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GAMBAS (Sponsored by European Commission) 2000 - 2004

SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR AQUACULTURE IN THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM

While playing a leading role in farmed shrimps with almost 80% of world shrimp culture production (650,000 tons in 1999), Asia suffered drastic collapses at the turn of the 90's in several countries. The main reason for the decrease of production was identified as deteriorating water quality and the emergence of numerous pathogens. Excessive and unplanned farm development and poor pond management have exacerbated this trend. Aquaculture is so dependent on the health of the environment that it cannot succeed in unsuitable or degraded sites.

Objectives
Overall objective
The project aims at promoting the sustainable development of shrimp farming in the Mekong delta while avoiding ecosystem degradation and production collapses. It is intended to have a practical impact on farming communities through local fisheries authorities.

Detailed objectives

The project is broken down into 5 detailed objectives:

1. To confirm on a significant sample of sites quantifiable relationships between shrimp production and ecological indicators,

2. To analyze farming practices and socio-economics on the same sites

3. To carry out mapping of mangrove vegetation, soil type and land use, and value them at ecosystem unit level,

4. To increase knowledge of scientists and local fisheries authorities through a strong involvement in the program: training courses and workshops,

5. To provide the Vietnamese counterpart with tools and methods making them able to devise a follow-up development project extended to the whole of the Mekong delta.

Problems to be addressed in the GAMBAS Project
Although shrimp farming in the Mekong delta has a positive impact in creating job opportunities and increasing foreign exchange earnings, today it is facing many problems and the activity itself is fragile:

- Mangrove destruction (e.g., in Minh Hai province: out of  200 000 ha in 1960, 50% were destroyed by the war and almost 40 000 ha were cut for aquaculture, 60 000 ha remain today.

- Salt intrusion affecting upstream soils, including paddy fields,

- Severe erosion problems: e.g., in Ca Mau and Bac Lieu  provinces, 340 km of coastline require protection.

- Conflicts with other users (rice/salt/wood/fisheries..) and social problems when the activity collapses (e.g., currently  8000 families are without work in central Mekong).

Other traditional activities also have negative impacts on aquaculture: water degradation by agriculture pesticides, illegal fry catches and recruitment failures, etc...

Results:

Some main results of the project can be summarized including: a database of aquaculture environmental, biological, geological, socio-economic characteristics and remote sensing and GIS. Methods on environmental monitoring and aquaculture planning and management were recommended  not only for the Mekong delta but also for other coastal areas in Vietnam.

 For more information, please contact IO Library

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Written By: Administrator Account
Date Posted: 11/9/2007
Number of Views: 2551

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