Pilot Activities Quang Binh

As part of the project ‘Strategic Mainstreaming of Ecosystem-based Adaptation in Vietnam’, the GIZ EbA project team, in cooperation with its partners ISPONRE and the provincial department of the ministry, identified a pilot site as well as suitable EbA measures for gaining practical experience with ecosystem-based adaption in Quang Binh province.

The identification processes functioned in a highly participatory manner and were partly adopted from an approach to fast track implementation of adaptation measures suggested by USAID.

They included i) conducting a rapid, stakeholder-driven screening assessment; ii) focusing on highly vulnerable resources, sub-populations and assets for the vulnerability assessment; iii) browsing a list of fast track adaptation opportunities; iv) conducting a feasibility study of the most promising EbA options and v) applying design criteria to select the most promising adaptation solution.

Key approach criteria at the design stage are

low initial and ongoing cost
effectiveness in reducing climate vulnerability
fast and easy implementation
co-benefits and limited disadvantages
flexibility and reversibility
optimization of local resources (i.e. labour force, ecosystem services and traditional knowledge)
upscaling possibilities
sustainability in terms of economic, social and environmental aspects

To download the fact sheet on pilot activities in Quang Binh province, please click here

The Method

In Quang Binh province, a six step methodology was applied to guide the assessment study to desired results:

Based on the recommendations generated from the participatory assessment, pilot activities can now be implemented on the ground.

Figure 1: The four studies communes in Quang Binh province: Quang Phu commune, Quang Hung commune, Phuc Trach commune and Tan Ninh commune

Facts about the identifiaction process

four communes in Quang Binh were chosen for further analysis
Hoa Binh village in Quang Hung commune, Quang Trach district was finally selected for EbA pilot measures in a typical coastal protection forest ecosystem in Quang Binh province
a list of potential EbA options was prepared and the most suitable measure connected to a specific village was selected based on a scoring matrix
the measure ‘plantation of acacia and casurina forest in coastal protection forest for preventing sand flowing and better adaptation by local communities towards tropical storms, floods and sea-level rise’ was finally selected
besides supporting afforestation of coastal protection forest, livelihood activities suitable for the natural conditions of the pilot site are also identified to support local people

Figure 2: Map of proposed pilot site, Hoa Binh village, Quang Hung commune, Quang Trach district

Facts about the pilot site

Quang Hung commune is a coastal agricultural commune of Quang Trach district, 10km away from the district center. With approximately 210,000ha of natural land, the main economic sector of the commune is agricultural production. The commune’s main ecosystems are agriculture land, coastal protection forest, and plantation forest.

Local people’s income mainly comes from two rice crops (on an area of approximately 350 ha) and vegetable crops (grown on about 120 ha). The coastal area of the commune stretches over 6,3km; however, little income is generated in the fisheries sector, where mainly small-scale, inshore fishing is conducted.

The commune is located in the lowland and in an estuary, which results in it being flooded every year. In addition, agricultural and property losses occur regularly due to annual typhoons and droughts. At present, there exist four dykes in the commune. However, as these were constructed a long time ago, they are subject to natural degradation and thus do not constitute effective flood prevention tools any longer.

Hoa Binh village is among those coastal villages in Quang Hung commune that continue to rely on agricultural production as their main economic sector. There are 705 households in the village, with 90% of local people’s income being reliant on two rice crop varieties. In the village’s coastal area, protection forests (acacias and casuarinas) shall help protect against sand flow. Until now, the area covered by protection forest only accounts for 30%, as the rest of the forest cover was destroyed during the war and by storms. Protection forests play an important role in protecting against flying sand which otherwise covers farmland and residential land; in providing burning material and in reducing coastal erosion during stormy seasons.

The Pilot Activities

The following pilot activities, related to the overall intervention ‘plantation of casurina forest in coastal protection forest for preventing sand flowing and better adaptation by local communities towards tropical storms, floods and sea-level rise’, shall now be implemented in Hoa Binh village, Quang Hung commune, Quang Trach district, Quang Binh province:

Overall facts

A group of 30 households was selected to participate in the afforestation and protection of about 10 ha acacia and casurina coastal forest. This intervention will be focused on areas suffering from soil erosion, sand moving as well as shortages of water that affect the livelihoods of local people.

The intervention is divided into three components with different activities accordingly.

Awareness raising and formation of community forest protection groups

awareness raising activities related to climate change and ecosystem-based adaptation were conducted for the vast majority of the village, and households for piloting were selected as part of these village meetings
30 selected households for the piloting model were divided into 10 community forest protection groups. The groups were professionally supported in the development of community forest protection regulations and an intensive forest protection plan

Plantation of acacia and casurina forest in coastal protection forest for preventing sand flowing and allowing for better adaptation of local communities to tropical storms, floods and sea-level rise

Commune authorities and local people are supported in mapping and forest planning to define protection forest status and the intervention area. An area of 10 ha out of available 139ha forest was defined and agreed upon for afforestation activities; out of these, 5ha were designated for acacia plantation (inner area near residential places of communities), and another 5ha for casurina plantation (outer area near the sea). It is expected that the plantation forest will help to prevent impacts of sand flowing, of tropical storms, floods and sea-level rise (during storm season), and to reduce the heat as well as to maintain and protect water sources from sand (during hot season) for local people.
Technical training on Acacia auriculiformis plantation in coastal forest was conducted for 30 selected farmers, and acacia seedlings as well as microbial fertilizer were provided to farmers for utilization on an area of 5ha. The remaining 5ha of forest will be planted with casurina in September 2017, during suitable plantation season.
The forest protection groups have carried out protection activities and are taking care of the plantation forest, being actively supported in their efforts by the whole community.
Periodical monitoring and advice are provided to selected households.

Supporting local people to establish livelihood activities suitable for the locally natural conditions and for adapting to climate change

Quang Hung is one of the poorest communes of Quang Trach district, and the current livehoods of local people are quite limited due to a lack of technical knowledge, new-resilient-to-climate-change seedlings/breedings and high unemployment (limited land for production). Taking the natural conditions of sandy soil for cultivation and freshwater sources from the sand into consideration, three potential livelihoods were proposed by local people, namely grass cultivation and cow raising, freshwater fish raising, and vegetable cultivation. Based on these suggestions, the following activities were conducted:

baseline data surveys were conducted at household level for at least 30 selected households, whilst production plans, types of livelihoods as well as business-suitable seedlings and breedings were simultaneously discussed and advised upon
technical training and advice on cow breeding and raising and grass planting techniques as well as technical training courses and advice on freshwater pond fish raising and vegetable cultivation were conducted for selected households in 2016 (10 households per type of livelihood)
seedlings, breedings and production inputs for farmers were provided (including fertilizer, grass and acacia seedlings, fish breeds, vegetable cultivation essentials, production tools, essentials for the building of stalls and ponds; cow breedings will be delivered)
training on monitoring and evaluation formats for local project partner staff, and on farmer book records for farmers is provided

Upscaling and sustainability of the pilot intervention

a lessons learned workshop will be provided
field visits to the sites will be offered
awareness raising activities related to climate change and ecosystem-based adaptation will be provided for the village in focus

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