BENEFIT SHARING AND CLAM SEED PRODUCTION IN XUAN THUY NATIONAL PARK, VIETNAM By Nguyen Viet Cach
I. INTRODUCTION XUAN THUY NATIONAL PARK • Established in 1989, located in Nam Dinh Province • The first Ramsar site in Southeast Asia, and core zone of the Red River Biosphere Reserve recognized by UNESCO • Total legal area of 12,000 hectares, • Total area of mangroves: 3,000 hectares (2002) • Internationally significant as a migratory bird habitat
I. INTRODUCTION • 46,000 local people live in Buffer zone of park: shrimp farmers, clam farmes, clam seed producers and other aquatic products… • The total area of clam seed beds is 1,000 hectares. In a good year, up to 1,300 hectares of clam culture with seed also sold to other provinces. • The average revenue from clam culture is more than ever $10 million per year.
Problems • The park management board was UNABLE to stop local people entering the core zone to collect clams, clam seeds, and other aquatic products National Laws forbid human use Ramsar Convention of the core zone sustainable and wise use of wetland resources People’s likelihood CONFLICTION, VIOLENCE, OVER- HARVESTING RESOURCES
II. MATERIALS AND METHODS • The Park developed a co-management mechanism governing the sustainable and wise use of natural clam seed in the park for the benefit of the local people • Wise use is based on following principles: Aquatic resources are highly productive with a high capacity for regeneration. Reasonable exploitation can both generate income and sustain the resource over the long term. Wise use of aquatic resources can be put into practice by proper planning, use of technology, and cooperation between institutions.
Co-management mechanism Rights and responsibilities of stakeholders Local authority The Park Managem ent Board Clam seed collectors
Clam seed collectors Obligations Rights pay from $25 to $150/hectare/year allowed to lease mudflats to lease mudflats access credit and technical know-how can use only manual (not mechanized) collection devices not allowed to convert any natural habitats, participate in formulating use destructive fishing practices, pollute regulations, and monitoring the environment, hunt, or sub-contract the implementation collection area.
Local authorities • protecting the park’s natural resource Responsibilities • providing technical and financial support to the community • receive a portion of the revenue from the Rights leases, which is then spent on local welfare.
Park management board • in charge of managing and monitoring the co-management agreement.
III. RESULTS - The management Nam Dinh - A management agreement has board started been prepared Provincial PC implementing the pilot project from 2006 to - The two commune PCs have approved the 2010 disseminated information about pilot project on the project. - The clam the management - People’s awareness and management of board, chaired by the toward conservation have District PC, holds improved significantly. clam seed at the local meetings and - The commune PCs have mouth of the consults with the issued legal documents to Red River inside District Party ensure aquatic resources are Committee on project the park (2006) harvested sustainably implementation
III. RESULTS • At the end of the clam seed collection season, the clam resource management board requests the commune PCs to submit project progress reports • The revenue from leasing the mud flats has contributed to the commune’s budgets, which been used to invest in improved public services.
Commune Revenues from Benefit Sharing Agreement 2007-2010 Giao Thien Commune Number of Area (10 Revenue households Hectares) (1000 USD) 2007 24 260 $26 , 419 2008 20 170 $6,621 2009 11 150 $10,162 2010 13 150 $4,638 Total $47,841
Commune Revenues from Benefit Sharing Agreement 2006-2010 Giao An Commune Number of Area Revenue households (Hectares) (USD) 2006 215 450 $26,667 2007 240 450 $24,214 2008 235 450 $24,405 2009 245 400 $20,000 2010 210 400 $15,072 Total $110,358
IV. DISCUSSION Clam seed production has declined significantly over the last few years: • Very few mother clams remain in the clam collection area (Zone D in Figure 1) to deliver seeds to the clam seed beds (Zone C) via along-shore currents, because clam farmers receive no immediate benefit in limiting their harvest. • Households collect clam seeds when they are too small • Possibly, changes in ocean currents and the status of the mud flats, which are less favorable to clam seed development.
IV. DISCUSSION • The current agreement does not set sustainable harvesting limits. The focus is on dividing up the proceeds rather than ensuring a sustainable yield. • According to the policy approved by Nam Dinh Provincial PC, this revenue is allocated as follows: 80% to a local welfare fund, 15% to an environmental protection fund, and 5% to the park to cover the operating expenses of the clam management board. However, given the limited revenue and availability of alternative funding, the park has returned its share of the revenue to the communes
V. CONCLUSIONS • The pilot project succeeded in establishing strong multi-stakeholder cooperation to ensure a fair distribution of the benefits from clam seed production. • Help to increase local incomes, provide additional revenue to commune budgets and reduced the scope for conflict. • Environmental protection clubs have been formed that testify to the degree of community support for the co- management agreement. • In February 2012, the park was chosen as one of two sites to implement the Prime Minister Decision 126 on piloting benefit sharing in the management, protection, and sustainable development of protected areas.
VI. RECOMMENDATIONS In line with the PM’s decision, the park will carry out the following five components: a) Sustainable use of clam seed beds resources in frequently flooded areas in the Red River Estuary and around Lu and Ngan Islands. b) Sustainable local community use of aquatic resources inside the mangrove forests in the core zone of the park. c) Community-based mangrove management model in the park’s buffer zone in Giao An, Giao Lac, and Giao Xuan Communes. d) Sustainable use of the clam culture areas while still protecting the important bird areas in the ecological restoration zone on Lu Island. e) Sustainable collection of medical plants in the casuarinas forests on Lu Island.
VI. RECOMMENDATIONS • In October 2011, the park received a MFF small grant to implement component B of Decision 126. A UNDP/GEF project is supporting component C; the Vietnam Conservation Fund (VCF) support the other three components. • If successful, the park will demonstrate the commitment of the Vietnamese to meet the Ramsar commitment of “wise use” and strengthen Xuan Thuy’s importance as a core zone of the biosphere reserve.
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