On the 12thof April, 2013, in Ca Mau, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in collaboration with People’s Committee of Ca Mau Province and World Wildlife Fund organized the 5th Forum in “Conserving Natural and Cultural Values for Sustainable Development in the Mekong Delta Region” with the theme of “Maintaining ecosystem services in Mekong Delta”.

This meeting was attended by over 200 participants who are representatives of Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Directorate of Environment and Department of Biodiversity Conservation), relevant center agencies, 13 provinces of the Mekong Delta Region, specialists and scientists. Participating in the Forum, Ms Than Thi Hien who is representative of Centre of Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD) presented Ecological Risk Assessment – a useful tool for managing natural resources and adapting to climate change in Vietnam Coastal Biosphere Reserves.

The 5th Forum in “Conserving Natural and Cultural Values for Sustainable Development in the Mekong Delta Region” aimed to share research results about the hydrological regime and sediment transport of Mekong River and the Mekong Delta Region; to determine ecosystem services in Mekong Delta Region and their roles in reponse to climate change; instruments and approach methods in order to manage ecosystem services. Besides, this forum was the place where specialists discussed to shed light over issues such as: transboundary problems in the Mekong Basin; adaptation to climate change based on ecosystems in the Mekong Delta Region; ecosystem services and evaluation of ecosystem services; notions of local authorities in mantaining and conserving ecosystem serviecs in the Mekong Delta Region.

This forum was the occasion for policy planners of 13 provinces in the Mekong Delta Region to understand the significance of maintaining ecosystem services for local socio-economic development; to have more experience and instruments in planning as well as approach methods sustaining these services; especially, instruments for evaluating ecosystem services. Simultaneously, the Forum bestowed upon managing agencies more detailed decisions for benefits from conserving ecosystem and maintaining ecosystem services when making decisions relating exploiting and utilizing natural resources in order to maintain ecosystem services in the Mekong Delta Region towards sustainable development objective.

Located in the downstream of Mekong River, the Mekong Delta Region is the biggest delta in Vietnam with the wetland area of 3.9 million ha. It is the habitat for 17 million people from 13 provinces in the Southwest part of Vietnam and a rich biodiverse area which reserves precious species and genetic resources and offers over 50% of Vietnam’s food production and 90% of the exported rice quantity. Besides, the Mekong Delta Region is also a big fisherie and aquaculture region, which leads Vietnam to be one of the biggest fish exporting countries in the world. Nevertheless, in the recent two decades, the high socio-economic development rate and disaster impacts have significantly affected biodiversity in general and ecosystem in particular.