Germany and Australia help Vietnam protect coastal resources

In order to effectively manage the coastline running through many provinces in the Southwest ahead of the climate change situation, the Government of Germany and Australia have pledged to donate tens of millions of dollars.

On June 3, in Rach Gia City (Kien Giang), the German International Development Organization (GIZ) and Kien Giang Provincial People's Committee held a ceremony to announce the climate change program and coastal ecosystems. During this time, Rach Gia City also held a workshop on climate change, conservation and development of coastal resources from practical solutions of Kien Giang province.

Information from this workshop shows that Kien Giang has the longest coastline in the Mekong Delta with about 205 km. Along this coastline there are over 5,000 hectares of mangrove forest forming a thin green corridor with salinity-tolerant vegetation.

From the support of the Government of Germany and Australia, the dike system and coastal resources in Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Kien Giang . will be protected against climate change. Photo: Thien Phuoc

There are many places in Kien Giang province where eroded mangrove belts expose many dykes. Since then, sea water has broken down and caused dikes or dikes, leading to seawater intrusion into the agricultural production area inside. According to the survey, there are many places where the sea has 'caught' 5-10m of mangrove forest. When sea dykes do not have protective vegetation, they are severely eroded and in many cases sea dykes are washed away by seawater.

Effective management of coastal areas and mangrove resources is essential to consider issues that directly threaten mangrove forests. These factors have reduced the protection capacity of mangroves for coastal erosion.

The Australian Government has decided to contribute over $ 24 million to the chapter on climate change and coastal ecosystems for Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, Kien Giang and An Giang provinces. The German Government pledged to finance more than 14 million USD for technical cooperation and to finance 25.3 million USD for financial cooperation for the sea dyke restoration program implemented by the German Reconstruction Bank from now until June 2016.