Coastal Wetlands Soc sustainable use for the benefit of the people / Applied Science and Technology efficiency in cattle in Muong Lat / absence Sarus Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has accepted restoration projects - sustainable use of peatlands in Southeast Asia - Vietnam Component. The project, funded by the Global Environment Facility funded for four countries Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam. Component projects being implemented in Vietnam National Park (NP) U Minh Thuong (Kien Giang) for 2 years from 2010 to 2011.

People buffer zone of U Minh Thuong National Park using funding effectively Image: Lê Phát Quới

U Minh Thuong National Park is an important traces are left of the marsh ecosystem on peat formation thickest Mekong Delta than 100 centuries ago. Peatlands have an important role in reducing flood peaks and maintaining basic flow of the river during the dry season, the Mekong Delta.

However, peat land area of U Minh Thuong National Park is decreased significantly due to wildfire, mining or fertilizer burn to turn into farmland ... the most serious fires in 2002 caused great harm to the peat layer as well as the decline of ecosystems and biodiversity.

Since 2006, the Management Board (PMB) U Minh Thuong National Park has built a levee system to keep the water to fight fires. However, the year-round flooding has changed a number of plant ecosystems. An estimated 2,000 hectares of mangrove forests have been fallen, degraded; seasonally inundated grasslands with a diversity of plant species are eaten by many birds beach disappeared.

Since 2010, with the support of project professionals, U Minh Thuong National Park Management Board has tested management practices changed hydrology by reducing deep water in the rainy season and dry season in the core area. This plan helps ensure material is always fire under wet melaleuca forests, limiting the risk of bushfires but avoid submerged long as melaleuca forest change.

After 2 years of testing, the mangrove forest cover has good recovery and development. The seasonally inundated grasslands though not stable but showed signs of recovery, she shook her community species diversity index stable. Ecosystem peat swamp wetland indicators also quite high biodiversity ...

U Minh forest is flooded marsh rarest Indochina but people living in the buffer zone are poor. Many people earn their living by deforestation. The human devastation caused primeval forest here was more than wiped wartime. Thus, the protection of national parks and peatlands are indispensable to the hands of the people.

Therefore, the project also plans to develop a community livelihood buffer zone of U Minh Thuong National Park. The main activity is the guidance and funding to help 51 poor households in the buffer zone livelihood development, enhance income. Since then, the households participating in the project will coordinate with the Management Board is committed to protecting the park in the natural resources on peatlands.

After the survey, the project team proposed four models of agricultural production: The case of aquaculture to grow vegetables, fruit, sugar cane and livestock. Each household received a capital grant from the project is 15 million. To date, there are 22 households using capital and effective model, average income increased by 3.6 million VND / household.

These are households receiving project funding and are planted early crops, aquaculture, some fruit growers time income fast. Remaining 29 households receiving project funding due to delays and long fruit trees have not yet harvested should not be assessed the effectiveness orchards but well developed.

Rated

The results apply livelihood development model integrated into the community to protect the people's resources U Minh Thuong National Park was full project management ASEAN appreciated. In 2012, the Management Board of the Malaysia project was to visit U Minh Thuong, experiential learning to apply the peatlands of this country.

Also from the results of the project, the end of 2013, the European Community funded project to develop community livelihood in U Minh Ha National Park (Ca Mau). Initially, 31 poor households U Minh Ha National Park buffer zone to join the project, which is supported with 12 million VND / household.