Activities 

Applied  Research 

-          Coordinate all relevant research activities within MCD, apply science and technology to support project activities including: research of coastal resource conservation and management, community profile development and database management, and sustainable livelihood assessment. 

-          Facilitate documentation of MCD’s experiences by developing technical guidelines for marine conservation and community development. These documents will be used by MCD and also local communities in community training courses. 

-          Mobilize expert resources (internal and external) and coordinate implementation of research. 

-          Cooperate with relevant scientists; develop scientific networks with research individuals, organizations, volunteers and involve them in the research activities. 

-          Participate in scientific networks (national and international levels) and publish scientific research papers in professional magazines and journals. 

Project Development 

-          Provide inputs and ideas for project development, be involved in writing project proposals, give feedback for policy advocacy and coordinate relevant consultancy activities. 

-          Propose new fields and topics of research that are in line with the objectives and strategy of MCD, and recommend useful inputs for MCD’s fundraising and resource mobilisation. 

Outstanding achievements in 2008

-          A research on “Marine and coastal ecosystem services for poverty reduction in Vietnam: Situational Analysis” – ESPA, was implemented by MCD in cooperation with WorldFish Center and Overseas Development Group (ODG), University of East Anglia (England). Consultative meetings were organised including focus group meetings in the communities of  Nam Dinh and Khanh Hoa provinces, which was followed by a national stakeholder workshop with participation of more than 40 people representing government agencies, research institutions, NGOs and social civil organizations. The assessment report was reviewed and finally completed. 

-          Two case studies was conducted by MCD, focusing on “Women’s roles in livelihood development in the coastal commune of Xuan Thuy national park, Nam Dinh” and “Women’s participation  in community environmental education  activity at Trao Reef Marine  Reserve Khanh Hoa”. The research findings were synthesized and incorporated in a regional report “Women in fisheries in Southeast Asia ” which is coordinated by Southeast Asia Fish for Justice network (SEAFish). 

-          Following the two case studies MCD, in collaboration with SEAFish, successfully organized a regional conference: “Women in fisheries in Southeast Asia.”. The conference attracted more than 60 participants from Southeast Asian countries (Viet Nam, Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia) and international organizations (Oxfam Novib, WorldFish Centre, International Collective in Support for Fishworkers - ICSF). 

-          Two student master theses were completed entitled i) “Research the combined aquaculture modelling: lobster, seaweed and green mussel in Van Hung commune, Van Ninh district, Khanh Hoa province” and ii)  “Biological factors of natural clam at Xuan Thuy national park, Nam Dinh”. Research results are being disseminated and applied for target community groups (fishers and aquaculture farmers) and relevant stakeholders (government and local agencies). 

Main activities (during the first 6 months in 2009): 

-          Finalize and publish two technical documents: Training Manuals on “Community leadership skills” and “Community data collection skills”. 

-          Conduct two expert research projects according to the selected  topics relevant to the main themes of “sustainable livelihood assessment” and “coastal resource management,” and provide necessary inputs for MCD’s project activities at the local sites. 

-          Support three student research projects that are selected based on the needs and priorities of the community. 

-          Develop new potential projects/actions (at least one project) that are in line with objectives and needs, lend support in development and resource mobilisation. 

-          Update and manage a list of technical advisers and experts (categorised into professional expertise) that can be used and mobilised as additional resources for strengthening MCD’s technical capacity. 

-          Expand the national and international scientific collaborators network. Participate and make presentations in national and international scientific conferences/workshops (at least 1 presentation) on topics relevant to MCD’s work.