Soc Trang is a poor coastal province in the south east of Vietnam. In the past, a discontinuous belt of\u00a0natural mangrove was situated along the coastal line of the province and along the Dinh An and Tran De\u00a0estuaries where the Mekong River (also known as Hau River) flows into the sea. Mangrove forests are only\u00a0found in three districts: Cu Lao Dung, Vinh Chau and Long Phu. The mangrove ecosystem and coastal\u00a0resources are very important for sustaining local livelihoods, local environmental security and local socioeconomic\u00a0development.<\/p>\n
Some of the mangrove forests in Soc Trang were destroyed during the American War (also called the\u00a0Vietnam War, 1958-1975), and then recovered through natural regeneration and new establishments on\u00a0mud flats, and new plantations. In the last two decades the mangrove forests have been seriously\u00a0decreased due to the expansion of shrimp farming, agricultural production and coastal dyke construction.\u00a0Thousands of hectares of mangrove forests in Soc Trang have disappeared which has:, reduced their\u00a0protective functions; caused a decline in marine resources and resulting in increased damage and forest\u00a0cover loss caused by strong waves, tidal actions and natural disasters. These changes negatively impact\u00a0local incomes, worsen local living conditions, and raise additional social difficulties and conflicts. Existing\u00a0environmental and socio-economic problems are caused by the absence of sustainable solutions for\u00a0managing, using and protecting coastal natural resources, including mangrove forests. In particular, local\u00a0authorities did a poor job in carrying out their responsibilities in terms of law enforcement to challenge
\nproblems arising from the expansion of shrimp farming, which has been promoted as a priority for local\u00a0economic development.<\/p>\n
To solve those problems, Soc Trang Provincial People Committee has worked in cooperation with the\u00a0German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) to implement the project \u201cManagement of Natural Resources in the\u00a0Coastal Zone of Soc Trang Province\u201d. The Soc Trang Forest Protection Sub-department is the focal point\u00a0for executing and implementing this project. The goal of the project is for the coastal wetlands of Soc Trang\u00a0Province to be protected and sustainably used for the benefit of the local population. Therefore, the project\u00a0specifically aims to promote coastal co-management mechanisms among resource users (local\u00a0community, shrimp farmers) and local authorities from the commune, district and provincial levels.<\/p>\n
To achieve the project objectives, it is of greatest importance that local authorities and social organisations\u00a0have sufficient knowledge and understanding of sustainable management of coastal natural resources\u00a0(Result 5). In addition, local authorities, social organisations and the local community must have proper\u00a0awareness of environmental issues (Result 6). To verify these outcomes, the project has to collect baseline\u00a0data using a field survey in the project area. This survey will help to assess the awareness of local\u00a0authorities, social organisations and local villagers towards the environment and management of coastal\u00a0natural resources. This survey also creates a good opportunity for training and improving the capacity of\u00a0project staff at districts in terms of awareness assessment, data analysis and interpretation skills.<\/p>\n
PanNature was selected to implement the activity \u201cAssessment about the awareness of coastal zone\u00a0management and general environmental awareness in Soc Trang Province\u201d. From 5-20 May 2008, three\u00a0PanNature researchers worked in cooperation with project counterpart staff at the province, district and\u00a0commune levels to carry out assessment activities in Soc Trang City and the districts of Cu Lao Dung, Vinh\u00a0Chau and Long Phu. This technical report presents the results of the field survey. It describes the local\u00a0awareness on environmental issues and management of coastal resources of different target groups of\u00a0Soc Trang Province.<\/p>\n
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