Watershed Baseline Survey An Example from the Krong Ana Watershed, Dak Lak Province, Viet Nam

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1 Chapter : Watershed Assessment 1 Module 4: Planning Case Study Watershed Baseline Survey An Example from the Krong Ana Watershed, Dak Lak Province, Viet Nam A. Background The southern Krong Ana watershed (SKAW) in Viet Nam s Dak Lak province (see figure 1) has been identified as a pilot area for watershed management by the MRC / GTZ Watershed Management Project. A baseline study was conducted from July to September 2006 to establish a watershed profile, with the objective of providing information for the measurement of the impacts of natural resources management on water resources. Figure 1: Location and Administrative Map of the Southern Krong Ana Watershed The baseline survey was conducted by five local specialists, who each prepared a sector specific report in water management, socio-economics, land management and agriculture, forest management and agro-forestry, as well as mapping and GIS. They were assisted by an international expert, who was also responsible for compilation of the overall baseline study. Most of the data related to the socio-economic and biophysical conditions was collected from already existing sources of information such as district and commune statistics and from the reports and documentation of international donor projects. Field surveys and village investigations were conducted in different villages of Krong Bong and Lak districts to verify the information that was gathered from secondary data sources. During the field surveys various participatory methods and tools were applied, including interviews, questionnaires, group discussions and forest walks. Land use and vegetation cover was

2 Chapter : Watershed Assessment 2 identified by satellite image interpretation based on Spot 5 panchromatic images from 2005, and verified through field checks. B. Results of the Baseline Survey The SKAW covers an area of 155,200 ha and is located in the districts of Krong Bong and Lak (see figure 1). It consists of five sub-catchments, which drain from the high mountain region in the south towards the Krong Ana River in the north. Socio-economics: The total population of the watershed is approximately 119,000 persons and with an average population density of 76.7 people per km 2, the area is quite densely populated, especially in the flat areas along the Krong Ana and the Krong Bong Rivers (see figure 2). Most of the people, amounting to 88.9 %, live in rural areas, and Krong Kmar and Lien Son are the only two towns, which are inhabited by 11.1 % of the watershed s population. The area s population growth has been fairly high, averaging at 3-4 % per year during the period from 1996 until Many people, including the Kinh and other ethnic minorities immigrated from the north into the SKAW from as a result of the Government s programme of relocating the population to economic zones. Additionally the unregulated immigration of ethnic minorities into the SKAW is currently an ongoing activity. Figure 2: Population Density Map of the Southern Krong Ana Watershed The living standard is comparatively low, as 36.7 % of the households have been categorised as poor, with a monthly income of less than 200,000 Vietnamese Dong (VND). Apart from the remote settlements in the mountainous region, most households have access to electricity, the public media, primary schools and basic health facilities. More than ninety percent of the population is farmers; they cultivate annual crops such as rice (irrigation systems in the lowlands and upland rice in the mountainous region) and

3 Chapter : Watershed Assessment 3 maize, as well as perennial crops such as coffee, cashews and fruit trees. Due to a lack of investment capital agricultural productivity has remained low and soil fertility has been decreasing. The poor condition of many of the irrigation constructions has also contributed to the low productivity. As the area of suitable agricultural land is limited, people have started to cultivate on steep slopes and hilltops with resulting negative impacts on the environment. Agroforestry systems and animal husbandry have therefore become increasingly important land use systems. Most of the rural population, and particularly poor households and ethnic minority groups depend on the forest for their livelihoods. The collection of non timber forest products (NTFPs) is part of their daily lives which includes firewood, bamboo shoots, bamboo sticks, rattan, as well as food and wild meat for their own consumption and for sale. The main problems affecting the local people consist of a lack of agricultural land, inadequate knowledge of alternative agricultural production systems, such as perennial crops and agro-forestry as well as a lack of capital to invest in the improvement of agricultural production techniques (i.e. improved varieties and fertilisers). They also lack the capability of further processing agricultural products and have inadequate marketing skills and opportunities. Furthermore there is a lack of alternative income sources and an absence of off-farm employment. By 2005 a total of 17,240 ha of land had been allocated to local people. This consisted of mainly agricultural land and a total of 31,057 land certificates were issued. A further 22,900 ha of land were allocated to local organisations, which included the issuing of 38 land certificates. Land allocation has also created some conflicts, particularly when land allocated to organisations such as state forest enterprises, as special use forest for the purpose of nature conservation, was at variance with the land request of people living in these areas. Indigenous ethnic people consider the ownership of land in terms of it belonging to the community or the clan. However, so far village communities have not been considered as legal entities for land allocation, and the allocation to individuals has created a lot of disputes and conflicts. The generally poor quality of land use plans has also been a constraint in land allocation. Bio-physical environment: The SKAW is characterised by two major types of landscapes that influence the natural resources and socio-economy of the basin: granite mountains with basement shale and river valleys with alluvial deposits. Elevation ranges from the river valleys at 400 m a.s.l. in to the highest mountains at about 2,442 m a.s.l. The total annual rainfall ranges from 1431 mm to 1963 mm depending on the location, and on average % of the rainfall occurs in the rainy season, which lasts from May to November. Acrisols are the dominating soil type in the SKAW covering 85 % of the area, in comparison to Gleysols and Fluvisols which are mainly found along the rivers and in the valleys covering 6.3 % and 2.8 % respectively. The distribution of land use in the SKAW according to sub-catchments is illustrated in the land use map (see figure 3). Agricultural land 1 constitutes 122,357 ha or 78.8 % of the SKAW, of which 27,111 ha are used for agricultural production while 95,219 ha are forestlands. 5,770 ha or 3.7 % are non agricultural land 2, with the largest proportion (2,732 1 Agricultural land includes land for agricultural production (for annual and perennial crops), forestry land (forestland for production, protective forests and particular use forestland), land for aquaculture and land for salt as well as other agricultural land. 2 Non-agricultural land includes residential land (rural and urban), particular use land (offices, office facilities, natural defense and security purposes and public welfare purposes), land for religions and beliefs, land for cemeteries and graveyards, streams and rivers, as well as other non-agricultural land.

4 Chapter : Watershed Assessment 4 ha) consisting of water bodies and 863 ha being covered by residential areas. The percentage of wasteland in the area is fairly high at 17.4 %. However, most of the wastelands 3 are located in the mountainous areas and are unsuitable for agricultural production. There was a considerable change in land use within the watershed from 1995 until The agricultural land area increased from 8,200 ha in 1995 to 18,900 ha in On the other hand the area under forest cover decreased by 16,400 ha which is more than one and a half times higher than the increase in agricultural land. The area of wastelands also increased dramatically, as 17 % of the SKAW was unused wastelands in 2005, consisting mainly of scrubby vegetation. Besides the changes in land use, another major problem has been the ongoing process of forest degradation as primary and closed forests have been degraded to medium and open forest or even scrublands. In total 30.3 % of the area is suitable for the generation of various agricultural products. The remaining area (except for water bodies or rocks) can be considered as suitable for forest cover. Figure 3: Land Use Map of the Southern Krong Ana Watershed Fifty percent of the vegetation cover is formed by evergreen broadleaved forest of various conditions. Grass and scrubland together with bare and regenerating forests cover 17 % of the SKAW, whilst pine and bamboo forests cover 6 % and 5 % respectively. Altogether about 33,700 ha are classified as production forests, which are mainly managed by two state forest enterprises. The timber exploitation rate has been fairly low due to the comparatively poor condition of the forests, as on average about 6,000 m 3 of timber was produced from 2001 to 2005, which corresponds to about 0.2 m 3 /ha. 3 Wasteland includes unused flat land, unused hill / mountains and rocky mountains without forests.

5 Chapter : Watershed Assessment 5 Plantation forestry has become increasingly important and state forest enterprises (SFE) have started to invest considerably in the afforestation of bare land, planting mainly Eucalyptus, Acacia and Melia. In many cases plantations have been established in collaboration with the local population based on a benefit-sharing scheme. There are plans to establish about 3,800 ha of new plantations by Both of the districts have designed a programme to support local farmers in establishing small-scale plantations on the degraded land. This is supported by national funds from the 5 million ha reforestation programme. There are about 45,000 ha of special use forests which cover 30 % of the SKAW, consisting of the Chu Yang Sin National Park, the Lake Lak Historical, Cultural and Environmental Conservation Area and the Nam Ka Conservation Area. Besides the main objective of nature conservation they have also increasingly focused on the development of eco-tourism. The SFEs and the management boards of the conservation areas cooperate with the local population to protect forests and this is based on forest protection and management contracts 4. Fishing and aquaculture also play a significant role in the SKAW. Lake Lak with an area of about 500 ha, is particularly rich in valuable fish species such as ca thac lac, hemibagrus, snakehead, anabas and edible snails, making it the biggest fish resource in the study area. However the numerous rivers and steams within the SKAW abound with fish varieties. Besides fishing in natural waters, it is common for individual households to breed fish in water reservoirs and small fishponds. Fish production decreased between 2003 and 2005 mainly due to over fishing and the destructive methods of fishing. The SKAW is rich in water resources and water management has become a serious issue. Unfortunately information regarding water quality and quantity is very limited as the Giang Son hydrological measurement station is only one in operation. Although there are greater numbers of meteorological stations, they mostly only measure temperature and rainfall and almost all of them are located in the lowlands. There is a lack of scientific based information concerning important issues such as surface run-off, soil erosion and sedimentation, water pollution, as well as the occurrence of floods and droughts. Additionally the information that is available is mainly based on the results of hydrological models or small scale experiments or on the observations of local authorities. This has created a lack of information, regarding the measurement of impacts of natural resources management on water. The water flow highly fluctuates in the SKAW as it is determined by the amount of rainfall. However, due to the plentiful water resources in the area, which originate from the forested mountains in the south, there rarely are water shortages, even in the dry spells. The water quality is comparatively good and only very low levels of herbicides and pesticides have been found. As there is no industry in the region there is an absence of industrial waste in the streams. However, some micro-organic pollutants have been recorded as all the sewage and wastewater from local household s drains into the rivers. In general, the river network s water quality is suitable for irrigation and agriculture but purification is necessary before human consumption. Drinking water originates from wells and springs or rainwater is collected in tanks. Irrigated agriculture, mainly in the form of rice and coffee production, is of great importance in the SKAW. Altogether there are 36 irrigation schemes, out of which 14 are reservoirs and 22 are weirs. About 5,000 ha have been designed for irrigated agriculture but in fact only 50 % of this area is actually irrigated, because a large number of the irrigation constructions, especially those built before 1995, are in a bad condition. 4 The local population annually receive 50,000 VND per ha for the protection of up to 30 ha of forest land.

6 Chapter : Watershed Assessment 6 One of the major problems for water management is the change in land use, particularly in respect of the conversion of forest land into agricultural fields and continued forest degradation. The cultivation of steep slopes and hill tops as well as in-adequate agricultural production techniques have particularly led to an increase in soil erosion, surface run-off and loss in soil fertility. These observations have been made by the local authorities and have also been backed up by hydrological model calculations and smallscale experiments. The demand on water resources has increased in line with a growing population and a rise in the standard living. Furthermore, a considerable amount of irrigation water is being lost because of the bad condition of the irrigation system. Whilst so far this has not caused a problem in the water supply in years with normal conditions as a result of the abundant water resources, there have already been water shortages in prolonged periods of drought as well as losses in agricultural production. Suggested fields of intervention: Reduce poverty through an increase in agricultural production. This will require an improved access to investment capital, improved knowledge and skills and the diversification of agricultural production systems. Further requirements are improved marketing conditions, the processing of agricultural products, improvements in NTFP collection and marketing and the development of handicraft production. Reduce destructive land management systems on steep slopes by supporting the introduction of small scale tree plantations, agro-forestry systems, contour line ploughing, terracing and the establishment of hedge rows. Upgrade irrigation constructions in order to fully utilise the potential irrigation areas. Halt further forest degradation by supporting sustainable forest management systems, especially in forest areas that have been allocated to local people. Reforest wastelands and increase timber production through the establishment of timber plantations. Establish hydro-meteorological measurement stations in order to measure the hydrological impact of watershed management interventions. References and Sources for Further Reading [1] Schindele, W. et. al. 2006: The Southern Krong Ana Watershed, Dak Lak Province, Vietnam. A Baseline Survey. MRC / GTZ Watershed Management Project (WSMP). Consultancy Report. [unpublished]