The Co-management Model in the Integrated Mangrove-aquaculture Farming in Ca Mau, the Vietnamese Mekong Delta

Abstract

In the coastal regions of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, integrated mangrove-aquaculture farming has been gaining increasing popularity because of its apparent preservation-functioning of mangrove forests while also offering farmers the opportunity to gain an income from doing aquaculture. The Vietnamese government has regularly managed the ecosystem by using a co-management model in the form of land allocation. Farmers receive the right to do production on their piece of land but must adhere to forest-protection rules. This thesis aims to investigate what effect the comanagement model has in the integrated mangrove-aquaculture sector on farmers, other stakeholders, and the natural environment of Ca Mau, the Southern province of the Mekong Delta, and how can it be explained using the criteria efficiency, equity, and sustainability. The use of these three criteria gives a more complete picture of the effects of the co-management model than only investigating the model from one lens. The commune of Vien An Dong (Viên An Đông), located in Ca Mau, is used as a case study research location to discover more in-depth and comprehensive knowledge about the subject. 20 interviews have been executed with farmers from the commune. Moreover, interviews with two experts have been performed as well as a focus group discussion with three representative farmers. With the gathered data, the co-management model in this commune proves to have shortterm positive effects on stakeholders and nature in integrated mangrove-aquaculture farming. It successfully preserves the mangrove forests and allows farmers to earn an income. However, in the long run, certain challenges may become difficult to resolve if changes do not occur. These challenges include farmers’ increasing resistance to the forest ratio rule, the increased encroachment of pollution within the commune, the inequitable distribution of benefits, and unbalanced relations of power. Moreover, there is a disparity in opinions between the farmers and other stakeholders with higher authorities regarding the impact of the co-management model on the commune. The positive attitudes of governmental organs and independent companies and the negative viewpoints of farmers towards the co-management model need to become more balanced for the model to succeed in the future.