Trade, Rural Poverty & the Environment Project Profiles

Vietnam

In Vietnam, a team from the Institute of Geography (based in Hanoi) has examined the impacts of export-oriented shrimp production on the environment and rural poverty in the province of Ca Mau, in the southern end of the Mekong Delta. Shrimp farming expanded rapidly during the past decade against a backdrop of aggressive trade liberalization and export growth. Vietnam has become one of the largest suppliers of shrimp to the United States and European Union. The rapid expansion of shrimp aquaculture in Ca Mau led to an increase in the production area from 90,511 hectares in 1999 to 247,510 hectares in 2004. About 60% of the population now depends upon shrimp farming for livelihoods.

But though there have been indisputable economic benefits from shrimp aquaculture, environmental degradation and social problems have also resulted. Thousands of acres of mangrove forests and rice fields were converted into shrimp farms. These changes in land use caused a deterioration of soil and water quality, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Additionally, while overall income levels have risen, some of Ca Mau's poorest residents have lost access to land and the ecosystem services upon which they depend. However, different models of shrimp farming vary in their environmental and socioeconomic consequences. There are diversified models in which shrimp are harvested alongside crabs, fish, rice, and other options for food and livelihoods. And there are integrated models in which shrimp are farmed between stands of mangrove.

Working with the national and provincial governments and other stakeholders, WWF Vietnam will seek to influence technology choice in ways that reduce ecological impact and promote pro-poor livelihoods. It also hopes to highlight how Vietnam can balance its strategy of export-led growth for poverty alleviation with a fundamental concern for the environment and the importance of ecosystem services. With the research phase of the project complete, WWF Vietnam is focusing on the development of feasible policy measures and advocacy for policy change, to encourage the positive effects and minimize the negative effects of shrimp aquaculture in Vietnam. A national workshop for further consultation and communication of the research results was held in Hanoi in November 2006.

Links

WWF Vietnam project page

WWF Vietnam newsletter article