Lessons learned from Vietnam NCAP Project

• 1 Lessons learned from Vietnam
• 2 Strategic recommendations
• 3 Specific recommendations for Thua Thien Hue Province
• 4 Next. . .

Lessons learned from Vietnam

In recent decades Thua Thien Hue Province has experienced an increase in climate change-related events: significant increases in temperature, wet season rainfall, flooding and inundation have been noted. Consequently, incidences of drought, river bank and coastal erosion, and salinity intrusion have become more severe. Thanks to project activities supported by the NCAP, policy makers and communities in Thua Thien Hue have become more aware of the extent that climate change will have on all sectors of society and in particular on agricultural production and in coastal areas. In the course of the project, the following lessons have been learned.

Take advantage of local resources and existing knowledge

Optimal and creative use of all available local resources and consideration of all relevant past and ongoing studies and projects was a priority focus of this project. Within the extended project timeframe, IMHEN as the implementing party was able to produce a variety of outputs on a limited budget: a climate change impact assessment for water resources at river basin scale; downscaled climate change scenarios for a limited area; climate projections and hydrological modeling; participatory studies; local adaptive capacity assessments; and adaptation measure analysis at the provincial, district and town levels. All of the initial targets were reached to varying extents.

The above results were achieved in part thanks to the proper mobilization of local resources, including information and data, technical, financial and human capacity and collaboration with other projects, assessments and activities and the sharing of the results of such. This last point will be described further below.

Cooperate to reduce costs and avoid duplication of effort

Close collaboration with relevant development projects working in the same area or sector, or with similar objectives, should be encouraged to avoid the duplication of effort and to maximize the sharing of information, technical advice, reports, networks of contacts, and financial and human resources.

In the first phase of this project, two meetings were organized with representatives of different organizations and initiatives in Thua Thien Hue Province and especially in Phu Vang district (including IMOLA, ICZM, FAO, CECI, PVC, Kyoto University and ABD) where the participants shared information and experiences, contacts and networks. All the participants acknowledged the importance of such a dialogue and mechanism for collaboration. However, it was also recognized that most of the projects still have weak links with one another and have no budget allocations to support coordination. Moreover, there are many constraints limiting effective collaboration, such as the lack of a dedicated platform for cooperation and communication and the bureaucracy of some local institutions, among others.

In this regard, the establishment of a special unit for coordination of relevant activities with small but secure budget allocation, possibly independent from the local government, would be highly beneficial. At present, such an inter-agency coordination body does not exist, so it is recommended to encourage all donors and investors to allocate a certain amount of project budgets to a “collaborative fund” for this important and potentially very cost effective mechanism.

Use a combination of top-down and bottom-up participatory approaches

Local communities and the rural poor are often the most vulnerable sectors of society who will feel earliest and bear the full brunt of the negative impacts of climate change. As these groups are also among the intended project beneficiaries, they need to be involved in the process of adaptation at all stages, from initial project development to the monitoring and evaluation of the project outputs. Therefore, a bottom-up approach is essential in designing practical adaptive measures to match the specifics of the local context and in developing small-scale adaptation and other projects.

The bottom-up approach may not be entirely sufficient, however, for a more strategic project aimed at influencing policy-making and implementation. If this is the case, a combined approach would be the most effective.

Translate scientific study results into a language understandable by the end-users

One of the most difficult but important tasks in a project such as this is to reformulate scientific conclusions into a language and format that is easily understood by the different target groups: provincial leaders and policy makers, private and public sector managers, local authorities and local communities, and poor people.

Rural inhabitants and the urban poor may not speak the same language as technical experts and scientists, and often have little free time or interest in complicated scientific issues, so all project and study results should be simplified and presented in a locally coherent way.

Conversely, policy makers and national authorities require concrete and reliable evidence – figures, data and facts that should be related to or spark their interest (political, economic or other), with an emphasis on shorter term decisions and plans as abstract ideas or long term challenges do not always catch these stakeholders’ attention.

The potential impacts of climate change over the long term are often ignored or misunderstood by local communities and state authorities. Some of these actors may also be already (intentionally or not) undertaking what could be considered as autonomous adaptation measures. The task of the experts and project teams is to raise awareness and understanding, which may lead to concrete positive actions.

Use indigenous knowledge and expert opinion wisely

Local people know much better than others their needs and fears, the location of areas most vulnerable to climate change and disasters and economic or livelihood opportunities in and around their communities, but they can often benefit from the technical support and objective view provided by outside experts.

Confusion regarding the concept of climate change, related information and relevant countermeasures – for example the difference between mitigation and adaptation – can be common place, so some clarification and capacity building is usually needed. During project implementation, many new ideas and findings may arise while working with local people or governmental bodies. It is often the case that project experts have not considered all aspects of a project, especially if prior consultations were not undertaken with local communities. So while managers may have a good idea of the overall project objectives, creative and innovative solutions may be provided by project stakeholders, ideas which could even change the implementation direction or intended outputs. In such a case, the purpose and overall objectives of the project can remain but a reorientation of certain specific objectives or outputs may be useful to better fit the practical reality.

Think globally, act locally

Regional, national and local adaptation to climate change should be linked to the global context in terms of knowledge and information availability, technology transfer and financial support from, and experience sharing with, the international community. Such cooperation can bring benefits and opportunities to local people, as is the case with the NCAP project for Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam.

However, adaptation to climate change needs to also begin with, and focus on, the everyday actions of individuals to encourage changes in awareness, attitudes and behavior. In order to help achieve this, near-term concrete targets to adapt to climate variability and disasters should be promoted and local development challenges may need to be addressed.

Strategic recommendations

Despite the emphasis given to achieving accelerated economic growth, the Government of Vietnam acknowledges that controlling and reducing the consequences of climate change and disasters are also key priorities. State and industry responses to climate change would have to be carried out systematically and be consistent with the policies and plans of various sectors and regions, in particular with the national economic development plan as well as that of a province such as Thua Thien Hue.

The results of this project should be used in mainstreaming climate change adaptation into the provincial socioeconomic development plan, as well as into the Thua Thien Hue ICZM action plan, which should be revised in 2009. A number of initial difficulties were encountered by the project team while trying to propose the integration of climate change adaptation considerations into policy-making mechanisms and administrative processes. Fortunately, with the increasing awareness of the Government of Vietnam regarding potential climate change impacts and risks and the ongoing process of preparation of the National Target Program to Respond to Climate Change (NTP), which is also led by the IMHEN and MONRE, the integration process will be implemented at the provincial level very soon.

Specific recommendations for Thua Thien Hue Province

The following are specific recommendations for the most vulnerable sectors and areas – agriculture, water resources and coastal zones – of Thua Thien Hue Province:

Adaptation options for agriculture and rural development

• Promote appropriate changes in crop patterns and domestic livestock in high risk zones, convert low-productivity rice areas into aquaculture; assess and familiarize with new crop seasons, implement suitable technical practices for agriculture.
• Use hardy crop varieties that can overcome excess water, drought and extreme weather conditions.
• Reorientate the existing 5 million ha forestation program towards an upstream protected forest, the coastal green belt and mangrove forests.

Adaptation options for water resource management and disaster prevention

• Develop and implement an integrated water resource management plan for the province considering climate change impacts and increasing water demand.
• Improve the water regulation and flood protection systems, dykes, irrigation infrastructure, dams and reservoirs in order to protect and better exploit cultivated areas.
• Develop and improve the disaster management and search and rescue plan for vulnerable locations.

Adaptation options for coastal and lagoon areas

An adaptation framework should be established for the coastal zone and lagoon area which should have the purpose of: preventing loss of life and property, avoiding development in disaster-prone areas and ensuring that critical coastal ecosystems, such as wetlands and coral reefs, are protected and remain functional. Specific adaptation options could include:

• Good practical implementation of the ICZM strategy with consideration of climate change and its potential impacts on the sustainable development of the coastal zone
• Protection for populated areas: construction of sea dykes is the measure of choice to prevent erosion in densely populated coastal areas. However, sea dykes do not resolve the underlying cause of erosion, and they can promote the offshore movement of beach sediments. The dykes are also costly to build and maintain and they will need to be extended as the sea level rises. Seawalls should be used only to protect valuable property and buildings that cannot be relocated. For new infrastructure development, the use of setbacks and relocation could be considered.
• Land use policies should encourage settlements away from low-lying and high-risk coastal areas through, for example, the use of coastal hazard mapping.
• Prevention of erosion: depending on the infrastructure and population density, adaptation options to prevent coastal erosion include (i) no response, where there is little habitation or infrastructure; (ii) accommodation, where property is replaced as it is damaged; and (iii) shoreline protection, in areas with large populations and significant infrastructure. In low land areas, where it is essential to retain over-wash sediments and other coastal vegetation to promote shoreline accretion, closing or narrowing selected passages between the lagoon and the ocean, and the strategic use of groynes to help minimize the transfer of sediments from the ocean side to the lagoons could be useful. Sea dykes, however, should be used only in key locations, such as along the edges of important waterways, as they tend to cause downstream erosion and require continual maintenance. In less developed areas the use of setbacks to control future development, beach nourishment and relocation of infrastructure might be preferable.
• Protection against inundation: in areas with little infrastructure, the costs of protection are likely to be prohibitive, and relocation or modification of structures to accommodate surface flooding should be considered. In more populated areas, strategies to allow over-wash sediment to naturally increase the elevation of the coastal zone may help offset the impacts of inundation. Where land ownership disputes are not an issue, new structures should be set back from the shoreline and elevated to allow for periodic flooding.
• Population relocation: if all other measures fail, population relocation may need to be considered. While some communities may opt to move on their own, population relocation would pose immense social and political risks for the Thua Thien Hue authorities, as nearly all inhabitable land is under some form of customary ownership.

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Back to: Netherlands Climate Assistance Programme (NCAP)

Vietnam NCAP Project

Methodology of Vietnam NCAP Project

Key findings from Vietnam NCAP Project