International Symposium on Integrated Coastal Management for Marine Biodiversity in Asia, January 14-15, 2010, Kyoto, Japan

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1 Understanding the role of NGO in biodiversity conservation through WWF efforts on MPA development in Vietnam Tham Thi Ngoc Diep Marine Programme, WWF Greater Mekong - Vietnam Programme diep.thamngoc@wwfgreatermekong.org Vietnam is a major maritime country in the Southeast Asia and rich in coastal and marine biological resources which are of high ecological and economic importance. However, there are increasing evidences of the degradation of coastal and marine biodiversity due to unsustainable exploitation of resources, destruction of habitats, and degradation of the quality of coastal and marine environment. Marine protected area (MPA) has been considered as an effective approach to conserve biodiversity. WWF has been active worldwide to promote the development of MPAs. In Vietnam, MPA is now not a new concept but it has not been easy to get to the point and there are more to do. WWF Vietnam has developed ways for the advancement of MPA and biodiversity conservation: awareness raising, advocacy for conservation, building capacity of MPA practitioners, strengthening management and monitoring, etc. This paper presents how WWF Vietnam was involved in the process of MPA development to provide a more understanding of the roles that a NGO can play in biodiversity conservation. WWF was one of the first international non-government organisations to work in Vietnam. WWF s efforts in marine conservation in Vietnam dates back to the early 1990s. Currently, MPA is one of the Vietnam s key marine programme components. MPA work focuses on: establishing and implementing of a network of ecologically representative, well-managed MPAs, improving the management of existing MPAs, and reducing the external threats, such as human activities and climate change to MPAs. This paper presents WWF efforts for the development of MPAs in Vietnam with regard to overall policy framework development at national level and integrated activities at a specific MPA site - Con Dao National Park. MPA work at national level: Advocating and policy development for MPA In mid 1990s, WWF together with national scientists conducted a series of marine biodiversity surveys in Vietnam. Taking part in the Vietnam component of the joint implemented project on environmental management coastal and marine in the South China Sea funded by ADB in late 1990s, WWF involved the governmental officials, institutes and other NGOs in intensive researches and data collection to develop a database of marine protected areas and nature reserves for various management purposes and to analyze opportunities and constraints for MPA development in Vietnam. A national plan for MPA was develop by the project but it was not formally approved. However, the project raised great attention from the government on the issue of MPA development and management, and the essential need for development of legal and policy framework and building institutional capacity for MPA development. Advocacy work for MPA continued to be conducted by WWF to influence policy and decision-makers. In 2003, Ministry of Fisheries was officially assigned with the responsibility for overall management of MPAs and since then WWF worked closely with the ministry as key partner providing technical assistance in policy development and 83

2 international cooperation. MPA administration body at central and provincial levels was regulated in Fisheries Law in 2005 and some concrete policies and regulations on MPA establishment and management plan development were issued. A proposed network of 15 MPAs is not yet officially approved but it has been taken into account in program of actions of the ministry. Providing technical inputs for MPA legal framework development With new and strong commitments from the government of Vietnam to develop a network of MPAs coast-wide, MPAs in Vietnam is entering a new phase. For MPAs to achieve their goals; either through conserving biodiversity, protecting habitat, restoring fisheries, or supporting sustainable coastal economies; it is critical that management actions be monitored, and progress in management effectiveness be evaluated, continuously feeding results back into the management process (i.e. adaptive management ). WWF Vietnam has been active in disseminating the methodology jointly developed by WWF, IUCN, NOAA, and the World Commission on Protected Areas (in 2003) - How is Your MPA Doing? - to government officials working in marine conservation, MPA managers and practitioners. This methodology has been recognized by Ministry of Fisheries and was adapted in developing guidelines for MPA establishment and management. Networking MPA stakeholders As leading organization in marine conservation in Vietnam and a member of National Steering Committee for Supporting MPA network, WWF takes this advantage to have an exchange of experience on marine conservation and MPA management on the ground and to provide feedback on practical issues related to MPA management back to the government agencies and other related stakeholders. This in turn will improve networking among MPAs and between local and central levels. These activities can generate discussions and/or dialogues on the issues that may lead to their incorporation into policy development cycle. Assisting the implementation of pro-poor MPA policy With limited local development opportunities and mounting pressures on coastal resources, the conservation success of the MPA network in Vietnam will, in many cases, be inextricably linked to their role in reducing poverty. WWF seeks to ensure that local communities in and around proposed MPAs are given opportunities - and capacity - for integrating poverty-alleviation strategies with marine conservation planning, and for increasing their ability to manage their own areas. WWF directly assisted the Sustainable Livelihoods in and around Marine Protected Areas (LMPA) component of Ministry of Fisheries (with financial support from DANIDA) conducted a review of national and international livelihood support programmes and development of Sustainable Livelihood Strategies for MPAs in Vietnam. There is on-going support for implementation of the strategies. Integrated interventions for the development of Con Dao National Park MPA About Con Dao MPA The Con Dao Archipelago is located off the southern coast of Vietnam, comprising 14 islands. Most of the region is part of Con Dao National Park (CDNP). It is globally significant because of its marine life, terrestrial habitat and location. The generally shallow waters of the group of islands contain rich coral reefs, sea-grass beds, and mangroves. The region is inhabited by about 6,000 people, with 4,000 permanent residents. Others are several thousand military personnel and seasonal migrant fishermen from throughout Vietnam. A significant proportion of non-military workforce are government officials (60%) and other groups including farmers (20%), service providers (17%), and fishers (3%). 84

3 International Symposium on Integrated Coastal Management for Marine Biodiversity in Asia, January 14-15, 2010, Kyoto, Japan Threats to biodiversity in Con Dao falls into the main categories: Over-fishing of nearshore fisheries and of rare or endangered species (e.g. giant clam), illegal fishing with the use of cyanide and strong light fishing in the coral and nearshore areas, development of infrastructure (including roads, hotels, wharves, etc.), impacts from tourism (from hotel operation, tourists, divers, etc.), and natural factors such as disasters (Linda typhoon in 1997 and coral bleaching in 1998) and Crown-ofthorns seastar. Originally it was a special utilized forest and upgraded to National Park with marine component in 1993, CDNP had insufficient level of financial, technical, and institutional capacity for effective biodiversity protection. In addition, the participation of local residents and communities in conservation was weak. WWF activities WWF work in Con Dao was initially on marine turtle conservation since mid 1990s. In the advancement of turtle conservation, other activities expanded to conserve and monitor dugong, coral reefs, and seagrass. Significant capacity building for the park staffs integrating the concepts of biodiversity conservation, environmental communication and education, and techniques of conservation such as reef check were conducted. Providing technical assistance and one of the key implementing partners in the 3 years project Coastal & marine biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in the Con Dao islands region stared in 2006, co-financed by UNEP-GEF and DANIDA, WWF has involved in improving management of the MPA through integrated interventions: Building capacity : MPA management and planning: Trainings were conducted for the park staff and local government officials on MPA management (roles and benefits of MPAs, management planning, marine zoning, sustainable fisheries, etc.). These were linked into re-zoning and management planning process. Law enforcement: An assessment of stage of enforcement system, development of enforcement program and training for various target groups (Managers, Reaction team, and Observation Post rangers) were conducted. In addition, a community based resource management team was formed to support the enforcement. Awareness raising and environmental education: WWF worked with CDNP to develop an environmental education (EE) communication strategy. Full assessment of the capacity to implement the strategy and training on necessary skills for park staff and relevant stakeholders was conducted. A pilot EE program at primary and secondary schools was conducted with the technical support or supervision from WWF. Gathering local ecological knowledge and engaging community in MPA management: To improve database and address identified gaps, to provide for the necessary involvement of fishers in MPA management plan development and other MPA management issues, and to help CDNP begin to work directly with fishing community, WWF provided assistance to Park staffs to conduct community consultations and a workshop on "Local Ecological Knowledge. A facilitated participatory process to identify priority MPA "goals and objectives" was also conducted. In addition, local fishers were involved in resource management (identification and report of violation) and habitat restoration. 85

4 Developing livelihood support program and income generation projects: WWF together with CDNP has developed Livelihood Development Program for the MPA to provide guidelines for identification and implementation of community development activities and livelihood support projects in consistent with the goals and objectives of the CDNP s operational management plan. Strengthening local management and monitoring of local fishing: WWF together with the park undertook an assessment off shore and near-shore fishing, destroyed explosion methods and other illegal exploitation of marine resources for expanding knowledge of offshore fishing fleet, community, social and environmental issues. This assessment provided inputs for fisheries resource management, design of enforcement program, and development of fisheries reform model that allows exclusive access rights for local fisheries, and formation of community based resource management team. Coral rehabilitation with community participation: WWF worked with national experts and the park to design a coral rehabilitation program that tailored the participation of local fishers. Through working with the park s staff, local people are very much aware of the reason why they have to rehabilitate the coral and replant. This is very intricate work that requires knowledge of replanting, maintaining the relative diversity of coral communities and conserving the original reefs where corals were extracted to replant at the other areas. 86

5 Providing inputs in the development of sustainable tourism strategy: WWF involved in providing inputs to the plan by mainstreaming biodiversity conservation and environmental management into development activities. WWF also developed a framework (i.e. occupational standards and regulations) for licensing tour guiding activities within CDNP and provided training on Tourism Leading Skills for the purposes of Eco-certification and Franchising/Concessions to develop basic skills in the concept of being an ecoguide. Developing sustainable financing mechanism for conservation: With the aim to create a sustainable financial mechanism for conservation in the long term, WWF together with the park is working on the development of a trust fund, including administration of the fund and regulations on the use of the fund, to receive a portion of tourism revenues (and perhaps other revenues) to fund biodiversity conservation activities in CDNP. Conclusions WWF Vietnam has certain ways in the advancement of MPA and biodiversity conservation in particular: Advocacy and policy development Providing technical inputs for MPA legal framework development Networking MPA stakeholders Assisting the implementation of pro-poor MPA policy Capacity building (on management and technical issues) Awareness raising and environmental education Gathering local knowledge (e.g. local ecological knowledge) Dissemination and application of tools used for MPA (adaptive management and sustainable financing) Engaging community in conservation Strengthening local management and monitoring To continue driving the changes for the development of MPA and biodiversity conservation in general, it is important for WWF to work both on-the-ground and at high-level policy and advocacy and to engage all stakeholders. The work is powered by conservation scientists, policy experts, communications experts, and other specialists in our programmes. WWF take the advantage of its experiences and expertise to find solutions and move people to take actions. 87