Environmental research

Thua Thien Hue, a central province of Vietnam, is the place which suffers from effects of natural disaster. It reduces the protection quantity and ecology of mangrove forest as well as reducing the quantity and quality of agricultural eco-system. It also threatens directly to property and people life. The way to conserve and use resources sustainably, limit the damage caused by natural disaster sand climate change is not only authorities responsibilities but also all people. This project is prepared to build community models to adapt to climate change by conserving, exploiting and using sustainably and integrating natural resources in Huong Phong commune, Huong Tra district, Thua Thien Hue province. Active role of local people is one of prerequisites that can solve problems and improve capacity on preparedness, prevention and adaption to the impacts of climate change. This role can be achieved by (1) Improving capacity for local authority and people on natural resources synthesized management to adapt to climate change. (2) Building community-based models of managing and using natural resources sustainably to adapt to climate change; (2.1) Conserving and developing of mangrove forest and salinity land to limit disaster and developing aquaculture in a sustainable way; (2.2) Contributing to prevent land degradation due to saltwater intrusion by testing conversed species models, model structure and methods of cultivation of agricultural production; (2.3) Developing community eco-tourism to vary local household income based on conserving, using and exploiting mangrove forest and native culture; and (3) Documenting, evaluating, summarizing experiences and recommending local authority and people on related issues in order to widen these models to similar sites in Thua Thien Hue in specific and Central Vietnam in general. Long-term objective of the project: Strengthening local capacity in adapting to climate change by building community-based models of natural resources synthesized management in Huong Phong commune, Huong Tra district, Thua Thien Hue province. Specific Objectives: 1. Improving capacity for local authority and people on natural resources synthesized management to adapt to climate change. 2. Building community-based models for managing and using natural resources sustainably to adapt to climate change. - To contribute to conserving & developing of mangrove forest and salinity land to limit disaster and developing aquaculture in a sustainable way. - To contribute to preventing land degradation due to saltwater intrusion through trials and summarize the experience of alternative models of local salt-resistant rice cultivation with freshwater fish and fisheries. - To contribute to promoting the use of local salt-resistant rice species by restoring some rice species in order to improve quality and productivity leading to conserving agricultural bio-diversity. - To develop community eco-tourism to vary local household income based on conserving, using and exploiting mangrove forest and native culture. 3. Documenting, evaluating, summarizing experiences and recommending local authorities and people on related issues of climate change in agricultural production based on the project models.

Vietnam