Environmental Policy, Natural Resources and Urban Development
Nature Conservation and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park Region
Due to its extraordinary geomorphology, the scenic Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh province is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. However, its biodiversity is at great risk, mainly from poaching, illegal logging and slash-and-burn cultivation. One reason for this is the severe poverty of the population living in the region surrounding the national park.
Vietnamese-German development cooperation focuses on preserving the park’s biodiversity through sustainable management and protection. The buffer zone plays an important role in these efforts: slash-and-burn cultivation is replaced with alternative income sources, and a sustainable tourism management plan is developed and implemented with the local population. This leads to new income opportunities for local people and at the same time helps strengthening the resilience of the ecosystem against the growing impacts of climate change.
Promotion of Sustainable Management of Natural Forest and Marketing of Important Forest Products
Viet Nam has verdant forests and is highly committed to preserving them.
Germany supports Viet Nam to improve the efficiency and sustainability of forest management and of the forest sector, to fight loss of biodiversity and to sustain and raise economic value of forests. This includes providing advice to the Vietnamese partner organizations in developing technical and legal guidelines and improving administrative procedures and management systems. Methods to enhance the quality of forest products and service delivery are conveyed to facilitate marketing and improve income generation.
Germany assisted Viet Nam in implementing innovative afforestation models in North and Central Viet Nam. Based on decentralised participatory land use planning, private farmers were provided with land plots for afforestation and additional sources for income. Furthermore the net mitigation impact of the established afforestation activities is forecast to be 15 million tons of CO2 by 2025. Based on these models the Vietnamese government is able to improve natural resource management and the living standards of poor rural households, particularly among ethnic minorities.
Furthermore the German Government supports Viet Nam in adjusting to changes in market conditions within major wood consuming countries including new regulations regarding tropical timber trade. Viet Nam as one of South-east Asia’s largest importer of raw material and exporter’s of wooden furniture will be affected by these market trends. Therefore the country has been exploring cooperation with the EU under the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan to tackle illegal logging and its associated trade. Germany is supporting capacity building activities for involved participants such as negotiation teams and technical working groups.
Climate Change and Coastal Ecosystems Program
The Mekong Delta is known as Viet Nam’s rice bowl – it plays a crucial role in rice supply for Viet Nam and worldwide. At the same time, the Delta already today proves to be very vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Sea level rise and frequent extreme weather events threaten the densely populated region. Population growth and economic interests in aquaculture increase the pressure on the natural resources of the inland and coastal (mangrove) forests and dyke systems even further.
The Climate Change and Coastal Ecosystems Program of Vietnamese-German Development Cooperation helps to respond to climate change impacts in the Southern Mekong Delta.
The program’s objective is to efficiently manage and protect coastal ecosystems to mitigate and adapt to environmental hazards related to climate change. Present projects operate in the Soc Trang, Kien Giang (as a Trilateral Cooperation: Viet Nam Government, Australian Government’s Aid Program and German Development Cooperation), and Bac Lieu provinces. A planned program extension will include the national level and the An Giang and Ca Mau provinces in cooperation with Australian Government’s Aid Program.
Waste Water and Solid Waste Management in Provincial Centers
Viet Nam's continuously high economic growth rate and a rapid urbanization pose significant challenges to urban infrastructure development in all provincial cities in the country. Municipal waste water and solid waste disposal facilities have not kept up with economic development: at present only 60% of the urban population is connected to central water supply schemes. Untreated domestic and industrial waste waters are discharged into channels and rivers. This leads to potential risks for public health and the environment at large. Recently, the Vietnamese Government has taken up the challenge and has integrated the improvement of waste water and solid waste disposal into its development planning.
Germany supports these efforts through a waste water and solid waste management program. It helps to improve waste management systems in the provincial cities of Bac Ninh and Hai Duong in the North, Vinh in Central Viet Nam and Can Tho, Tra Vinh and Soc Trang in the South (Mekong Delta) of Viet Nam. These cities are currently expanding their networks of drains and sewage plants. Vietnamese-German Development Cooperation advises waste water companies on the efficient and demand-oriented management of these plants, and supports the installation of modern solid waste disposal sites. Moreover, Germany assists the Vietnamese Ministry of Construction in designing modern framework conditions for the communal disposal of waste water and solid waste in Viet Nam.
Improving Energy Efficiency in Rural Areas
As part of its global warming mitigation strategy, the German Government has set up the “Initiative for Climate and Environment Protection” (IKLU) as a financing facility for programs and projects in the sector. In Viet Nam, one of the IKLU financed projects targets at “Improving Energy Efficiency in Rural Areas”. Due to a lack of investments and maintenance, rural energy grids in Viet Nam lose on average 30% of their energy before reaching the final user. The project’s objective is to rehabilitate the rural grid and therefore reduce the occurring energy losses and simultaneously provide reliable and cost-effective energy supply that meets the demands of the rural population.
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© 2011 - German Development Cooperation with Vietnam