Workshop exchanges experiences in developing coastal ecosystems
Experiences in improving the resilience of coastal ecosystems and communities were shared at a workshop in Hanoi on August 24 that reviewed the third phase of the Mangroves for the Future (MFF) initiative.
Hanoi (VNA) – Experiences inimproving the resilience of coastal ecosystems and communities were shared at aworkshop in Hanoi on August 24 that reviewed the third phase of the Mangrovesfor the Future (MFF) initiative.
Steen Christensen, coordinator of the MFFinitiative, said Vietnam has carried out many mangrove forest projects well,but some are still facing difficulties in reaching local communities.
To solve these problems, it is necessary to havea team of highly capable evaluation groups and to increase the connection ofinvestors with relevant sustainable coastal management development programmes,he noted.
Associate Prof. Dr. Vu Thanh Ca, head of the MFFNational Coordinating Body (NCB), said marine ecosystems have a strong impacton the economy and the MFF initiative focuses on coastal ecosystems that benefithumans too.
Natural resources and environmental services should bepromoted to help coastal residents earn a stable income and respond to climatechange, he suggested.
Ca added that in Vietnam, the NCB will assistlocalities in developing their coastal ecosystems, for example in utilisingmangrove forests as a pioneer project because of their important ecosystembenefits.
The programme will also support efforts to develop andconserve littoral and river mouth zones, as well as coastal and inshore areas; devise solutions formanaging these areas; improve communities’ capacity and awareness; andintegrate gender equality in relevant activities.
At the workshop, participants discussed themanagement and conservation of coastal ecosystems with the community’sparticipation, coastal zone management, and ways to expand the sound practicesof the MFF in Vietnam.
The MFF is a continental-level initiative in Asia, co-chairedby the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the UnitedNations Development Programme (UNDP), boosting investment for the sustainabledevelopment of coastal ecosystems. The third phase of the initiative has beenimplemented since 2014 with 31 small projects, two medium projects, and two largeprojects, as well as activities supporting coastal area management policieswith a view to increasing the resilience of communities that are reliant onecosystems.–VNA
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Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) 
