Community and all-level authorities in conservation of natural resources and coastal ecosystem by boosting eco friendly aquatic activities; developing eco-tourism and alternative subsistence; establishing community enterprise models and promoting for-environment voluntary activities.
Tasks:
1. To interfere in activities that can develop and improve sustainable aquatic activities in projects;
2. To support community to prepare and maintain Community Ecosystem Model in project location;
3. To develop economic activities by group and community enterprise;
4. To survey and update information and experience of sustainable subsistence development in different regions in order to determine and apply the most efficient model in every region;
5. To documentalize all interference cycles relating to aquatic activities, community ecosystem and community enterprise, etc in order to share experiences with other concerned objects;
6. To issue advertising publications in order to ensure more efficient policies and awareness rising of components in the department;
7. To be member of aquatic organizations, community tourism, environmental resource protection association, micro-finance, etc in order to develop efficient national policies, and share and exchange experiences of project implementation with relevant individuals and organizations;
8. To develop environmental voluntary activities by coordinating with voluntary teams and organizations, etc,
Main activities
Sustainable management of aquatic products
Promoting the sustainable management in the project location and positioning individual fishermen via activities as follows:
1. To enhance capability of aquatic teams in the local;
2. To support the establishment and perfection of co-management mechanism based on community and corresponding regulations;
3. To support the establishment, operation and development of sustainable aquatic model in household scale;
4. To participate and regulate domestic and foreign fishing activities.
Ecosystem and other subsistence
Supporting region community selected to establish and maintain Community Ecosystem Model and apply other sustainable subsistence via activities as follows:
1. To survey and assess reasonable potentials and tourism products in every region;
2. To design products and coordinate with other relevant parties;
3. To develop products and enhance the community capability;
4. To advertise and promote products;
5. To support activities of tourism network;
6. To study and apply alternative subsistence and solution in every project location,
Community enterprise
Supporting the community to maximize the efficiency of economic activities via the cooperation and development of community enterprise model as follows:
1. To launch market researches;
2. To support the cooperation of private enterprise, credit organization and project community;
3. To support the enhancement of community business capability;
4. To support the community organization (sustainable aquatic activities, ecosystem, agriculture, etc) for the establishment of community enterprises,
Main achievements in 2008
Sustainable aquatic management
- Efficient organization and operation of community group (fishermen): Prior to MCD’s support, aquatic activities implemented by fishermen in the projects usually are separate, spontaneous and unsustainable ones. However, such their aquatic activities are gradually implemented systematically to enhance the synchrony and efficiency when they are supported by MCD.
- Newly-established aquatic feeding model in stable operation: Depending on results of environmental survey, community’s feeding situation, and specialist’s advance on suitable model, type and feeding method for available conditions of every local; MCD has supported to construct an eco friendly aquatic feeding models which are implemented by Sustainable Aquatic Feeding Organizations in co-management manner.
- Combination of project activities, local aquatic management and activities of “Balanced promotion in small-sized fishing in Eastern Asia” network: By cooperating with relevant parties, especially specialists and local authorities during the project implementation; MCD has deep understanding about development situation and natural conditions of the region, and local schedule and development orientation. As a result, MCD’s program has been proposed and developed in lined with the implementation of such schedule and orientation in order to enhance efficiency and sustainability of local aquatic activities. Simultaneously, activities of the international network are also integrated to enhance the image and role of Vietnamese individual fishermen in the global market.
Ecotourism and other subsistence
1. Establishment of typical community ecotourism model in Xuan Thuy National Park and Ran Trao marine ecosystem conservation
Potential survey and assessment, market determination and product design for every region have been implemented since 2006; MCD has coordinated with local authority and relevant parties in the implementation of Community Ecosystem Model in Giao Xuan Commune (Xuan Thuy National Park– Nam Dinh and Ran Trao Marine Ecosystem Conservation – Khanh Hoa).
Firstly, core teams including service supply team, management unit and consulting committee are organized in order to implement the model.
After being trained regarding essential skills, such groups/teams are organized under the support of consulting committee; then business schedule, market approach and product sale are prepared and implemented subsequently.
Basically, models are completed and introduced to distribution channels, communities affording to provide service supply, model operation and development, and experience sharing with other communities.
The Community Development Fund has also been established to enhance the model’s communality and sustainability.
2. Expansion of project’s impacts on locals with same conditions
Models with the same conditions are introduced in conferences, seminars, etc; moreover other activities such as welcoming visitor delegations, organizing advertisement campaign, sharing experience with other communities; especially Nam Phu communities (the buffer zone of Tien Hai Natural Conservation) are also implemented in Giao Xuan (Nam Dinh) and Van Hung (Khanh Hoa) Communities in order to prodive the Community Ecosystem product of Red Delta biosphere reserve.
In addition to this, MCD also expands the impacts of its project via network, especially the implementation of Community Ecotourism development in Nui Chua National Park (Ninh Thuan).
3. Coordinating relevant parties, voluntary organizations/teams/individuals with environmental protection activities via Community Ecotourism
In order to facilitate the contact of service teams and responsible tourists, cultural exchange, and improvement of service supply; voluntary activities and community ecotourism activities have been integrated together by MCD. “Voluntary environmental protection via ecotourism” project implemented in Giao Xuan is considered as one of its typical achievements under cooperation of Volunteers for Peace – Vietnam (VPV).
Community Enterprise:
- Understanding residents’ demand about small loan in the project
According to results of a survey in 2008, residents in all three communes located in the project have demand about small loan. Therefore, it is supposed that there is still a high rate of loan demand in order to expand prodution and business activities. In addition to capital resources from offical credit organizations such as Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam; residents have to suffer from high interest of private loan.
Results of a survey shows that credit organization and banks have basically paid more attention to loan and principal return, but not to enhancement of public capability in efficient loan use and saving; thus majority of residents can only afford to pay bank loan and daily life without any savings.
After understanding demand, status of loan use efficiency, and capability of residents; MCD coordinates with local counterparts in finding best solution and implementing precise activities in coastal communes in the project.
- Training business skills for community in project
This is the first time nearly 100 households have participated in a 4 day training course of business knowledge and skills. Thank to deep understanding about local situation, residents’ capability, manuals and training methods, especially positive altitude of participants, this course has held successfully and put special impression on such participants.
After participating in the course, such participants will be more confident and decisive when using loan efficiently, taking full advantages of the local, promoting trademark and advertising products in order to expand business activities. The MCD’s Community Enterprise Committee has cooperated with specialists of Binh Minh Community Development and Consultancy Company from preparation, training and report on evaluation. Quality and impacts of subsequent course is always better thanks to continuous experience cultivation and application into situation of every region. Thus, community’s skill will be enhanced.
- Model of efficient loan use and environmental pollution minimization – Que worm feeding in Giao Xuan, Giao An, Nam Dinh Province: From October to November 2008, MCD’s Commity Enterprise Committee coordinates with People’s Committee of Giao Xuan Commune, Xuan Thuy National Park, Corin Organization, and People’s Committee of Giao An Commune in implementing the improvement of loan use efficiency.
Subproject of diversified livelihood: After nearly 6 months of implementation and 03 inspections (up to 30 April 2008); the subproject has obtained initial basic targets (20 successful households) and this is being expanded to other neighbouring communes.
Que Worm has high value; especially it can reduce the initial costs significantly because of 70% nitrogen. Due to low costs, use of waste water in castle feeding, costs are mainly used for initial farm and feeding skills
Activities in first 6 months in 2009:
Sustainable aquatic management
- Training on sustainable aquatic feeding skills
- Supporting to visit models of sustainable aquatic feeding
- Conducting team-work to establish sustainable aquatic feeding group with corresponding regulations
- Conducting team-work to hold a show of suitable aquatic feeding
- Holding meetings of organization and regulations of feeding group
Ecotourism and other subsistence
1. Implementing Project “Development of Community Ecotourism as an alternative subsistence in order to conserve San Ho in Nui Chua National Park – Ninh Thuan” via activities as follows:
o Holding conference on project introduction;
o Conducting survey on tourism potentials and market in the region;
o Conducting survey on community’s participation;
o Selecting and establishing core groups in the project;
o Determining tourism point and route;
o Organizing campaign to rise awareness on Community Ecotourism and beach clearance,
2. Establishing tourism route with title “ Ramsar path” in core region of Red River Biosphere Reserve via activities as follows:
o Preparing contents and consulting with relevant parties;
o Conducting real survey and establishing routes with participation of tourism companies;
o Designing documents for route introduction;
o Training on guiding skills and environmental interpretation for tour managers,
3. Re-structuring service groups to improve service supply skills and efficiency of community development fund via activities as follows:
o Conducting meetings of core groups in Community Ecotourism
o Evaluating current assets of Community Ecotourism Committee;
o Inspecting efficiency of Community Development Fund;
o Inspecting quality of homestay service suppliers;
o Upgrading Community Development Fund and supporting to install equipments for service supply;
o Training to improve service supply skills of core groups based on survey results;
o Conducting classes of periodical English and cultural exchange via voluntary activities.
Community Enterprises
- Holding meetings to improve efficiency of small loan use and create opportunity for sustainable subsistence in the project region.
- Holding trainings on capital management skills and savings for staffs in women association, farmer association, suppliers of community ecotourism service and households of sustainable aquatic feeding.
- Holding trainings on improvement of loan use efficiency via minimizing initial costs for farming, feeding such as model of cattle and poultry feeding combined with Que Worm feeding in Nam Phu and model of micro-organic composition from straw, model of lean pig feeding in Van Hung (Khanh Hoa)
- Sharing experience on importance of sustainable subsistence with credit organizations and banks
- Taking advance of credit organizations and banks for small loan and sustainable subsistence policy.
- Coordinating with small-sized credit organizations in project based on their capital resources or under support of international organizations.
- Supplying and perfecting tourism business skills for households
- Fulfilling procedures for Community Ecotourism households and sub stainable aquatic feeding group in the project
- Taking advice of specialist to establish program and training course to rise awareness and essential skills.
- Training on professional knowledge and marketing skills of community enterprises.
- Visiting Co-operative model in aquatic feeding in Tan Thanh, Do Son, Hai Phong
- Supporting to establish organization charters/structure of community enterprise models
- Documentalizing the guiding manuals and applying to community enterprise in coastal communes.