BUILDING RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE COASTAL SOUTHEAST ASIA PROJECT

Transcription

1 BUILDING RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE COASTAL SOUTHEAST ASIA PROJECT VULNERABILITY AND CAPACITY ASSESSMENTIN THANH HAI AND THANH PHONG COMMUNES, THANH PHU DISTRICT, BEN TRE PROVINCE SUMMARY REPORT July 2012

2 1. Background 1.1. Objectives and methods On June12-15, 2012, a Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA) workshop was carried out in two coastal communes: Thanh Hai and Thanh Phong in Thanh PhuDistrict, Ben Tre Province. The VCA aims to determine the area s vulnerability to the impacts of both climate change and nonnatural factors,and theability of local people to adapt to these impacts. Through the VCA, adaptation optionsareidentified as the basis for preparing action plans for short, medium, and longterm adaptation plans. The methods and tools used for running VCAs in BCR s fourfocal provinces (Ben Tre, Soc Trang, and Kien Giang Provinces and Can Gio District, HCMC) were adapted from the Sustainable Development Foundation (SDF) in Thailand. Findings from the situation analyses of these focal provinces and advice from local officials were also used as input to the VCA. The VCA was organized in twoparts: Two daysof classroom training on the concepts and tools for the VCAteam. The team included three IUCN staff and 25 people from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE), Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), Women's Union, the Natural Resources and Environment Office of Thanh Phu District, and representatives of the commune people s committees and villages. Two days of fieldwork in Thanh Hai and Thanh Phongwhere the participants apply the tools that they learned during the classroom training. The field work took place invillage 8 in Thanh Hai, and in Villages 6 and7 in Thanh Phong. These were selected based on the situation analysis and consultations with local officials. PRA methods were used to gatherinformation from the local people. Eighty-three interviewees were selected from these three villages and divided into four thematic groups. The group discussions were guided by the VCA team members. Each group covered a different topic: Group 1: used season calendar and 6W2H information collection tools to determine the annual cycle of subsistence activities, the climate characteristics, and the incidence and effects of extreme weather phenomena. Group 2: used vulnerability matrix to identify and rank correlations between climate and nonclimate factors to livelihoods, natural resources, and land use. Group 3: used SWOT analysis to assess the adaptation capacity of local people, including their internal strengths and weaknesses and external threats and opportunities in the context of climate change. Group 4: used Venn diagrams to identify key actors in local development and climate change adaptation. The relationshipsbetween organizations and individuals were captured. Village risk mapswere drawn by local people to identify the present and potential risks that they face under impacts of climate change. In addition to thesetopics, the VCA teamsconducted a survey of local people on current and potential local climate change adaptation models. At the end of the group discussion, each group nominated a representative (who also played the role of group leader during the group discussion)to present the results to the other groups. Eighty-three villagersparticipated in the open discussion. Government officials facilitate the discussions and encouraged the participants to share their concerns and points of view. Through participatory approaches, local experience in managingnatural resources was captured. Participatory approaches also helped to build local capacity necessary toimplement activities that will emerge from the VCA.

3 1.2. General site information Thanh Hai and Thanh Phong are adjacent communes located on the coast 70 km to the southeast of Ben Tre City.They have a total of 1,600 hectares of mangrove forest. With 8km of coastline in Thanh Hai and 12 km in Thanh Phong, they include large areas ofmudflats interlaced with rivers that are an importance source of seafood. In particular, the Ben Tre white clam, a local specialty, is famous throughout Vietnam. Clam culture and collection play a very important role in the livelihoods of thousands of coastal people. VCA locations in Thanh Hai and Thanh Phong Communes, Thanh Phu District Village 8 has 7,978 inhabitants (mostly Kinh) in 2,183 households and a poverty rate of 13.3%.The village has115hectares of land, of which agricultureaccounts for 40 hectares. Villages 6 and 7 cover 2,000 hectares. 100% of the population is Kinh and the poverty rate isover 20% in both villages. 2. Assessment findings 2.1. Vulnerability Sensitivity Livelihoods Non-rice farming, which employs over 50% of the labor force, is very important inall three villages. The main crops are watermelon, yam bean (Pachyrrhizuserosus), peanuts, and sweet potatogrown on the sand dunes. The second most important sector is aquaculture. The most common models are extensive shrimp-crab farming under Rhizofora mangrove forests, intensive shrimp farming, and blood cockle culture along the river banks. Most of the VCA participants are members of the Thanh Loi, Binh Minh, or Thanh Phong clam cooperatives. Near-shore fishingis also practiced. All of these sectors are highly sensitive to natural andnon-natural factors, including: In 2011 and 2012, high temperatures in the four first months of the year led to mass mortality of blood cockles. Water in rivers and canals that polluted by runoff from intensive shrimp farms was another factor contributing to high mortality. Highertemperatures, stronger waves, and unstable tidal beds have been associated with mass mortality of white clams.

4 Higher tides, storms, and heavy rains (especially in the southeast monsoon season) have eroded sand bars and agricultural land. This pattern of erosion started with Typhoon Linda in 1997and has become more intense. Floods caused by heavy rains and high tides often occur in August- December. These damage crops, block transport, and pollute water. Clam seed production and clam and oyster culture along the river banks have been seriously affected non-nature factors such as poor aquaculturezoning, inappropriate government policies, unstable market prices, and limited local capacity to adopt new aquaculture techniques. Illegal conversion of mangrove forest to shrimp pond and poor shrimp farming practices (and inadequate government assistance) hasled to disease and mass mortality eventually. Vegetable farming has had to face highly unstable market prices. For example, in 2012, yam beans sold for VND2,000-3,000/kg and still lack of buyers, compared VND6,000/kg in Lack of capital limits the ability of farmers to diversify their livelihoods. Natural resources Coastal erosion as a result of sea level rise, high tides, storm surges, and heavy rains have had a big impact on natural resources. According to the VCA, Village 8 has suffered landslidesevery year since 1997, mainly along the estuary and coast. In Villages6 and 7, salt water intrusion is a major problem. Under the influence of high tides, this has resulted in a shift in ecosystems along the river bank from brackish to saline and a change in crop selection.combined with higher temperature, salt water intrusion has forced farmers to overexploit groundwater to irrigate crops on sand dunes. This will inevitably resultin the exhaustion of the aquifer in the absence of any control measures. The depletion of groundwater is a growing fear among farmers. Clam seed beds along the coast from Thanh Hai to Thanh Phong have suffered badly from higher temperatures. Landuse Little information on land use was collected by the VCA because it is considered a sensitive issue by local government.much of the land along the coast under crops and aquaculture has not been approved by local government.several hundred households have illegallysettled on land and refuse to return it to the government for other uses (e.g., mangrove plantation or land for the poor).this is a source of conflict between local people and government. (This problem occurs in other provinces. Generally speaking, land tenure isa sensitive matter and subject to many often contradictory opinions. As a result, the provincial governments have recommended that the VCAs should not address them.) Theillegal conversion or reclamation of coastal landto shrimp ponds, pumping sand onto coastal flats togrow crops, and theunsustainable use of groundwater are serious threats to coastal ecosystems Exposure Natural factors Thanh Hai and Thanh Phong are coastal and estuarine communes and are highly exposed to storms, high tides, saline intrusion, flooding, etc. Non-natural factors Non-natural factors include unstable prices for agricultureand aquacultureproducts, inappropriate government policiesin the areas of bank financing and agricultural extension, and insecure tenure especially for the productive land beyond the seadikes Local organisations The Women s Union and the Farmer s Association are the two most important organisationswith an influence onlivelihood activities.government agencies such as the Forest Protection Department, Aquatic Resource Protection Department, Flood and the Storm Prevention Committee often work

5 in the area but their communications with local people on climate change risks and adaptation options is unclear. As a result, local people have had to motivate themselves and have formedgroupswith specific functions. Group members support each other in raising funds, sharing farming techniques, and establishing their own commodity supply chains and markets,for example on yams. There is an opportunity to strengthen these organizations to more effectively support their members in livelihood developmentand climate change resilience. BCR will cooperate with the Farmer s Association and Women s Union, which are best placed to support these local groups. 3. Recommendations This section identifies actions proposed by local people that are consistent with BCR s focusecosystem-based adaptation: 1. Establish locallymanagedmangrove belts that allow households to participate in mangrove planting and management, and shrimp and crab collection on Con Cao (High Island) and in Village 7.At its simplest, this would involve government allocating mangrove forests to individual households and allowing them to benefit from it. Once such arrangements are in place, it is hoped that farmers will adapt to sea level rise by strengthening dikes and planting more trees along the Tu Giup canal to stop sea water overflowing into their shrimp ponds, thereby reducing the impact of high tides and flooding on crops behind the mangrove belt. 2. Cooperate with the Women s Union and DONRE to establish networks of community communicators.the Women s Union should regularly organize training courses to equip these communicators with knowledge about climate change, exchange ideas on crop cultivation, livestock rearing, household micro-economic management, etc. and through these networks communicateinformation on climate change adaptation options. 3. Finance livelihoodimprovements through revolvingloans. 4. Collaborate with the Agricultural Extension Center and the Farmer s Association to provide training on crops and livestock, share models that can cope with more variable weather conditions, and diversify livelihoods to reduce dependence on what local people consider to be a declining natural resource base. 5. Pilotmodelsof forestplantation onsandy andclay-sandysoilsthat cancope withrapid erosion ofsand banks. 6. Because local water sources are contaminated by salt water, local communities need helpaccessing clean water.one solution is to build a family-scale water treatment facilityusinglocalfiltrationmaterials to reduceinvestment costs.sanitarylatrinesare also needed to reduceorganicpollutionof riversandcanals. 7. Appropriatezoningfor crops and aquaculturetoensure that groundwateris not overexploited orcontaminated by salt water. The rapid expansion of fruit and vegetable farming on sand dunes has greatly increased groundwater use. Local people need advice on sustainable extraction levels. In addition, the mass conversion from rice to shrimp has resulted in salt water contamination of the fresh water channels. 8. Introduce commune-level models to farm high-value aquatic species, e.g., swimming crabs and mud crabs. 9. Align the interests oflocal peoplewithmangrove conservationthroughhistory-based tourism, seatours, and recreation based on the landscapes of thethanh Phu WetlandNature Reserve.