climate change impacts in the coastal zone; such as

mangrove management and restoration, erosion control, spatial planning along the coast,

livelihood diversification, and community rights for natural resource management.

The study tour consisted of three days in Kampot and Koh Kong provinces in Cambodia and

another three days in Trat and Chanthaburi provinces in Thailand. During the trip, participants

visited BCR project sites, met with local communities and government officials, and participated

in the question-and-answer sessions which followed these discussions. A wrap-up meeting was

conducted at the end of each day, so that all participants could share what they learned and

discuss the feasibility of applying those lessons to their hometowns. Evaluation sheets were

distributed to participants in order to document their ideas and opinions.

The overall impressions conveyed by most participants from the study tour were the high

awareness and active participation of local communities in natural resource protection and

rehabilitation. In contrast, people’s awareness is still low in Viet Nam. This makes it very

challenging to make the communities willing to protect natural resources and to cooperate

toward this objective.

There were several climate change adaptation models that the Viet Nam team visited and

witnessed. These models can be grouped into four themes as follows:

Community-based marine resource restoration: Crab banks, marine cultivation and

artificial seagrass

Mangroves and community-based ecotourism

Livelihood diversification: Traditional massages, dry shrimp processing, sustainable

shrimp farming and oyster farming

Coastal erosion control: Through mangrove plantation and bamboo T-fences

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Most local government officials saw the potential to apply similar models to their areas of

governance. The crab bank and sustainable shrimp farming attracted almost all the participants,

because Viet Nam has similar coastal conditions. Participants also suggested that IUCN should

provide further technical assistance or disseminate guidelines to support the respective

provinces in setting up such models, at least during its first stages. Moreover, participants also

suggested that IUCN should diversify the adaptation models rather than just focus on

aquaculture and marine resource restoration in the BCR project sites in Cambodia and

Thailand. For the next trip, participants recommended that IUCN should select different sites

and models to avoid repeating activities that are already in an advanced stage in Viet Nam. The

second BCR study tour is scheduled in June 2014.

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1. Introduction

Nature-based solutions and community-based approaches have been acknowledged as being

key for climate change adaptation in the coastal zones of Viet Nam; particularly in Ben Tre, Soc

Trang, Kien Giang provinces and Can Gio District of Ho Chi Minh City. Therefore, exposure

visits to provinces with similar contexts are vital for sharing experiences and strengthening the

capacity of local government officials and community members. This capacity-building will

enable the exchange of new knowledge on climate change adaptation which is urgently needed

for target BCR provinces in Viet Nam.

To seek the best practices that are being developed and implemented by local communities

along other parts of the coastline, under the BCR project, IUCN organized a six-day study tour

for 30 provincial participants from target provinces in the Mekong Delta. This trip lasted from 24

February to 1 March 2014. The information gathered during this study trip can be used as inputs

for the climate change adaptation action plans at the local level in the Mekong Delta.

Study tour objectives

The study tour aimed at:

1. Strengthening the capacity of local government officials and community members in

climate change adaptation and the sharing of knowledge on this theme;

2. Bringing coastal communities of the three BCR countries—Thailand, Cambodia and Viet

Nam— together to exchange ideas, share experiences, and learn from each other

regarding climate change adaptation models.

Rationale for the study tour

The purpose of this study trip was to learn from coastal communities in two neighboring

countries, namely Cambodia and Thailand, under the BCR project. Eight coastal communities

located between Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok face difficulties in dealing with and also living

with unavoidable climate change impacts. Cambodia and Thailand already have experience in

developing adaptation models and implementing demonstration projects in four provinces of

Kampot, Koh Kong, Trat and Chanthaburi since 2012. However, these processes have recently

started in Viet Nam since August 2013.

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2. Study tour approaches and methods

Based on the Situation Analysis (SA) and Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA) results

that IUCN Viet Nam conducted in four provinces in 2011 and 2012, several adaptation models

may fit the needs of the target provinces. The proposed topics covered the following aspects:

Mud crab banks

Mangrove polyculture

A mangrove multi-species model

Livelihood diversification for coastal communities

Mangrove-based ecotourism

Women and climate change adaptation models: Benefits from the mangrove forest; such

as food from the mangroves, education and raising awareness in conservation through

sourcing food products from mangroves thereby empowering women by involving them

in natural resource conservation and management activities.

Mangrove management; particularly exploring community models/co-management: The

role of community members in mangrove plantation, restoration and management.

Erosion control models

Near shore fishery and marine resource conservation: How community members

manage marine resources due to the lack of alternative livelihoods

A needs assessment was completed by asking the focal provincial departments such as the

Provincial Administration for Sea and Islands Agency (under DONRE), the Capture Fisheries

and Resources Protection Agency (under DARD), FMB and WU amongst others to suggest

what they would like to learn based on their needs and the reality of the situations in their

respective provinces.

A final list of climate change adaptation models was sent to the BCR Project Manager of

Cambodia and Thailand, in order to identify appropriate sites for Viet Nam exposure visits.

The study tour employed the following steps:

1. Field visits to selected sites in order to observe and acquire an overview of the model.

2. Meeting with local authorities and community members to learn “how” and “why” they

apply that model.

3. Discussions and a question-and-answer session with community members to know their

situations in-depth and also to exchange ideas and learning.

4. A wrap-up session in order to provide a summary and capture information exchanged

within the day. Participants were encouraged to provide suggestions and

recommendations that helped the organizers to improve the quality of the study tour on a

daily basis.

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3. Observations and key findings

3.1 Cambodia

3.1.1 Crab Bank and Marine Fish Culture in Chang Hon Village, Kampot Province

Background information

Photo 1: Chang Hon Village on the coastline of Kampot Province, Cambodia

Chang Hon is located in Preak Thnot Commune, Teuk Chhou District in Kampot Province.

Chang Hon Fishery Community was established since 2001 by the Cambodian Government

that enacted reforms in natural resource management with the participation of the local

community in conservation activities.

The government encourages and promotes local community members to establish fishery

communities in their own villages for participating in better marine resource management. There

are more than 200 households who have joined as members of the Chang Hon Fishery

Community since 2002, under the initiative of the Kampot Fishery Administration Cantonment

as well as the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and Danish International

Development Assistance (DANIDA). This was a five-year long project, with a proposal written by

the Fisheries Administration (FiA) at the national level to DANIDA suggesting the establishment

of fishery communities throughout the country. Since 2002, FiA and DANIDA have supported

Chang Hon to:

1. Establish the Chang Hon Fishery Committee.

2. Establish the conservation zone of Chang Hon Fishery Community.

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When it was first initiated, the Fishery Community did not receive any support from NGOs or

development partners. CORIN-Asia Cambodia, a Wetlands Alliance partner, started to provide

funding support since 2007. There are seven members in the Chang Hon Fishery Committee

Board, including two women. This Committee Board consists of five functional groups

responsible for the following:

Group 1: Patrolling

Group 2: Crab banks and marine fish culture

Group 3: Integrated farming systems

Group 4: Dried shrimp processing

Group 5: The Secretariat The above two underlined functional groups are topics that the IUCN Viet Nam team was

focusing on.

Photo 2: Meeting with local communities in Chang Hon

Photo 3: Visiting the crab bank

The process of model establishment

The crab bank model has been established through several steps, elaborated below:

Disseminating project leaflets to households in the village, so that community knows

about the project’s aims, objectives and proposed activities.

Organizing internal commune meetings.

Selecting voluntary households who have crab capturing nets/boats, and setting up a

crab bank group.

Providing training for the crab bank group on how to collect and protect gravid crabs.

Organizing a crab bank study tour for fishers in Thailand.

Organizing consultation meetings with all stakeholders to find potential places for crab

bank installation.

Formulating regulations for the crab bank.

Monitoring and evaluation.

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Achievements

The crab bank committee has been set up with 35 members. Detailed regulations were

endorsed by all of the members. A local initiative fund was created to provide microcredit to

poor fishermen. It is a revolving fund and the value of loans range from US$37 to US$100. The

number of gravid crabs caught by one fisherman will be the key criterion for deciding the

amount of money s/he can borrow from the fund. The more crabs that are deposited, the higher

the loan s/he can avail. In order to receive a loan and become a member of the group, local

people have to sign a binding commitment with a witness and the approval of the Head of the

Commune Council.

Every two days, one member needs to donate at least one mother crab to the bank, so that the

total crabs per month should be at least 15 in number. If someone does not meet this

benchmark, s/he has to donate the balance by the next month or in the following months. If

small-scale fishermen have difficulty catching gravid crabs near the shore, they can exchange

these normal crabs for gravid crabs with other members of the village. The crab only has to

carry eggs, irrespective of size, only then is the fisherman eligible for a loan. The interest for the

loans are paid in gravid crab.

After releasing their eggs, the crabs will be fattened in two weeks’ time and the community is

allowed to sell or eat these crabs. Around 80% of the income from selling the crabs are

allocated for the operation cost of the model (buying nets, food, maintenance, etc.) and another

20% accumulates with the group’s capital. Due to the support of CORIN-Asia Cambodia and the

cooperation of the crab bank committee members, there were 2,228 gravid crabs that were

donated by 2013. Local people also observe the increasing of crab yield by four times as

compared to the past.

Shortcuts to success

Create good mechanisms and tools as well as reasonable and flexible procedures.

Provide skills training for local community members to strengthen their capacity.

Engage all stakeholders at every level in the project’s work plan and activities.

Ensure the “ownership” of the local community.

Collaborate with other projects and donors such as UNDP and ADB to link and seek

support, where possible.

Dried shrimp processing

The idea of dried shrimp processing came about because local villagers are faced with the

pressure of interest from the loans they take from middlemen. As a result, they have to sell their

fishery products at a lower price. Inspired by the success of the integrated farming system

model (same as the ‘garden-pond-barn’ model from Viet Nam; where a cycle of reusable

agricultural wastes and materials act as input flows for other agricultural activities), the dried

shrimp processing model started with a group of 15 women.

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Photo 4: The solar shrimp drying house Photo 5: Processing dried shrimp

Unlike the crab bank and the integrated farming system, CORIN-Asia Cambodia did not provide

funding for this group. Group members have to contribute their own money to be shareholders.

So far, there are 15 shareholders and the total collected capital is valued at US$750.

There are two buildings for processing dried shrimp; one for drying the shrimp and another for

boiling shrimp. The solar drying house is supported by a private company called SHARE. The

drying house does not just use solar power as the main energy source, but also utilizes natural

gas from domestic livestock such as pigs, chickens, cows etc. The group produces

approximately 12-15 kg dried shrimp every day. The benefits that local people receive from this

are:

Collecting raw materials directly from fishermen at a higher price.

Reducing debt and dependence on middlemen.

Local people can acquire skills in managing their own funds to avoid money flowing into

middlemen’s pockets.

Free to choose their markets and decide the price for products at their own discretion.

Creating alternative livelihoods for women of the commune.

3.1.2 Trapeang Sangke Fishery Community – Co-management mangrove

rehabilitation and a mangrove-based ecotourism model, Kampot Province

The Trapeang Sangke Fishery Community was founded in July 2009 based on local initiative,

due to illegal mangrove forest destruction for investment in salt fields and personal land titles.

Local community members recognized the important role mangrove forests play in their daily

lives. Therefore, they established a Committee Board and sought support from the Kampot

Fisheries Cantonment and local authorities.

The Fisheries Committee has nine members (two of which are women), who are responsible for

management activities such as ecotourism, patrolling, finance, administration, education and

training etc. There are 734 members in the fishery community amongst 5,000 residents

(consisting of more than 1,000 households) of the commune.

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The Fisheries Committee members have been working on a voluntary basis without

compensation. Supported by many stakeholders, this Committee has developed specific

regulations and working mechanisms for each group. Ecotourism is one of solutions that the

Committee has suggested for

mangrove forest management

and protection as well as

income generation for the local

community.

For eco-tourism activities; there

are six groups for operating

boat services, guest houses,

cooking, environment groups,

as well as those providing

guided tours and security. The

human resources which

constitute each group are

fishermen, who do their fishing

jobs on a daily basis and

participate in eco-tourism work

on a voluntary basis. Photo 6: The Mangrove Restoration Project in Trapeang Sangke commune

The income from ecotourism will be allocated for patrol cost (10%), emergency budgeting (5%),

administration (5%), community development (40%), capital building (35%), and other aspects

(5%).

Photo 7: Vietnamese delegates with the Trapeang Sangke Fishery Community

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The strengths of the Fisheries Communities are 1) The high level of community participation

(active; with significant levels of responsibility), 2) They develop their own monthly plans and

conduct monthly meetings with the participation of commune councillors. However, there are

still many challenges that the community has to overcome. These include the limited education

of committee members, a small number of villagers have not as yet participated in the group,

the limited participation of high-level stakeholders, illegal fishing from outsiders, increasing

private sector investment for salt production, the enforcement of the fishery and mangrove

management law requires improvement, and the survival rate of species from mangrove

rehabilitation activities is low.

The proposed next steps from the community for tackling the above mentioned challenges are

to continue developing mangrove nursery gardens to provide seeds for mangrove plantation,

increase the participation of the community as much as possible in mangrove forest patrolling,

update and revise the Fisheries Community regulations, raising awareness within the

community about fishing laws especially regarding illegal fishing gears, and seeking support

from NGOs as well as the government.

3.1.3 Koh Kapik Community Protected Area, Koh Kong Province

Photo 8: The Koh Kapik community

Before the year 2000, the Koh Kapik community faced many issues related to mangrove

deforestation for investing in shrimp farms and charcoal production. In 2001, this community

cooperated with concerned authorities and the Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary (PKWS)

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rangers, lead by the Ministry of Environment (MoE), to stop all illegal activities in PKWS

confines.

The Koh Kapik Community Protected Area (CPA) was established on 23 March 2005, with eight

community members acting as the board of community leaders. This activity was supported by

the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Coastal Zone Management funded by

1997, and the Ministry of Environment (MoE). There are 332 households with1,603 people

(including 822 women). The total area of the community land is 1,580 hectares; with the land

divided into three main parts covering:

Mangrove forest area : 1,215 hectares

Water surface area: 135 hectares

Settlement area: 230 hectares

Livelihoods: 7% are civil servants, 9% are traders/sellers, and 84% are fishermen.

Photo 9 : Eroded coastal area

The village is isolated from the mainland and it can be accessed in two ways by the community.

The first is the connection to the open sea and the second is through a small channel. Because

this channel was too shallow, the BCR project supported the dredging of the channel bed,

covering a length of 2,160 m. This will enable the community to access and transport fresh

water, to conduct business, and to escape from the village when there are severe storms.

Marine resources in the area have been seriously exploited by outsiders, overfishing, and the

increase in population. The village also lacks public infrastructure such as schools and medical

facilities etc. This has resulted in the community becoming more vulnerable to the impacts of

climate change.

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Since the Livelihoods and Landscape Strategy (LLS) finished in 2011, BCR has started to build

upon that for supporting its activities within the community. The community members have

opportunities to build their capacity and have participated in many BCR-led events.

After the Koh Kapik Protected Area, the group visited a coastal erosion site. This used to be a

village and a mangrove forest, but is now disappearing due to erosion. While there are

Rhizophora and Casuarina species in the eroded area, the loss of the former is thought to be

much worse.

3.1.4 Peam Krasop Community Protected Area – A community-based ecotourism

model

There are 1,326 hectares of mangrove forest in Peam Krasop Community Protected Area

(CPA), which is a protected area. Peam Krasop commune has 302 households, including two

villages. Amongst them, 288 households (1,067 people; with 528 women) are members of the

Peam Krasop Community who participate in the protected area. Around 228 households are

CPA members, and they participate in the protection of mangroves (e.g., patrolling, together

with the CPA Committee), and also have the right to exploit natural resources in their CPA as

long as they meet CPA regulations. The livelihoods of local people are distributed as follows:

60% are fishermen, 15% are boat drivers for ecotourism, 8% are traders/sellers, 2% drive

motorbike taxis, 5% are workers, and 5% are government officers.

Before the year 2000, PKWS faced many challenges:

Migration into the village rose, leading to greater population pressure on natural

resources.

Most mangrove areas were cut down for charcoal production and to make way for

shrimp ponds.

Low levels of education, as only a primary school facility was available.

The lack of land and farms for subsistence of the local people.

The lack of knowledge on sanitation and environmental protection.

The previously located village in Peam Krasop was impacted by sea level rise and

coastal erosion, so the community moved to the mainland in 2004.

Finding ways to solve these problems, the local community set up the PKWS Community

Protected Area with support from local authorities and DANIDA. The areas that are being

focused on in PKWS are: zoning for a natural resource exploitation area, mangrove forest

plantation, patrolling, ecotourism activities, as well as education and training to raise awareness

of the local community.

The Peam Krasop mangrove-based ecotourism model follows an approach of mangrove

protection with the vital participation of the local community. The tourism activities engage the

community at every step of its operation. The income from tourism will be used for community

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social work, community development activities, public security, environment sustainability and

administration costs.

There are 11 members (consisting of 2 women) in the Community Committee in charge of

management tasks; such as providing boat services, patrols, ticketing, sanitation, education,

security and other aspects.

3.2 Thailand

3.2.1 Traditional massage – An alternative livelihood for women’s groups in Mai Root Sub-district, Trat Province

Background information

Mai Root is a sub-district in Trat

Province, located between the Gulf of

Thailand and the border of Cambodia.

The total population is 4,692 with 1,373

households. The local communities in

Mai Root are heavily dependent on

fishery exploitation for daily income

generation. Around 80% of the

population is engaged in small-scale

fishery, 10% in agriculture, and 10% in

small businesses. Photo 13: Meeting with local authorities in Mai Root Sub-district

Photo 10-12: Community Protected Area of Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary

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There are several problems that the local community faces; including poor livelihood security,

the lack of alternative livelihoods, and the decline of fisheries resources due to overexploitation

from a large number of fishermen. Moreover, the communities also face the limitations in

accessing public information; such as the plan for the nuclear power plant construction that is

ongoing in their vicinity and the knowledge that sand mining (carried out for glass production)

can lead to more coastal erosion etc.

For seeking solutions to the above mentioned problems, local people and authorities are

working together focusing on spatial planning, building the capacity of the community, as well as

encouraging the involvement of each individual of Mai Root, especially the women. So far, there

have been many activities that Mai Root has been involved in, such as:

Natural resource management: A crab bank model, conservation of the coastal zone,

conservation of endangered species, and mangrove protection.

Livelihood improvement and diversification: Traditional massage, bakery, ecotourism

etc.

Promoting the participation of children and women in awareness-raising activities within

their commune as communication ambassadors.

Reviewing the current land use situation of the commune, coming up with their own

spatial planning suggestions, and seeking support from outside stakeholders (at the

district and provincial levels) to complete this plan.

Traditional massage initiative

Recognizing that sand mining exploitation could lead to the worsening of coastal erosion, the

women’s group of Mai Root suggested protecting the beaches from private mining companies.

The women actively proposed providing traditional massages in their beauty salon and spa as

an alternative livelihood activity. The massages use sand mixed with yogurt. With support from

the community authorities, a doctor from the provincial hospital was invited to provide a

massage skills training course for the women’s group. After the course, all women received a

certificate and they could operate the beauty shop and spa.

Any woman who would like to participate in this activity has to contribute 100 Baht to be a

shareholder. Currently, this model has attracted 70 women and their capital has gone up by

80,000 Baht. During the first year of its operation, this salon did not make any profits. But in the

second year, each invested 100 Baht received 8 Baht as revenue. Besides the traditional

massage activity, there is also a bakery group and a shrimp paste manufacturing group which

have been established under the strategic priority of livelihood diversification for the community.

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3.2.2 The community’s blue swimming crab bank model in Ban Klong Yai, Mai

Root Sub-district

Mai Root Sub-district is home to large blue swimming crab populations that provide high

economic returns to the community. However, a large proportion of the community relies heavily

on crab fishing for their daily income. Therefore, this marine resource has diminished

significantly.

The initiative of the crab bank came about with the simple step of taking the caught gravid crabs

and putting them into plastic containers until they release their eggs. Oxygen is supplied to each

container through an air aerator.

The eggs are then released back into the sea, and the mother crabs are sold in the market. The

money from selling the mother crab will be used to finance the electricity consumption from

operating the air aerator and for the community’s budget to support administrative work in the

village.

By following this crab bank model, Ban Klong Yai Village have been able to continue fishing for

juvenile crabs using this sustainable approach. The community confirmed that for each pregnant

crab there are one and a half millions eggs that can be returned to the ocean. The expected

survival ratio is about one third of the released eggs.

In order to operate this model, local pioneers have faced many difficulties, especially in

convincing the community to participate, the lack of finances, as well as limited technical

knowledge. However, the model has been established and has demonstrated its effectiveness

in increasing the crab population, so much so that people have voluntarily started contributing

gravid crabs to the bank.

Currently, there are several crab bank models that have been set up in the communes and

approximately 2,000 pregnant crabs have been released to the sea. This has been of

remarkable value to the community.

Photo 14: Vietnamese participants learnt about the blue

swimming crab bank in Ban Klong Yai Village

Photo 15: Gravid crab with grey eggs - the optimal

choice for this crab bank

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3.2.3 Community-based marine resource conservation activities in Laem Klad

Sub-district

Similar to the many communities living along the coastline, communities in Laem Klad Sub-

district are heavily reliant on aquatic resource exploitation for their incomes. The increase in

fishing boats using illegal fishing gears that travel near-shore and off-shore to capture fish

(mostly blue swimming crab), combined with climate change effects, have resulted in a

significant degradation of these marine resources

Photo 16: Floating buoys to demarcate the conservation zone in Laem Klad Sub-district

The fishery conservation group in Village #1 in Laem Klad was founded by a group of fisherman

in June 2010, aiming to increasing the crab population. Following this, the group focused on

conservation and rehabilitation of natural resources and livelihoods as well as food security. The

conservation work that the fishery conservation group has been pursuing so far includes: 1)

Developing artificial seagrass to create habitats for marine resources, 2) raising shrimp and fish,

3) establishing saving groups to fix fishing gears, and 4) establishing the women’s conservation

group.

In the start, the fishery conservation group faced challenges because the local community did

not understand the purposes of conservation. Therefore, they refused to cooperate with all

activities of the group. However, the fishery conservation group leader shared that its members

should be the village seniors, who have experience and the respect of the local people. “Take

action to demonstrate, instead of convincing or advocacy” is the approach that the fishery

conservation group has followed during the operation of the model. The increase in the

population of marine resources has illustrated the effectiveness of fishery conservation group’s

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work to commune members, and has received support from the government as well as the local

community.

3.2.4 T-fence sediment trap in Mou 5, Bang Chan Sub-district, Chanthaburi

Province

The local community in Bang Chan learned of

the T-fence sediment trap from their visit to

Soc Trang Province during the Second BCR

Coastal Forum held in 2013. This

demonstration model has been installed with

the local people’s efforts (including the

finances, provision of labour etc.), to test the

conformity of the T-fence model in the coastal

area of Bang Chan. Although this model has

just been installed in February 2014, it is

proving to be effective.

3.2.5 Oyster farming along brackish water bodies

Photo 18-19: Utilizing reused plastic bottles for oyster culture

On the way to the T-fence, there are many oyster cultivation farms along the water leading to

the open sea. Communities use a very simple technique to cultivate small-sized oysters along

the banks of the water body. Lots of reused plastic bottles are hung on a bamboo stick (each 1-

2 m long) as a substrate spot for oysters to attach themselves to and grow. The Vietnamese

participants said that this model is not popular in the Mekong Delta, but a large number of

households in Can Gio have applied the cement sheeting method. The approach using bottles

can be used to decrease the energy of waves leading to the reduction of erosion in estuaries.

Photo 11: T-fences adapted from Soc Trang, Viet Nam

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Can Gio participants stressed that oysters should be cultivated in deep water to prevent the

accumulation of sediment, otherwise the waterway will become too shallow.

3.2.6 Sustainable shrimp farming

Photo 20: The shrimp farm attracts many eagles in Bang Chan Sub-district. Chanthaburi in Thailand

A 36-hectare natural mangrove-shrimp farm of uncle Hao, a villager from hamlet Mou 2 in Bang

Chan Sub-district, is an illustration of sustainable shrimp farming that most impressed the

Vietnamese participants.

Uncle Hao has dedicated almost his whole life to the integrated shrimp farm located next to a

waterway connected to the open sea. A 32-year long experience with mangrove shrimp farming

has strengthened his capacity in raising shrimp with low risks, so that he can earn a stable

monthly income.

The mangrove trees in his shrimp farm have been thinning line-by-line. The mangrove strips are

designed in consonance with the direction of the wind, so that the wind can travel along them

and collect mangrove leaves on the banks of the pond. The concern raised by participants

during the discussion was whether the decomposition of mangrove leaves can impact the water

quality. Responding to this, the farm owner explained that he designed his shrimp farm with

three sluice gates and thinning mangroves in order to collect waste and leaves so as to

minimize water pollution.

Every month, water is pumped into the pond at high tide and the trapped shrimp flows out to the

water body during low tide. This pumping activity is carried out six times for one hour every

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month. The pumping of water also allows natural shrimp seeds to be disseminated and to clean

out the farm. The ratio of mangrove to water surface area is 40%:60%. The mangrove trees

inside the pond were more than 30 years old when uncle Hao moved to start this shrimp farm in

Bang Chan.

Every month, uncle Hao earns around US$1,300 – US$1,600 from selling shrimp, crab and fish.

The farm produces about 60 kg of shrimp sized at 100 gm/piece. Smaller shrimp can be made

into dried shrimp and sold at US$50 a kg. A crab weighing 700 gm/piece sells at US$21 a kg,

and a crab weighing 500 gm sells at US$15 a kg.

Uncle Hao confirmed that his integrated shrimp farm has not incurred any losses from disease,

while the opposite has happened everywhere outside of Bang Chan. The reasons for this are: 1)

The farm uses a completely natural system with small wild aquatic species and there is no

stock of fish, crab or shrimp in the pond; 2) the duration of pumping water in and out of the pond

is just 1 hour/time and 6 times/month; 3) the proper land designation of his farm with mangrove

cover creates a habitat for species; and 4) no dredging activities take place in the shrimp pond,

because this is believed to contribute to the acidification of the soil and cause water pollution.

3.2.7 Community participatory research on fixed set bag nets in Ban Rong Mai

The fixed set bag net is an effective fishing gear used for capturing a large number of aquatic

species from big to small size. The mouth of the bag net is stuck to a line of 4-8 fixed wooden

columns which are placed in the middle of water bodies and the net is dependent on tidal flows

to harvest fish. This type of fishing gear is considered illegal in Bang Chan Sub-district as well

as in other coastal areas of Thailand.

Communities in Bang Rong Mai are heavily reliant on near-shore fishing for their livelihoods,

especially the use of fixed set bag nets to harvest fish. This fishing practice has existed for a

long time, since the Chinese migrated to Bang Chan for settlement around 200 years ago. To

stop this illegal practice, the government has enacted law enforcement measures to remove and

destroy these fishing gears with the support of a police taskforce. However, by forcing the local

people to stop using fixed set bag nets without any advice for alternative livelihoods, this illegal

fishing practice is still existent in the area.

The local community, together with the Sustainable Development Foundation in Thailand (SDF),

has been working on developing research to learn about the impacts of fixed set bag nets on

the marine environment. This is a jointly conducted activity, with active participation of

communities, in order to seek academic information on their fishing practices. The results of this

study will be referred to, in order to find better approaches for sustainable fishing practices in

Bang Rong Mai and Bang Chan.

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4. Learning Analysis

Photo 21: Meeting with local community in Koh Kapik Community Protected Area

At the end of each day, written evaluation sheets revealed lessons learned and the impressions

of the Vietnamese delegation about climate change adaptation activities in Cambodia and

Thailand. The participants were asked to self-assess the efficiency of the models they saw as

well as their feasibility when applying them in Viet Nam. The following conveys a summary of

these assessments.

4.1 Community led natural resource

conservation and management

The first impression that the local communities in

Cambodia and Thailand gave to Vietnamese

participants is their active participation and

dedication to natural resource conservation and

management; especially for mangrove protection

and marine resource rehabilitation. In most of the

sites that were visited, all conservation activities—

ranging from establishing a conservation zone,

creating alternative livelihoods to mangrove-based Photo 22: Mr Doan Van Phuc of Ben Tre’s

DONRE

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ecotourism and conducting research—were initiated by the people.

Mr Doan Van Phuc, the Vice-Director of DONRE in Ben Tre said, “I was most impressed with

the high level of participation from the Trapeang Sangke Fishery Community Committee,

because they have been working on a voluntary basis without any requests for remuneration.

They are fishermen, but they think big and dedicate their work to the future generations. I take

this as an important lesson which we, as Viet Nam officers, have to consider in our work.”

Visiting the Koh Kapik CPA, members of the Can Gio Mangrove Management Board saw

similarities with their work in channel dredging, mangrove rehabilitation and mangrove-based

ecotourism. They also felt a deep admiration for the community volunteering their time and

efforts to collaborate with all stakeholders for management and protection of mangrove forests.

Similarly, the Ben Tre participants considered PKWS community-based ecotourism akin to the

co-management scheme applied in their province. Local communities participate in every step

of this model; from developing operations regulations to starting tourist services. However, the

capacity of local people to formulate guidelines and regulations by themselves is still limited.

The group from Ben Tre said, “This co-management benchmark should be applied not only for

tourism but also for mangroves, white clam seed beds and fisheries in Thanh Phu District”. They

added, “The eco-tourism model in Thanh Phong will be successful if local people of the

commune agree to participate consistently and receive support from all stakeholders. Currently,

local people in Thanh Phong still lack professional skills, the experience and the finances to

sustain such initiatives.” Mr Cao Van Viet from DARD in Ben Tre also mentioned an ongoing

establishment of a community-based ecotourism model in Thanh Phong commune, which has

been funded by Mangroves for the Future initiative (MFF) and the Mangroves and Climate

Change Project (MCC).

Mr Tran Thien Hien, a DARD officer

from Soc Trang, said this model can

only be successful if the local

communities are empowered in

marine resources management and

are engaged in the integrated coastal

management strategy of the province;

especially for the current mangrove-

based ecotourism plans in coastal

zones of Soc Trang. In other words,

natural resource management should

be a bottom-up rather than a top-down

approach. Sharing the same point of

view, Ms Tran Truong Nhu Y, Vice-

Head of Kien Giang Sub-Viet Nam

Administration of Seas and Islands

stated, “The model of mangrove-

based ecotourism is not new in Viet Photo 12: Mr Nguyen Huu Be of DARD in Ben Tre

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Nam, but the approach of a bottom-up or community-based establishment requires the

development of operations regulations by the local people. This has been exhibited well by

communities we have visited.”

All participants agreed that mangrove management and conservation and community-based

marine resource management in Cambodia and Thailand will be good references for applying to

their provinces in the near future. However, they also pointed out several limitations of these

models.

Mr Cao Van Viet commented on the roles of local government and other stakeholders such as

private companies, academic agencies, NGOs, international organizations in supporting the

conservation and livelihood activities at Trapeang Sangke Fishery Community. Such kind of

cooperation and external support will help sustain the project outcomes.

The lack of seedlings, labour and funds as well as unsuitable topography for planting

Rhizophora species are some of the challenges facing communities in Trapeang Sangke. The

suggestion from the Forest Protection Department (FPD) in Ben Tre and the Forest

Management Board (FMB) in Can Gio for mangrove plantation in Trapeang Sangke is that

communities should coordinate with local authorities and academic agencies to conduct studies

on coastal topography and dynamics in order to identify appropriate mangrove species for

cultivation. “Kien Giang is a good place located nearby to buy mangrove seeds”, said Nguyen

Huu Be of the FPD in Ben Tre.

In response to PKWS, based on their own experiences, the Can Gio FMB and Ben Tre FPD

proposed that the PKWS Management Board should consider thinning the mangrove forest strip

in order to create greater space for trees to grow better. Shrimp mangrove polyculture should be

considered for application in a good mangrove ecosystem such as PKWS. To reduce the

erosion in the area next to PKWS, Ben Tre participants shared that the Casuarina tree is an

appropriate species which can grow in the sandy area. However, Beach Morning Glory species

have to be planted first to stabilize the soil layers, and this will help Casuarina to stay strong

afterwards.

4.2 Sustainable fishing practices through crab banks

The crab bank is a model that generated considerable interest during the study tour, because

community members reported this has resulted in an increase in crab yield by four times in

Chang Hon village case. The Vietnamese participants believed that this model has high

potential for application in Viet Nam, and could be used for other gravid species besides crab in

coastal zones of Can Gio, Soc Trang and Kien Giang.

“This is a very good initiative which can be up-scaled to other parts of the coastline because of

its effectiveness in terms of economic and marine resource conservation”, said Mr Le Thanh

Sang of the FMB in Can Gio. He showed a great interest in the blue swimming crab

bank in Ban Klong Yai Village in Chanthaburi, Thailand.

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Ben Tre participants stressed the importance of outputs from the blue swimming crab

demonstration model. The evidence of DNA testing results and the increase in crab population

are the best ways to prove the benefits of this model to communities. “Through the proof of

benefits from conservation activities, local people will be inspired and happy to volunteer for

donating pregnant crabs”, commented Nguyen Huu Be of the FPD in Ben Tre.

Another participant from DARD Ben Tre added “This blue swimming crab model can be applied

to Ben Tre, but it can be used for giant freshwater prawn and mud crab because they are high

value species. The availability of pregnant mother crabs from August to October every year is

suitable for this model.”

Photo 134: Crab bank in Kampot, Cambodia

It has also been thought that the blue swimming crab bank in Chanthaburi, Thailand is more

efficient than that which is in Kampot, Cambodia in terms of the high survival rate of species

after the release of crab eggs into the sea. While participants saw the potential of applying the

same model, they also identified several challenges that may arise. According to participants

from Can Gio; budget limitations, different tidal dynamics, the lack of technical information, and

most importantly the low level of local people’s participation due to poor awareness will hinder

the success of this model. They commented, “The communities are not well qualified and they

lack ownership. They catch fish for their daily incomes, so it is hard to convince them to donate

pregnant crabs.” There is also no seagrass habitat for blue swimming crab in the coastal areas

of Ben Tre, Soc Trang and Can Gio.

Participants from DARD in Soc Trang added, “Currently, Soc Trang has three conservation

models; covering mud crab, giant freshwater prawn, and blue swimming crab banks operating in

the river mouths of Tran De and Cu Lao Dung districts. However, a cost-benefit study should be

undertaken to demonstrate economic efficiency, then these models can be upscaled to coastal

regions of Soc Trang.”

Participants also suggested that for increasing the survival rate of young crabs, crab eggs

should be reared for around 10-20 days in order for the baby crabs to become stronger, before

releasing them into seagrass beds.

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4.3 Sustainable polyculture under a mangrove canopy

Photo 145: Oyster culture in a mangrove forest in Bang Chan, Chanthaburi

After visiting a shrimp farm in Bang Chan Village in Chanthaburi, Thailand, participants

expressed their excitement on seeing a high eagle population and raised many questions about

the cultivation methods that the farmer uncle Hao applied in his shrimp farm. Soc Trang

participants shared that the most interested aspect was the farmer’s knowledge on growing

shrimp together with the mangrove forest, through the process of learning-by-doing. They were

particularly impressed that the farmer knew the optimal ratio between the mangrove and surface

water, and how mangrove strips should be designed to easily collect wastes and allow the wind

to come through.

Participants from Ben Tre mentioned that oyster farming and mangrove shrimp polyculture can

both be applied in their province. However, there will be difficulties to exactly copy the witnessed

models in Ben Tre, because of tidal characteristics as well as the shortage of small aquatic

species naturally found in the coastal area. Moreover, there is a policy enforcement of

maintaining 3:7 ratio of surface water to the mangrove area, therefore it is difficult to increase

the area under mangrove cultivation in shrimp farms.

4.4 Alternative livelihoods

Traditional massages and dried shrimp processing can be good examples of alternative

livelihoods for local communities.

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Ms Le Thi Mai of WU in Kien Giang really enjoyed the traditional massage services operated by

Mai Root’s women’s group in Trat, Thailand. She said, “I commend this model. It is one of the

most impressive alternative livelihood sources for women, because it does not just bring in an

income, but also contributes to natural resource protection by attempting to stop private sand

mining companies from operating in the commune.” Ms Mai added, “It is very important for the

local women to be empowered and to understand their rights as well as responsibilities. The

traditional massage model in Mai Root Sub-district is proof of integrated natural conservation

and livelihoods.”

Echoing Ms Mai’s thoughts, Ms Nguyen

Thi My Loan of the Soc Trang WU thought

that the traditional massage is a good

model for women’s alternative livelihoods.

However, she felt this is more suitable for

small-scale income generation. She also

shared her knowledge of the current

shrimp paste processing activities in Soc

Trang. While this is suitable for

communities in coastal areas, local

authorities or related stakeholders should

find ways to make this product acquire

greater visibility and popularity; such as

through advertisements and marketing

etc., and then upscale this to more coastal

communities.

The dried shrimp processing activity in Kampot also impressed participants. “This model is

suitable for small-scale production carried out by poor household groups at village-level,

because small fresh shrimps are available for processing. But the challenge is the lack of a

budget to build a solar drying house and a boiling house like the one in Chang Hon Village. We

need to seek support from the government, NGOs, or international organizations such as

IUCN”, said Mr Dao Xuan Nha, a District Officer from Hon Dat.

5. Recommendation and potential application in target provinces

The crab bank is a good model which can be applied not just to blue swimming crabs or crabs in

general, but also for other gravid species in coastal zones of Viet Nam. Currently, Soc Trang

has a giant freshwater prawn bank model which promises success. This model can be a

considered as a benchmark for observation for neighboring provinces.

Technical documents or guidelines on how to apply the crab bank and other marine raising

models should be provided to target provinces.

Photo 15: Mr Pham Huu Lai of DONRE in Soc Trang

enjoyed the traditional Thai massage.

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IUCN should diversify its benchmark models in the next study tour or provide other opportunities

for exchange visits, rather than just focusing on natural resource conservation and aquaculture

activities. If the opportunity is available, the Payment for Ecosystem Services PES) model

should be considered in this respect.

Photo 167: Participants discuss coastal erosion in Koh Kong, Cambodia

Conclusions

Overall, the study tour provided an overview of climate change adaptation at community-level

through intensive but informative sessions. Vietnamese participants were most impressed with

the high participation and engagement of the local communities in natural resource conservation

projects; especially mangrove protection and marine resource rehabilitation initiatives.

Most of the field sites, the initiatives for establishing conservation zones, alternative livelihoods

and mangrove-based ecotourism have been proposed by the communities using a ‘bottom-up’

approach. Local governments and NGOs are providing technical and financial support to carry

out their activities sustainably. The opposite situation of top-down approaches have been

observed in Viet Nam for a considerable period of time, therefore the “ownership” of the local

community is still weak.

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Most of the local people who participated in each model are volunteers. They have tried to attain

the involvement of stakeholders at all levels, such as local authorities and NGOs, in local

conservation activities with the vision to “do the best for future generations”.

The crab bank is a good model that most Vietnamese participants were interested in, because

local people confirmed that this led to the increase in crab yield by four times. This model can

be applied not just to crab, but also to other gravid species. The participants observed that dried

shrimp processing can potentially be applied at a smaller scale (for household groups) in the

coastal areas of Kien Giang, Soc Trang and Can Gio.

Combining mangrove protection with tourism is not a new concept. However, the ecotourism

initiative developed and run by local communities with limited technical knowledge and low

levels of education was a good lesson for the officers from Viet Nam.

It is very clear that strengthening local resilience for climate change impacts means reducing the

local community’s internal vulnerability. This is the key first step. In particular, looking for

alternative livelihoods can reduce the pressure on natural resources and provide solutions for

communities living along the coast. Linking the benefits of natural resource protection and

conservation to the actions of local people is an essential step for climate change adaptation.

Moreover, local communities in the Mekong Delta need to be empowered to manage and

protect natural resources, and this will in turn help to strengthen their ownership at local-level.

Community-based adaptation models in Cambodia and Thailand have inspired all the

Vietnamese delegates to generate new ideas and adapting these models to local contexts. After

this trip, the participants confirmed that adaptation activities should involve local communities as

the main actors using a bottom-up approach.

Amongst the number of lessons learned, these are some key points:

Natural resource conservation is not just the job of any particular organization, but it

should be carried out by every individual and stakeholder; ranging from the local people

to government agencies, NGOs, international organizations and religious groups.

Top-down and bottom-up approaches should be applied for any strategic planning such

as those which are climate change adaptation-related.

Strengthening local resilience through linking the community’s benefits to environmental

protection. In particular, local people can acquire benefits (improvement of their

livelihoods to strengthen resilience) from mangrove protection; such as mangrove-based

ecotourism combined with selling local products to tourists.

The shortcut to success in any local adaptation project is the cooperation and consensus

of the community, whereby the local people develop their own action plans and the

government provides support – a two way approach of combining both top-down and

bottom-up perspectives.

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Communication and advocacy activities which involve children and women as

communication conveyers are important for awareness-raising.

Cost-benefit analysis should be conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of

adaptation models. This research can generate baseline data, which can then serve as

the foundation for up-scaling the activities to wider regions.

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Annexes

Annex 1: Study tour schedule

Working schedule (23 February – 2 March, 2014)

Day 1: 23 February Viet Nam - Kampot, Cambodia

7:00 - 17:30 Ben Tre and Can Gio participants travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh and Kampot Province via Moc Bai Border

Soc Trang and Kien Giang participants travel from Soc Trang and Kien Giang province to Prek Chak-Ha Tien Border to Kampot Province

Day 2: 24 February Visit BCR sites in Kampot Province

7:30 - 10:30 Visit Chang Hon Fishery Community in Prek Thnot Commune, Teuk Chhou District Meeting with the Chang Hon Fishery Community Visit blue swimming crab bank, marine fish culture and the seagrass bed

10:30 - 11:30 Visit the shrimp processing facility

11:30 - 18:00 Leaving for the Trapeang Sangke Fishery Community Meeting with the Trapeang Sangke Fishery Community Discuss the mangrove nursery and mangrove plantation Visit mangrove-based ecotourism and mangrove protection

Day 3: 25 February Travel to Koh Kong Province

Day 4: 26 February Visit BCR sites in Koh Kong Province

8:00 - 11:00 Visit the Koh Kapik Community Protected Area in Koh Kapik commune Meeting with the Koh Kapik Community Protected Area and the commune councillors to discuss livelihoods, climate change issues and their needs, and intervention from IUCN and other stakeholders

11:00 - 12:00 Visit the site where channel dredging has taken place

12:00 - 13:30 Visit the coastal erosion area on the way back to the Peam Krasop mangrove ecotourism site

13:30 - 17:30 Meeting with the Peam Krasop Community Protected Area Committee and commune councillor on mangrove ecotourism management and mangrove restoration

Day 5: 27 February Trat Province, Thailand

8:00 - 9:30 Leaving for Trat Province via the Cambodia-Thailand border

10:00 -13:00 Meeting with the Mai Root Administrative Organisation/ Tambon and their strategic plan on climate change adaptation Discussing alternative livelihoods of women’s groups

Orientation on the BCR project in Thailand and an introduction to the study visit/logistical information

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14:00 - 20:00 Visit the traditional massage and spa – an alternative livelihood of the women’s group in Tambon Mai Root Visit the waste collection site and waste management approach in Mai Root Visit the community crab bank at Ban Klong Yai and see women’s alternative livelihood activities at Mou 3. Visit the mangrove-based ecotourism model (firefly tour by boat at night in Tambon Mai Root)

Day 6: 28 February Trat Province and Travel to Chanthaburi Province

6:30 - 11:00 Visit the community conservation activities by boat, including dolphin conservation and artificial seagrass

The Community Learning Centre at Tambon Leam Klad

Meeting with the women’s group to discuss their role in climate change adaptation

11:00 - 12:00 Leaving for Tambon Bang Chan, Chanthaburi province (By Boat at AUW Krapong)

13:00 - 18:00 Visit the T-fence sediment traps to address erosion in Mou 5

Visit the sustainable shrimp farm and discuss the benefit of the model with local communities

Day 7: 1 March Chanthaburi Province and Bangkok

8:30 - 12:00 Visit near-shore fishery and the conservation project addressing the conflict over fix trap fishing through participatory action research

Question-and-answer/wrap-up study trip visit in Thailand

13:00 - 19:00 Leaving for Bangkok and staying overnight in Bangkok

Day 8: 2 March Back Viet Nam

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Annex 2: List of participants

Study tour – participant list

No. Full

name Organization Position Location Contact details

1 Doan Van Phuc

Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE)

Deputy Director Ben Tre Province

[email protected]

+84 918219151

2 Truong Van Em

DONRE

Deputy Manager, Environmental Protection Agency

Ben Tre Province

[email protected]

3 Nguyen Hong Minh

Can Gio Mangrove Forest Management Board (MFMB)

Head, Administration Unit

Can Gio District, HCMC

[email protected]

+84909225526

4 Pham Van Quy

Can Gio MFMB

Deputy Manager, Department of Natural Resources Management and Development

Can Gio District, HCMC

[email protected]

+84986568264

5

Nguyen Tien Hung

Can Gio MFMB Head Can Gio District, HCMC

[email protected]

+84969496868

6 Le Thanh Sang

Can Gio MFMB

Technical Officer, Department of Natural Resources Management and Development

Can Gio District, HCMC

[email protected]

+84979567258

7 Doan Tuan Duy

IUCN Volunteer

IUCN Ho Chi Minh Project Office

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8 Pham Huu Lai

DONRE

Manager, Department of Marine Resources

Soc Trang Province

[email protected]

+84913983095

9 Luu Viet Son

Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD)

Manager, Department of Planning

Soc Trang Province

10 Tran Thien Hien

DARD

Manager, Aquatic Resources Exploitation and Protection Agency

Soc Trang Province

+84908000035

11

Nguyen Thi My Loan

Women's Union Head, Education and Advocacy Unit

Soc Trang Province

[email protected]

+84974169416

12 Trinh Kieu Nhien

DARD

Head, Department of Aquatic Resources Management. Aquatic Resources Exploitation and Protection Agency

Soc Trang Province

[email protected]

+84949770053

13 Thach Son

Vo Thanh Van Commune

Community Representative

Soc Trang Province

+841698872258

14

Tang Van Be

Van Ho Commune Community Representative

Soc Trang Province

+84976393817

15

Dang Van Khoi

Mo O Hamlet, Trung Binh Commune People's Committee

Secretary of Mo O Hamlet

Soc Trang Province

+841688185422

16

Tran Tri Vien

DONRE Deputy Director Kien Giang Province

[email protected]

+84949 77 6868

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17 Tran Truong Nhu Y

DONRE

Deputy Manager, Provincial Department of Viet Nam Administration Sea and Islands

Kien Giang Province

[email protected]

+84939 29 1001

18 Le Thi Mai

District’s Women’s Union

Head, District Women's Union

Hon Dat District, Kien Giang Province

[email protected]

+84913 17 6833

19 Nguyen Tin

DARD

Hon Dat-Kien Ha Forest Management Board

Kien Giang Province

[email protected]

+84919181649

20 Le Tien Commune People’s Committee

Chairman Kien Giang Province

[email protected]

+84918 00 6151

21 Dao Xuan Nha

District’s DARD Head, Agriculture Division

Hon Dat District, Kien Giang Province

[email protected]

+84919 0555 33

22

Nguyen Phuoc Hai

Provincial People’s Committee

Specialist Ben Tre

Province

979979265

23 Cao Van Viet

DARD

Deputy Director

Ben Tre Province

913125696

24

Tiet Kiem Chieu

DARD

Deputy Manager, Technical Department

Ben Tre Province

918618326

25

Nguyen Huu Be

Forest Protection Department

Deputy Manager Ben Tre

Province

913125682

26

Nguyen Thanh Lap

Forest Management Board

Deputy Director

Ben Tre Province

917458139

27

Hoang Quoc Minh

Aquaculture Department

Deputy Manager

Ben Tre Province

1253969799

28 Tran Tan Cong

Binh Dai District People’s Committee

Vice Chairman

Ben Tre Province

918217023

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29

Nguyen Van Nghi

Ba Tri District People’s Committee

Vice Chairman Ben Tre

Province

918166671

30

Lam Van Tan

Thanh Phu District People’s Committee

Vice Chairman Ben Tre

Province

944075886

31

Tang Phuong Gian

IUCN BCR Field Coordinator

HCMC [email protected]

32

Nguyen Thu Trang

IUCN Administration and Finance Assistant

HCMC [email protected]

33

Nguyen Thi Phuong Thanh

IUCN BCR Field Coordinator

HCMC [email protected]

34

Le Thi Thanh Thuy

IUCN Programme Assistant

Ha Noi [email protected]

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Annex 3: Evaluation Form

Cambodia – Thailand Study Tour: Cross-border Learning of

Community-based Coastal Resilience Building

Evaluation Report

Date: ……./……/2014 Location:

Full name:

Position/Organization:

1. Could you please briefly describe models you have visited and the content of

discussions with local communities?

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2. From your point of view, do you think those benchmark models are efficient in

term of economic aspects, improving local people income, supporting natural

resources protection as well as environmental sustainability? If yes, please

provide an explanation.

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3. What was most impressive during your day?

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4. Are there any new initiatives/models that you have learned? If yes, please

provide a short description.

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5. Do you have any ideas on applying these benchmarks in your province? If yes,

please share the feasibility, advantages and challenges that may arise when

implementing it in the area.

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6. Other recommendations and suggestions.

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Thank you!

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Annex 4: Photos

Pre-meeting to prepare for the trip

First meeting in Chang Hon Village in Kampot, Cambodia

The solar shrimp drying facility

The mangrove nursery garden in Trapeang Sangke

Presenting Viet Nam’s specialties to the community in

Trapeang Sangke

Meeting the community in Trapeang Sangke

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Meeting in a local pagoda with the Koh Kapik Community in

Cambodia

Visiting the dredged channel in the Cambodian mangrove forest

Meeting with the community in Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary

Presenting Viet Nam’s specialties to the local people

Meeting with local authorities in Mai Root, Trat

Visiting the landfill site in Mai Root

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Visiting the conservation zone by boat in Laem Klad

Meeting with the community in Laem Klad, Thailand

A homestay in Bang Chan, Chanthaburi, Thailand

Fisherman carrying out oyster culture

Page 46: Cambodia–Thailand study tour

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR

CONSERVATION OF NATURE

IUCN Asia Regional Office

63 Soi Prompong

Sukhumvit 39

Wattana - 10110,

Bangkok, Thailand

Tel: +66 2 662 4029

www.iucn.org/asia