As part of a capacity building program, a total of 30 technical staff members from provincial ministry departments participated in a training course on integrating Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) into development planning on October 25th-27th and November 15th 17th, 2016.  The courses took place in Quang Bing and Ha Tinh, and were organized by the Center for Information, Consultation and Training under ISPONRE. The training courses are an outcome of the Training of Trainers which was provided by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in November 2015 with the aim to train trainers who can pass on their knowledge to development practitioners. During the three days of training, the provincial technical staff was provided with background information on climate change, climate change adaptation and its link to development. The participants were also acquainted with totally new concepts such as Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA), and learned how to mainstream EbA into provincial development planning. The training course constituted  a highly useful occasion for technical staff from different provincial agencies and offices to meet and connect in their professional field of work. It also provided participants with a chance to present and share their knowledge and experiences, and to discuss the important issue of climate change adaptation. The course was a fruitful learning experience. All participants were highly motivated and actively participated in the training. “The content is very interesting and useful for my daily work”, said a participant from the sub-department of Natural Resources in Le Thuy commune, Ha Tinh province. After the course, other training institutions will be involved to further develop and multiply similar courses for provincial decision-makers and technical staff in other areas of the provinces.

On December 20th, 2016, the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE) together with the GIZ presented the final results of Vulnerability Assessments in Ha Tinh and Quang Binh province. The study was realised by the International Centre of Environmental Management (ICEM) and a team of national consultants. The workshop was chaired by Dr Nguyen The Chinh, Director General of ISPONRE. Robert Mather, key author of the study, presented the approach and the findings. The methodology focuses on the use of ecosystems to help humans adapt to climate change. The assessments provide in-depth analysis on ecological, economic and social factors, identify exposure and sensitivity to climate hazards, and analyse adaptive capacities to eventually present a list of the most vulnerable socio-ecological systems in the two provinces. The information will help decision-makers to have more insights into and better understand the risks resulting from changing climate. Preliminary findings have already been integrated into the provincial Climate Change Response Action Plans (2016-2020). The study also provides extensive information on three selected socio-ecological systems at village level, showing what should be done to better adapt to the challenges of a changing climate and to improve people’s resilience against the phenomenon. To download Robert Mather's presentation, please click here To download the presentation on VA in Ha Tinh, please click here To download the presentation on VA in Quang Binh, please click here Useful links The vulnerability assessment was conducted as part of ISPONRE's and GIZ's joint project 'Strategic Mainstreaming of Ecosystem-based Adaptation in Vietnam'. If you want to learn more about vulnerability assessments, click here. GIZ | Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit ISPONRE | Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources ICEM | International Centre for Environmental Management