MFF’s priorities in Viet Nam are community resilience, adaptive management and knowledge sharing, with mangroves prioritized in the broader context of Integrated Coastal Management. MFF in Viet Nam serves as a knowledge network and information clearing house with a particular focus on provincial level decision makers.
MFF is also supporting national policies and programmes to improve their design and delivery in Viet Nam. This includes helping policy makers prepare legislation to enable payments for ecosystem services from mangrove forests.
Viet Nam’s rich coastal and marine resources face threats from rapid population growth, unchecked development and natural disasters. It is also one of the countries likely to be hit hardest by climate change and rising sea levels. Viet Nam’s national target programme for climate change focuses on its coasts, aiming to ensure integrated management of their social, cultural and environmental assets.
Responding to this target, the country’s NSAP prioritizes mangroves in the broader context of ICM. It targets national programmes rather than policy, as programmes have dedicated budgets for action and MFF can use its resources to gain strategic influence.
Seven programmes of work have been identified as priorities, clustered into national actions on knowledge, financing and ICM, and local actions on rehabilitation, livelihoods, resilience and adaptive management. The goal of MFF initially is to provide a knowledge network and clearing house for provincial decision makers.