Vinh Long restores mangrove forests, linking coastal livelihoods

On July 28, in Duyen Hai ward, Vinh Long province, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Vinh Long Department of Agriculture and Environment held a launch ceremony for the project "Strengthening resilience through sustainable livelihood support and mangrove forest restoration in the Duyen Hai area, Vinh Long province."

The project was approved by the Vinh Long Provincial People's Committee and will run from April 2026 through the end of 2028, funded by entrepreneurs Nguyen Vu Bang and Nguyen Thi Thanh Hien.

According to the organizing committee, the project aims to restore mangrove forest ecosystems, improve livelihoods for coastal residents, and strengthen community resilience against the growing impacts of climate change.

As part of the launch ceremony, delegates discussed the current state of mangrove forests in the area and the challenges involved in protecting and restoring them, and presented plans to roll out sustainable aquaculture models aligned with ecosystem conservation. The program also included technical training and mangrove tree planting sessions with households in Truong Long Hoa ward.

According to the IUCN, Vinh Long's coastal area has strong potential for aquaculture development and is home to one of the largest expanses of mangrove forest in the Mekong Delta. However, aquaculture production, particularly shrimp farming, still faces numerous difficulties, including disease outbreaks, inconsistent seed stock quality, rising input costs, small-scale production, and uneven technical skills. The adoption of low-emission, environmentally friendly aquaculture models remains limited, affecting product value and competitiveness.

Restoring and expanding the mangrove belt, combined with developing ecological aquaculture models, will create a natural buffer zone that protects estuaries and coastal areas, helps reduce erosion, limits the impacts of climate change, and raises incomes for local residents.

The project aims to plant about 10 hectares of mangrove forest within the coastal protection forest, plus an additional 10 hectares, roughly 20,000 trees, inside shrimp ponds. About 15 households will be supported in implementing a combined forest-planting and aquaculture model to increase forest cover on production land, improve the environment, and develop sustainable livelihoods.

In addition, at least 60 households will receive training to raise awareness of mangrove forest protection, climate change adaptation, and the application of nature-based solutions (NbS) in production.

Following the launch ceremony, about 25 households will continue participating in specialized training sessions covering seed stock selection, the use of probiotics and minerals in aquaculture beneath the mangrove canopy, the biodiversity conservation value of mangrove ecosystems, as well as the shrimp-forest model and related certification standards.

Through this series of activities, the project aims to promote community participation in protecting, restoring, and managing mangrove forests, while building environmentally friendly production models that contribute to sustainable livelihood development for coastal residents in Vinh Long and the wider Mekong Delta region.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world's largest nature conservation network, bringing together more than 1,400 member organizations and over 17,000 experts. IUCN has operated in Vietnam since 1984, supporting the government in policy development and implementing numerous programs on biodiversity conservation, forests, wetlands, marine and coastal areas, and nature-based solutions for climate change response and sustainable development.