CASE STUDY 2-5

Implementing Adaptation Measures

Integrated Coastal Management Programme

(ICMP) in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Photo: Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.

Outline

Background Sub-goals:
The Mekong Delta is located in the south-western To achieve higher resilience through the following

part of Vietnam, which is home to around 17 million activities:

people. It is Vietnams most important agricultural
region, contributing around 52 % of the countrys
rice production. The Mekong Delta is also a biological
hotspot, with many endemic species.
According to official studies, 38% of the Mekong
Activities
Delta is at risk of being underwater by 2100, with
some parts of the coast being eroded at a pace of 30
meters a year. Furthermore, the protective mangrove
forests are in considerable decline, and the intrusion
of saltwater into ground water is becoming a prob-
lem, because it affects fertile soils negatively.
1. Protecting the coast using the ecosystem
2. Supporting farmers in agriculture and aquaculture
3. P
 romoting cooperation among provincial
governments
The project consists of two phases, and the second
phase of the project aims at scaling up the activities
described below.
Using the ecosystem to protect the coast:
In response to coastal erosion, the ICMP has developed

cost-effective and eco-friendly solutions to protect

In addition, human activities in the region, such as
the coastline using T-shaped breakwater fences. The
clearing coastal forests, altering natural waterways,
coastal protection measures have actually succeeded
and adopting intensive agriculture and aquaculture
in reclaiming 180 meters of land in two years (See
practices are threatening the ability to provide essen-
Figure 2-5-1).
tial ecosystem services in the Mekong Delta.
Supporting farmers in adapting to climate change:
In response, the government of Vietnam launched the
The ICMP applies new techniques that enable
Integrated Coastal Management Programme (ICMP)
farmers to better cope with climate change impacts.
in 2011 in cooperation with Germany and Australia.
The new techniques include Alternative Wetting
and Drying (AWD), which can reduce the use of
Objectives water and pesticides by 30% and increase farmers
Overall goal:
income by up to 40%. Improving mangrove aqua-
To build the capacity to make the Mekong Delta
culture techniques also contributes to raising their
region more resilient to climate change
profits by 27%.
 Promoting cooperation across borders: Figure 2-5-2 shows project focus area of the ICMP. It
In the Mekong Delta, there are various provinces includes five provinces (Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau,
with different conditions. The ICMP aims at Kien Gian, and An Giang) in the Mekong Delta.
promoting cooperation among provinces and the
national government so that it can address inter-
provincial issues effectively.

1 An Giang

1
2 Kien Giang

Before After 20 months Soc Trang

Barren land on which no Barren land restored
trees can grow
Bac Lieu
2

Ca Mau

Legend
Forest and barren land Before After 23 months
Restoration of barren land by the programme Erosion site with first new 180 metres of land with abun-
sedimentation due to dant vegetation re-gained
Mangrove rehabilitation on mudflat(planted)
breakwater fences and from the sea, reaching much Figure 2-5-2 Target Provinces of ICMP [1]
Natural regeneration of mangroves(after planting)
some plant- ed mangrove farther than the breakwater
Water seedings fences and the planting site

Figure 2-5-1 Breakwater Fences: Stopping Coastal Erosion by Rehabilitating Mangroves [1]

Institutional arrangements This project has funding from German Federal

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
(MARD) is the main government agency in implement- (Deutsche Bundesministerium fr wirtschaftliche
ing the ICMP: At a local level, its subsidiary bodies, Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung: BMZ), Australia
called the Department of Agricultural and Rural (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: DFAT),
Development (DARD) and the Provincial Peoples and the Government of Vietnam, and is implemented
Committee (PPC), play decisive roles in implementing by German International Cooperation (Deutsche
sustainable and climate-resilient practices such as newly Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit:
implemented techniques for coastal protection, agricul- GIZ) (See Figure 2-5-3).
ture, and aquaculture. Southwest Steering Committee
coordinates the five provinces.

BMZ DFAT

Co-finance

ICMP
National government
MONRE MARD MPI

Province Province Province Province Province

GIZ An Giang Klen Giang Ca Mau Bac Lieu Soc Trang

PPC PPC PPC PPC PPC

DARDS DARDS DARDS DARDS DARDS

DONRE DONRE DONRE DONRE DONRE

DPI DPI DPI DPI DPI

Local government

Figure 2-5-3 Overview of Institutional Arrangement of ICMP [8]

 Integrated Coastal Management Programme (ICMP) in Mekong
CASE STUDY 2-5 Delta, Vietnam

Process

2005 2010 2015 2020

NTP- RCC issued
(2008) Green Growth Strategy 20112020

Pre-study project ICMP Phase 1 ICMP Phase 2

(2007) (20112014) (20152017)

Figure 2-5-4 History of Policy Framework of ICMP

Formulation The following activities have been implemented in the

ICMP (See Figure 2-5-5).
Impacts of both climate change and human development
Implementing breakwater fences
activities in the Mekong Delta region threaten the capa-
Conducting mangrove rehabilitation
bility to provide the ecosystem services that communities
Introducing rice production techniques, Alternate
depend upon. The challenges and problems are closely
Wetting Drying (AWD)
interlinked among sectoral issues in the coastal region.
Providing aquaculture value chain assessment
For example, mangrove rehabilitation towards coastal
protection; enhanced livelihood by implementing new
technologies in agricultural and aquaculture.
Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
The following scheme has been set up for continuous-
In the 1st phase (20112014), project activities were
ly monitoring the planted mangrove forest (See Figure
conducted at national and local levels, including five
2-5-6).
provinces. In the 2nd phase (20152017), the ICMP is
working to scale up its project activities so that it can
ensure that the projects are widely implemented in
the region (See Figure 2-5-4).

Implementation
To make the Mekong Delta more resilient, the
ICMP provides the following core elements: 1) coast
AWD rice production technique Mangrove aquaculture
protection, 2) supporting farmers, and 3) promoting
cooperation across borders. Figure 2-5-5 Technical Assistance Activities in ICMP [1]

Monitoring provides information on forest area and health, survival rate and erosion
Monitoring It comprises: (1) data collection (2) data storage (3) data analysis (4) reporting

Demand for information Forest health Survival rate Erosion Forest area

Collect data: Get satellite

Collect GPS tracklog:
Data collection Use the monitoring sheet GPS data of area of interest
and/or aerial
images

Use a database which meets your Use a GIS software which meets
Data storage needs to store and analyze data
your needs for data storage
and analysis

Analyse data collect with a suitable software! Remote

Data analysis (1) Compare results with planting baseline and previously collected data sensing
(2) Analyse trends, produce charts

Create reports based on the information produced from the

Reporting monitoring data for authorities and decision makers

Figure 2-5-6 Monitoring Framework for ICMP [5]


CASE STUDY 2-5
Lessons Learned and Policy Recommendations
Inter-provincial cooperation for effective regional
coastal management
At a regional level, inter-provincial cooperation among
local governments is crucial for effectively
implementing projects such as coastal management.
The ICMP was established to solve multiple region-
wide issues, including coastal protection, water
resources management, agriculture, and aquaculture,
which had been addressed separately in each province.
Through the ICMP, relevant stakeholders at national
and provincial levels share common issues of the
provinces in the Mekong Delta region and have an
opportunity to find comprehensive solutions and to
implement them effectively.
Proper techniques regarding mangrove rehabilitation,
agriculture, and aquaculture could be identified sep-
arately through on-site research activities at an indi-
vidual province level. Applying the solutions obtained
from ICMP in other provinces could contribute to the
effective implementation of sustainable development at
a regional level.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Mr. Nguyen Van Son (Director of ICMP Programme)
National Director of ICMP
Management Board for Forestry Projects, Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)
Tel: +84 (0) 24 37286199 Fax: +84 (0) 24 37286459
Dr. Christian Henckes (GIZ ICMP Programme Director)
Mr. Benjamin Hodick (Senior Technical Advisor)
Integrated Coastal Management Programme (ICMP) in
the Mekong Delta
Tel: + 84 (0) 8 382 398 11 Fax: + 84 (0) 8 382 398 13
Planning and Editorial Supervisor: Ministry of the Environment, Japan
Editing: Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.
Design: Nikkei BP Consulting, Inc.
Integrated Coastal Management Programme (ICMP) in Mekong
Delta, Vietnam
Institutionalized vertical and horizontal (inter-provin-
cial) cooperation by establishing a regional committee,
which could act as a bridge between local and the
national governments and promote mutual commu-
nications among them, is essential for successfully
implementing the solutions obtained from ICMP.
Enhance institutionalization for scale up of ICMP
A key to successfully expanding good practices of
ICMP throughout the Mekong Delta region will be to
develop an effective institutional framework under
which relevant stakeholders (e.g. government officials,
farmers, and researchers) at national and provincial
levels can cooperate.
Specific manuals and guidelines for implementing
technologies would also be good references for relevant
stakeholders to understand how to implement technol-
ogies and to learn about their effects. It would be useful
for the national government, such as MARD, to provide
such information as national guidelines.
SOURCES
[1] GIZ ICMP/CCCEP Phase 1: Final Report
[2] GIZ Website, Integrated Coastal Management Programme, http://
www.giz.de/en/worldwide/18661.html, last access 2015/07/29
[3] Management Board for Forestry Projects Website, About ICMP/
CCCEP, http://daln.gov.vn/en/agc173a232/about-icmp-cccep.html,
last access 2015/07/29
[4] Dr. Klaus Schmitt, GIZ climate change adaptation in the lower
Mekong Delta, 2012
[5] GIZ, Mangrove Management, 2014
[6] GIZ, Saved health, saved wealth: an approach to quantifying the
benefits of climate change adaptation, 2013
[7] GIZ, Saved health, saved wealth: Quantifying the benefits of
climate change adaptation, 2014
[8] Interview with Mr. Benjamin Hodick, Senior Technical Advisor, GIZ
(August 31, 2015)
[9] Interview with Mr. Phan Van Hoang, Project Coordinator,
Sustainable Management of Coastal Forest Ecosystems in Bac Lieu
Province, GIZ (August 31, 2015)
[10] Interview with Mr. Nguyen Van Son, Director of ICMP Programme,
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), (September
3, 2015)
Ministry of the Environment
Government of Japan