Current status of mangrove forest and solutions for conservation and development of mangrove forests in tien hai nature reserve, thai binh province

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF FORESTRY STUDENT THESIS CURRENT STATUS OF MANGROVE FOREST AND SOLUTIONS FOR CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF MANGROVE FORESTSIN TIEN HAI NATURE RESERVE TIEN HAI DISTRICT, THAI BINH PROVINCE Major: Advanced Curriculum in Natural Resources Management Code: D850101 Faculty: Forest Resources & Environmental Management Student: Pham Thu Thao Student ID: 1553090199 Class: K60 - Natural Resources Management Course: 2015 – 2019 Advanced Education Program Developed in Collaboration with Colorado State University, USA Supervisor: Dr Ha Quang Anh Ha Noi, October 2019 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This thesis would not have been possible without the support and help from my lecturers, friends, family and many people I would like to express my special appreciation of following people who supported me with my sincere gratitude: First of all, I would like to express my sincere thanks to my advisor Dr Ha Quang Anh for his untiring and excellent guidance, valuable suggestions in my dilemmas His comments and advices have helped me to finish my thesis I am also thankful to Professor Pham Van Dien for his enthusiam in guiding me to construct thesis proposal, and Dr Duong Thi Bich Ngoc with her comments and criticism on my proposal helped me to present better final thesis Further, I would like to thank the Wetland Management Board in Tien Hai District for support and giving me the chance to study in Tien Hai Nature Reserve Besides, I also thank the local authorities and residents in three communes (Nam Hung, Nam Phu, Nam Thinh) for providing valuable information and data of the area I wish to thank the Center of Laboratory and Practice of Vietnam National University of Forestry for providing me with survey instrument (GPS Garmin) for filed survey I also thank officials of Thai Binh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for their enthusiastic help in the process collected data in field survey Last but not least, my everlasting gratitude goes to my parents who always encouraged and supporting me all the time Hanoi, October 2019 Pham Thu Thao TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATION LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES ABSTRACT Chapter INTRODUCTION Chapter GOAL AND OBJECTIVES 13 2.1 Goal 13 2.2 Objectives 13 Chapter STUDY SITE AND METHODS 14 3.1 Study site 14 3.1.1 Boundary position 15 3.1.2 Natural conditions 15 3.1.3 Natural features 17 3.1.4 Socio-economic features 19 3.2 Data collection 20 3.2.1 Interview 20 3.2.2 Secondary data collection 22 Chapter RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 23 4.1 Current status of mangrove forest 23 4.1.1 Current status of mangrove forest in Tien Hai district 23 4.1.1.1 In general 23 4.1.1.2 Mangrove forest in Tien Hai Nature Reserve 24 -2- 4.1.1.3 Construction of mangroves 27 4.1.2 Management of the Tien Hai Nature Reserve 39 4.2 Impacts of current human activities and related policies/ regulations on the mangrove conservation and development 42 4.2.1 Economic activities 4.2.2 Related policies and regulations on the mangroves conservation and development 4.2.2.1 Policies and regulations 42 4.2.2.2 Effects of policies and regulations 45 4.3 Solutions to preserve and develop mangrove forests 46 4.3.1 Planning for land-use 46 4.3.2 Forest allocation, lease; forest protection contract 47 4.3.3 Improving capacities of mangrove management 47 4.3.4 Addressing socio-economic issues in the mangrove forests 48 4.3.5 Enhancing environmental education for people 48 4.4 Discussions 49 4.4.1 In Vietnam 49 4.4.2 In Tien Hai district Chapter CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS AND FURTHER STUDY 5.1 Conclusions 50 5.2 Limitations 53 5.3 Further study 54 PICTURE 55 REFERENCES 70 APENDICES 73 -3- 43 43 52 52 ABBREVIATIONS A1 Globally threatened species CRES Natural Resources and Environmental Studies FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations GIS Geographic Information System GPS Geographic Position System IBA The International Bar Association IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN Category IV Habitat/Species Management Area MARD Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development MCD Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development MERD Mangrove Environment Research Division NGO Non-Govermental Organization UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -4- LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 The average monthly tidal water level in the estuary 16 Table 3.2 Sampling design in Tien Hai district 22 Table 4.1 Vascular plant composition in Tien Hai mangrove forest 26 Table 4.2 Forest land status in communes of Nam Thinh, Nam Hung, 27 Nam Phu and Tien Hai district Table 4.3 Area of forest types and forestry land according to use purposes of Nam Hung commune 28 Table 4.4 Area of forest types and forestry land according to use purposes of Nam Phu commune 31 Table 4.5 Area of forest types and forestry land according to use purposes of Nam Thinh commune 33 Table 4.6 Forest cover of mangrove forest in Nam Phu, Nam Thinh and Nam Hung commune 36 Table 4.7 Planted area of forest classified by tree species and age level in Nam Hung commune 37 Table 4.8 Planted area of forest classified by tree species and age level in Nam Phu commune 38 Table 4.9 Planted area of forest classified by tree species and age level in Nam Thinh commune 39 Table 4.10 Types of functional zoning land conservation areas 42 Table 4.11 Population and labor statistics in Nam Hung, Nam Thinh -5- 43 and Nam Phu communes Table 4.12 Area of mangrove forest in Tien Hai Nature Reserve (20012018) 51 -6- LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1 Location of study area: a) Location of Thai Binh province on Vietnam map; b) Location of Tien Hai district; c) Location of Tien Hai Nature Reserve 14 Figure 4.1 Mangrove management scheme in Tien Hai district 39 -7- ABSTRACT Mangrove forest plays an important role in protecting shorelines from damaging storms, hurricanes, wind, waves and upgrading people's standard of living Protecting and restoring mangrove forest will improve the lives of people in the region and help deal with problems of climate changes in the coastal regions In Tien Hai district, Thai Binh province, the total area of mangrove forest is 331.3 hectares in 2015 For conservation purposes, the Vietnamese government has made many decisions and policies to protect and develop Tien Hai mangrove forest This research concentrates on three objectives: descriptive current status of mangrove forest in Tien Hai district; study the impact of current human activities and related policies or regulations on the mangrove conservation and development; recommend solutions for either protecting and developing mangroves or increasing the standard living conditions of local people Keywords: mangrove forest, Tien Hai Nature Resserve, Tien Hai, Thai Binh -8- CHAPTER INTRODUCTION Mangroves are a type of forest which formed from trees and shrubs adapted to saltwater environments, developed in estuarine areas in tropical and subtropical seas The mangrove forest is a very important ecosystem, providing both the demand for fuel, food for coastal communities, as well as a solid green wall against storms, tsunamis, landslides and cleanings coastal environment, limits saline intrusion, protects underground water, regulates climate, maintains biodiversity when natural disasters occur and preserve coastal wetland ecosystems, etc In Thai Binh, there are 3,708.98 hectares of mangrove forest Mangrove forests in general and in Thai Binh province, in particular, are increasingly asserting their important roles in the sustainable development strategy of the nation, especially in the context of climate change and current sea-level rise Mangroves are commonly found along sheltered coastlines in the tropics and sub-tropics where they fulfil important socio-economic and environmental functions These include the provision of a large variety of wood and non-wood forest products; coastal protection against the effects of wind, waves and water currents; conservation of biological diversity – including a number of endangered mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds; protection of coral reefs, sea grass beds and shipping lanes against siltation; and provision of habitat, spawning grounds and nutrients for a variety of fish and shellfish, including many commercial species High population pressure in coastal areas has, however, led to the -9- - 62 - - 63 - - 64 - - 65 - - 66 - - 67 - - 68 - - 69 - REFERENCES [1] W G Cochran, 1977 Sampling techniques (3rd ed.) New York: John Wiley & Sons Fisher A et al Handbook for Family Planing Operations Research design 2nd edition Population Council [2] Decision No 1413/QD-UBND dated June 26, 2014 of the People's Committee of Thai Binh province on approving the Planning on forest protection and development of Thai Binh province in the period of 2012-2020 [3] Decision No 1894/QD-UBND dated July 13, 2016 of the People's Committee of Thai Binh province, approving the Thai Binh Forest Protection and Development Plan for the period of 2016-2020 [4] Decision No 2159 / QD-UBND dated September 26, 2014 of Thai Binh Provincial People's Committee on establishing special-use forests in coastal communes of Nam Hung, Nam Thinh and Nam Phu, Tien Hai district, Thai Binh province with 12500ha core zone, 4564ha buffer zone [5] Decision No 3257/QD-UBND dated December 25, 2015 of the People's Committee of Thai Binh province, approving the results of forest inventory of Thai Binh province in 2015 [6] Decision No 3272 / QD-UBND dated December 31, 2014 of the People's Committee of Thai Binh province on consolidating the Management Board of Tien Hai Wetland Nature Reserve [7] Do Dinh Sam, Nguyen Ngoc Binh, Ngo Dinh Que, Vu Tan Phuong, 2005 Overview of Vietnamese mangrove forests Agricultural Publishing House, Hanoi [8] Forest Inventory and Planning Institute (FIPI), 2001 Report on the results of national forest inventory according to Decision No 03/2001 QD / TTG of the Prime Minister signed on January 5, 2001 [9] Hoang Ngoc Khac, Do Van Nhuong, 2004 Some research results on parasitic benthic animals and their harm to mangrove trees Mangrove ecosystem along the coast of the Red River Delta Agricultural Publishing House, Hanoi P.233 - 237 [10] J D S Davie, E J Hegerl, P Saenger, 1983 Global Status of Mangrove Ecosystems The University of Michigan Library - 70 - [11] Le Xuan Tan, Phan Nguyen Hong, Truong Quang Hoc, 2008 Environmental Environment Issues And Recovery Forests In Vietnam [12] National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2018 What is "mangrove" forest? U.S Department of Commerce [13] Ngo Dinh Que & Vo Dai Hai, 2012 Constructing coastal mangrove protection forests in reality and solutions p.181 [14] Nguyen Van Vinh, 1998 Annual report on the project of Vietnam Red Cross Society for Red Cross in the period 1997-2001: 5pp [15] Official Letter No 1913/BNN-TCLN dated 10/3/2016 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on reviewing and developing the Forest Protection and Development Plan for the period 2016-2020 [16] Official Letter No 3095/UBND-NNNMT dated August 15, 2017 of the People's Committee of Thai Binh province, on the planning of Conservation and Sustainable Development of Tien Hai Wetland Nature Reserve [17] Pham Thi Dung, 2015 Monitoring land cover changes in Tien Hai Nature Reserve, Thai Binh province using multi-temporal Landsat data Student thesis, Vietnam National University of Forestry [18] Phan Nguyen Hong, 1999 Vietnam mangrove forest Agricultural Publishing House, Hanoi [19] Tien Hai Nature Reserve Management Board, 2019 Report on surveying and planning of Tien Hai wetland conservation zone [20] Statistical Office of Tien Hai district, 2018 [21] Statistical Office of Tien Hai district, 2019 [22] Thai Binh hydro-meteorological center, 2016 [23] Thai Binh Provincial People's Committee, Decision No 1894/QD-UBND dated July 13, 2016 on "Approving the forest protection and development plan of Thai Binh province in the period of 2016-2020" Thai Binh, 2016 [24] Thai Van Trung, 2000 Vietnam rainforest ecosystems Vietnam Science and Technology Publishing House, Ho Chi Minh City [25] Tien Hai Wetland Nature Reserve Management Board, 2019 - 71 - [26] Tran Thi Tu, Le Anh Tuan, 2013 The role of mangroves in the process of economic development [27] Gia Minh, 2012 Current situation of mangroves in Vietnam - 72 - APPENDICES Appendix Staffs of management board and local authorities interviewing schedule General information Name: Age: Gender Position: Address: Interviewer: Date of interview: Content How is organizational structure management and infrastructure in the area? What are policies and plans of management implemented current in the Tien Hai Nature Reserve? How many hectares of mangrove forested area are in the Tien Hai Nature Reserve? What are projects implemented in the area? Namely? When did the mangrove planting project have? Who were involved in plantation mangroves in this project? How long did the project take to complete? Since then, has the coastal mangrove protection managed closely? After having mangroves, how it influence to local people? Good or bad, why? 10 What is the tending change of mangrove forest in recent years? What are the reasons? 11 How does natural disaster effect to mangrove forest and livelihood of local people? 12 Is the community based management implemented in the Tien Hai Nature Reserve? 13 What advantage and disadvantage are the Nature Reserve faced to in plan management? 14 Do you propose any solution to raise the awareness of local people on protecting mangrove forest? - 73 - Appendix Household (farmers) interviewing schedule General information Name: Age: Gender Job: Address: Interviewer: Date of interview: Content What are main livelihoods of farmers in the area? Do you know about the role of mangrove forest? The trend to change of mangrove forest in recent year is increase or decrease? What are reasons leading to this change of mangroves from 2016 to 2018? When did the conversion mangrove forest to shrimps ponds start? How is natural disaster impact on the area and livelihood of farmer? How about the management plans implementation in protect mangroves and respond with natural disaster in the area? Do management plans of the area base on the local communities? Have management board and local authorities supported for development in livelihood of local people? 10 What are projects or programs planting mangroves implemented in the area? 11 Do you take part in planting and protection mangrove forest? 12 What are these projects supporting for farmers? 13 What you think about management plans of management board? - 74 - Appendix List of data materials Name Year Decision No 1413/QD-UBND dated June 26, 2014 of the 2014 People's Committee of Thai Binh province on approving the Planning on forest protection and development of Thai Binh province in the period of 2012-2020 Decision No 2159 / QD-UBND dated September 26, 2014 of 2014 Thai Binh Provincial People's Committee on establishing special-use forests in coastal communes of Nam Hung, Nam Thinh and Nam Phu, Tien Hai district, Thai Binh province with 12500ha core zone, 4564ha buffer zone Decision No 3272 / QD-UBND dated December 31, 2014 of 2014 the People's Committee of Thai Binh province on consolidating the Management Board of Tien Hai Wetland Nature Reserve Decision No 3257/QD-UBND dated December 25, 2015 of 2015 the People's Committee of Thai Binh province, approving the results of forest inventory of Thai Binh province in 2015 Monitoring land cover changes in Tien Hai Nature Reserve, 2015 Thai Binh province using multi-temporal Landsat data Student thesis, Vietnam National University of Forestry (Pham Thi Dung) Official Letter No 1913/BNN-TCLN dated 10/3/2016 of the 2016 Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on reviewing and developing the Forest Protection and Development Plan for the period 2016-2020 Decision No 1894/QD-UBND dated July 13, 2016 of the - 75 - 2016 People's Committee of Thai Binh province, approving the Thai Binh Forest Protection and Development Plan for the period of 2016-2020 Thai Binh Provincial People's Committee, Decision No 2016 1894/QD-UBND dated July 13, 2016 on "Approving the forest protection and development plan of Thai Binh province in the period of 2016-2020" Thai Binh, 2016 Official Letter No 3095/UBND-NNNMT dated August 15, 2017 2017 of the People's Committee of Thai Binh province, on the planning of Conservation and Sustainable Development of Tien Hai Wetland Nature Reserve Major indicators of socio-economic development in the 2019 years 2016-2020 of Tien Hai district (Statistical Office of Tien Hai district) Report on surveying and planning of Tien Hai wetland conservation zone (Tien Hai Nature Reserve Management Board) - 76 - 2019