USAID Green Annamites Newsletter Issue 02 by Minh Hanh Ta

GREEN ANNAMITES USAID GREEN ANNAMITES PROJECT | NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 02 | MARCH 2018 – JULY 2018

During the ceremonies, launch attendees engaged with a range of project beneficiaries, including enterprises, cooperatives, and local communities while visiting the Market place displaying a number of value products from acacia trees, bamboo and rattan, medicinal plants, as well as local traditional products like zang weaving textiles, and agricultural products.

USAID GREEN ANNAMITES PROJECT OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES IN QUANG NAM AND THUA THIEN HUE PROVINCES

n November 1, 2017 the Prime Minister officially approved the investment policy for the USAID Green Annamites Project in Decision No. 1687/QĐ-TTg. The project’s governing agencies, the People’s Committees of Quang Nam(QN) and Thua Thien Hue (TT Hue) provinces, also issued decisions approving the project: Decision 976/QĐ-UBND dated March 21, 2018 by QN province and Decision 3090/QĐ-UBND dated December 29, 2017 by TT Hue province. The Project collaborated with the Provincial People’s Committees (PPC) of the two provinces to organize project launching ceremonies in QN on March 27, 2018 and in TT Hue on April 12,

2018. The events aimed to update the legal status of the Project, publicizing the decision to establish Project Steering Committees and Provincial Project Management Boards (PPMB) in the two provinces, and increasing cooperation between stakeholders in order to fulfill the project’s objectives by 2020. Launch attendees included USAID/Vietnam Mission Director Michael Greene, as well as representatives from the QN and TT Hue PPCs, project implementer ECODIT, and departments, agencies, enterprises and other partners. Leaders from the two provinces expressed appreciation for the U.S. Government’s support in mitigating climate change, implementing policies that promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, and boosting the

resilience of local communities. The provincial authorities have committed to closely cooperating with the Project, and to ensuring its activities are implemented in a transparent way that takes into account the local populations’ unique development needs. To update the project implementation progress and elaborate plans for implementing activities in the last six months of 2018, the PPMBs in the two provinces conducted the first meetings on April 20 in TT Hue and June 06, 2018 in QN, in which PPMUs also approved and signed the Cooperation Agreements with the implementing agency ECODIT, and formalized their commitment to speed up the implementation on the field. U S A I D G R E E N A N NAMI TES / 1

| EDITORIAL

n the second issue of the USAID Green Annamites Project newsletter, we would like to give you a glimpse of some of the work our partners have been doing through the Project. The Project’s value chain approach is emphasizing acacia. We are working hand-in-hand with cooperative groups and the private sector to increase the number of plantations growing FSC-certified wood in our two target provinces Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam. We are mobilizing private sector and government funding to provide reliable technical assistance to help more forest farmers improve the quality of their plantations and to further boost their incomes through access to differentiated markets with better prices.

| NEW MEMBERS TRẦN VĂN TIỀM PROJECT COORDINATOR IN THUA THIEN HUE PROVINCE

NGUYỄN THỊ THANH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FACILITATOR (PHU VANG, HUONG TRA, QUANG ĐIEN DIST. | THUA THIEN HUE)

HỒ THANH TUẤN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FACILITATOR (DONG GIANG, TAY GIANG DIST. | QUANG NAM)

LƯU CÔNG SANG COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FACILITATOR (NAM GIANG, PHUOC SON DIST. | QUANG NAM)

LÊ MAI THANH THẢO ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

We are also working with our government counterparts to prepare biodiversity inventories in key protected areas. In this newsletter, we share striking data on the status of biodiversity and on endangered species in these areas. There are a surprising number of endangered and rare species in these areas. Moreoever, the USAID Green Annamites Project is helping improve livelihoods for communities living in and around the protected areas and arming decision-makers with the information they need to act now. This is a call to action for all of us: We must band together to protect our unique and valuable biodiversity! Best regards, Daniel Lopez Chief of Party

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USAID GREEN ANNAMITES PROJECT 5th Floor | Green Plaza Building 223 Tran Phu Street | Hai Chau District Da Nang City | Vietnam Telephone: ++ 84 2363 616 781 Email: green-annamites.info@ecodit.com.vn Website: www.usaid.gov

IN QUANG NAM PROVINCE

DƯƠNG THỊ CẨM TÚ ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT IN THUA THIEN HUE PROVINCE

HUỲNH THỊ PHƯƠNG HUMAN RESOURCES ASSISTANT

TRẦN THỊ THANH HÀ PROCUREMENT & GRANT ASSISTANT

DISCLAIMER: THIS NEWSLETTER IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE SUPPORT OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID). THE CONTENTS OF THIS NEWSLETTER ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF ECODIT AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF USAID OR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.

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FROM SEED TO MARKET: PARTNERING FOR SUSTAINABLE AND LEGAL ACACIA PLANTATIONS DANIEL LOPEZ | CHIEF OF PARTY | USAID GREEN ANNAMITES PROJECT

Acacia is a key plantation tree because it provides a reliable supply chain for wood and pulp paper production.

hirty years ago, only 27 percent of Vietnam was covered in forest. Today, forests cover more than 41.5 percent of the country (MARD, 2017) thanks to a combination of environmental policies, financial incentives, and the commitment of the Vietnamese people to recover their rich forest heritage. There are more than four million ha of planted forests in Vietnam and acacia is the dominant tree. This tree helps restore heavily degraded soils and add vegetative cover to barren lands. In addition, acacia has become the basis of a widely-adopted business model because it provides a reliable supply chain for wood and pulp paper production.

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Forest plantation play an important role in Vietnamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wood processing industry. Plantations currently supply more than 24 million m3 of round wood annually, with small households producing the vast majority of that total. This amount is expected to increase in the mid and long term, as land use rights are given to farmers in areas suitable for forest plantations. Overtime, Vietnam has been able to significantly increase the amount of wood nationally produced for the furniture industry, jumping from 20 percent in 2011 to nearly 80 percent in 2017. A key input for export-oriented furniture industry is the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood.

This standard ensures that forest plantations do not encroach upon natural forests and that native tree species are planted within the certified plantations along with non-native species like acacia. At the same time, forest certification increases producersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; access to differentiated markets and increases the value of the wood that they sell. The Government of Vietnam has set a target of 500,000 hectares of plantation areas being FSC-certified by 2020. Currently, only 228,000 ha of plantation areas in the country are FSC-certified. Last year, Vietnam imported five million m3 of FSC Acacia at a price

Inside the furniture manufactory of the Scancia Pacific in Nhon Trach Industrial Zone, Dong Nai province

that was 15 to 25 percent higher than the domestic price. In order to meet the domestic market demand and comply with the national target, more than 220,000 ha of forest plantations would need to become FSC certified. Meanwhile, in both Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue provinces (where interventions of the USAID Green Annamites Project are being implemented), less than 5,000 ha of FSC acacia have been planted. The Project aims at increasing the number of hectares under FSC certification, while improving local capacities to support the certification process of a growing number of farmers. Export-oriented wood processing companies in Vietnam have developed links to forest owners in order to maximize the comparative advantage of each party: processing companies provide technical capacity, technology, management skills, and a guarantee to buy all (qualified) harvested timber, while households provide land and labor. In order to make this approach more effective and inclusive, there is a need to coordinate and organize acacia farmers, so that significant cost savings could be achieved by an increased level of production, and shared value propositions can be developed into a ‘win-win’ scheme. The current business model for acacia plantations

could be improved to make it more profitable and more focused on producing high-value FSC timber for sawn logs by increasing the rotation time, using sound forest management and

significantly increase the profitability of production forests and provide an increased future resource base for legally-produced timber to serve Vietnam’s export-oriented furniture

Representatives of USAID/Vietnam, Scancia Pacific and FOSDA at the MOU signing ceremony in Dong Nai province

practices together with reliable technical assistance. On June 19, 2018 the United States for International Development (USAID) signed a Minute of Understanding (MOU) with the Forest Owner Sustainable Development Association (FOSDA) and Scansia Pacific, a private company in the export-oriented furniture business. This MOU will

industry. The USAID Green Annamites approach is to strengthen the value chain with an emphasis at the producer level. The Project provides technical assistance, training for improved forest management, facilitates access to specialized markets and promotes initiatives where farmer’s income is boosted by initial wood processing, like debarking and log sawing. U S A I D G R E E N A N NAMI TES / 4

SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM

SUPPORTING CERTIFIED LARGE-TIMBER FOREST PLANTATIONS

he USAID Green Annamites Project has awarded a grant of US$25,000 to Vu Minh Co., Ltd in Thua Thien Hue province to support the establishment of a ‘large timber forest plantation using eco-friendly seedlings towards FSC certification’. In addition to acacia,Vu Minh Company will also develop eco-friendly seedlings and nursery technology for indigenous plants, fruit trees, and non-timber forest products to meet the high demand of forest plantation and restoration and for local livelihood improvement programs. Particularly, Vu Minh Company will develop a demonstration model for acacia forest plantations using eco-friendly seedlings for FSC-certified large timber with the aims of increasing forest planters’ incomes and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The company is collaborating with the management boards of Phong Dien

Nature Reserve (NR) and Saola NR and the Commune People’s Committees of Phong My and A Roang to organize community meetings to encourage local populations to begin planting new acacia

forests using eco-friendly seedlings. Already, 196 households have registered to plant more than 198 ha on a pilot plot of concentrated forest and 342 households have agreed to plant 80,000 scattered acacia trees. So far, the company has provided people 140,000 seedlings for

scattered plantation (30,000 seedlings) and for 42 ha of plantation on forestry land (110,000 seedlings) as well as held two training sessions in March and May 2018 for 144 households and for staff from Community Management Units on concentrated and scattered forest plantation techniques. During these trainings, they introduced eco-friendly seedlings to participants and provided information on sustainable forest management and FSC certification systems. Thanks to an interactive training method that is suitable for seniors, the trainees have participated actively, given positive feedback on the training, and have pledged to apply what they have learned. To date, Vu Minh Company has produced 610,000 ecofriendly seedlings, and is ready to transfer to the farmers living in the buffer zones of the two NRs to complete their forest plantation by September 15, 2018.

SUPPORT ON CAPACITY BUILDING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FOR A WOMEN’S AGRI-PRODUCT COOPERATIVE IN A LUOI

he Collaborative Group for Producing and Consuming Safe Agricultural Products of A Luoi district was established at the beginning of 2017 by five women from ethnic and poor households in A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue province. Although they worked hard on livestock farming and crop cultivation, it was difficult for them to sell their produce due to spontaneous and scattered production. Understanding the current market demand for safe agri-products and wanting to empower these women, the Distrcit Women’s Union had decided to establish a collaborative group to connect those poor women and help them boost their incomes. This collaborative model helped increase incomes not only for group members but also for more than 30 partner households who supply products including chickens, pigs and safe vegetables. However, this newly-establshed group was facing many difficulties.

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They have been unable to obtain a legal entity status and consequently have not been able to connect directly with or sign contracts with buyers. Additional challenges include human resource shor-

tages, limited capacity in management, and a lack of production equipment and investment capital to maintain and expand the model and promote the sale of their products. In order to help the group to obtain legal status, the USAID Green Annamites Project supported the developement of the

Proposal for Production and Business Scheme and the Statute of the Cooperative, and the A Luoi Cooperative for Safe Agri-Products Production and Consumption was established on April 11, 2018. From July 04-16, 2018, the Project held management courses for members of the cooperative as well as worked directly with 30 farmers to teach them how to cultivate safe vegetables in accordance with VietGap standards. Members have learned to employ advanced agriculture production methods using high quality seedlings that suit local environmental conditions and to use organic fertilizer instead of chemical fertilizer. Their products are now sold in A Luoi market, some kindergartens and stores in Hue City such as A Luoi specialty food and agricultural shop, Hue Viet Safe Vegetable Shop, Su Su Xanh and Thao Nguyen Xanh in Hue City. Now, these women have seen income increases three million VND per month per person.

CARBON – PAYMENT FOR FOREST ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES IN VIETNAM

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO ACHIEVE CLIMATE CHANGE COMMITMENTS AND POLICIES PHAM THANH NAM | CLIMATE CHANGE SPECIALIST | USAID GREEN ANNAMITES PROJECT

Incorporating payments for carbon sequestration by forests into PFES can help generate needed revenue to ensure the success of Vietnam’s proactive climate change policies and international commitments.

n 2017, the Vietnam Forest Protection and Development Fund (VNFF) began a collaborative effort with USAID to assess the potential for Carbon-Payments for Forest Environmental Services (C-PFES). The USAID Green Annamites Project conducted a comprehensive feasibility study on the potential of expanding PFES to sequester and store CO2 emissions in Vietnam’s forest environments. This study included a thorough assessment of the feasibility of institutionalizing different policy options for C-PFES and their implication for VNFF and provincial Forest Protection and Development Funds (FPDF), as well as for prospective ‘payers’, and on the forest and land owners that would

benefit. The study aimed to provide policy recommendations to relevant governmental institutions for piloting and institutionalizing C-PFES, including determination of how C-PFES could be piloted within the USAID Green Annamites Project in Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue provinces. It also presented findings on ways C-PFES could complement other climate change mitigation policies and programs, notably the emerging carbon pricing initiatives in Vietnam. Based on the results of this study, which was completed in early 2018, the USAID Green Annamites Project has prepared an advocacy paper, which delivers key information for a national

policy framework for C-PFES. The advocacy paper details how C-PFES could help Vietnam meet its national climate change commitments and delineates the carbon pricing scenarios and conditions that need to be enacted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and VNFF in order to successfully implement this new mechanism. This Policy Paper will be initially presented to the participants of the workshop on ‘Monitoring and Evaluation System for Forest Environmental Services in Vietnam’ organized on the July 13, 2018 in Quang Nam province. Below are some highlights from this paper. (see more on page 8 and 9) U S A I D G R E E N A N NAMI TES / 6

CARBON – PAYMENT FOR FOREST ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES IN VIETNAM

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO ACHIEVE CLIMATE CHANGE COMMITMENTS AND POLICIES

ADVOCACY PAPER

MARK DAVID FENN | PFES INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANT | USAID GREEN ANNAMITES PROJECT DR. TRIEU VAN HUNG | PFES NATIONAL CONSULTANT | USAID GREEN ANNAMITES PROJECT

WHAT ARE THE CARBON PRICING SCENARIORS FOR VIETNAM?

arbon pricing globally varies significantly from country to country and among sub-national jurisdictions. It is proposed that C-PFES revenues generated in Vietnam are calculated using the two following costing scenarios:

•• The first scenario is to use US$ 18/ton of CO2 removed and stored through investments in forestry activities, including tree planting. This US$18 figure is a middle-ground figure for proposed C-PFES investment options and associated cost norms that include tree planting, as described in the section on C-PFES investment options later in this document. The US$18 figure is substantially lower than price levels that are consistent with achieving the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement, which are in the range of US$40-80/ton of CO2 by 2020.

•

WHAT IS C-PFES?

ietnam’s Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) program has been an evolving success for the country and a global model. VNFF oversees PFES at the national level and at 44 provincial funds. Total PFES revenues by the end of 2017 have exceeded US$350 million. In 2017, PFES revenues were used to protect six million ha of forest, or 45 percent of the country’s forest areas. VNFF now faces a unique opportunity to build on the success of PFES by incorporating payments for carbon removal and storage by forests into PFES. C-PFES can greatly contribute to the one billion needed U.S. dollars by 2030 to ensure the success of Vietnam’s proactive climate change policies and its nationally determined contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement on climate change. 7 / US AID G R E E N A N N A MITES

C-PFES can generate revenues from large greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters in the energy, industrial, and transportation sectors. Vietnam produces 157 million tons of CO2 emissions, the vast majority of which come from transportation and the production of thermal energy, cement, and steel – 99 percent of total GHG emissions in Vietnam. C-PFES revenues can be invested into forestry actions that enable increased removal and storage of CO2 in the forest.

WHO ARE ‘LARGE EMITTERS’?

ountries globally use a threshold of 25,000 tons CO2/year to identify large emitters. Businesses emitting over this threshold typically account for 90 percent or more of the CO2 emissions. This is also the case for Vietnam’s large emitters in the energy, industry, and transport sectors.

•••

The second scenario is to use US$5/ton of CO2. This is the amount used for verified emissions removals in the Emissions Reduction Project Document for the six north-central provinces, approved by the World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) in January of 2018.

WHAT ARE THE INVESMENT OPTIONS FOR C-PFES?

evelopment and implementation of a rigorous C-PFES mechanism that links payments to measurable and verifiable removals and storage of CO2 in forest environments

ADVOCACY PAPER

would make PFES much more robust and accountable, and could significantly increase investment in forest enhancement, restoration, and conservation. The four proposed options for investments of C-PFES in order of priority are:

••(i) natural forest restoration, enrich-

ment, and afforestation (for both coastal and inland forests);

••ii) afforestation for large timber, long rotation, and tree plantations;

••(iii)

developing agroforestry systems across large landscapes; and

••(iv)

natural forest protection (the current PFES model). These options present the best return on investment for C-PFES revenues, while providing additional benefits for climate change adaptation and local livelihood enhancement. All C-PFES activities will have both mitigation and adaptation benefits. Clear and measurable evidence – measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) – of the outcomes from the investment of C-PFES revenues will be critical for the program to be justified and accepted and to make credible contributions to Vietnam’s NDC.

WHICH CONDITIONS ARE NECCESARY FOR C-PFES?

he next steps for MARD, VNFF, and development partners should be to fully consider the following enabling conditions and think strategically about how they can be established:

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High political will at the government and party levels;

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Decrees and regulations on PFES to include modalities and mechanisms for applying C-PFES under the new Forestry Law;

••• PFES activities piloted for removing

CO2 in forests, with systems in place for measuring the outcomes of CO2 removals and storage;

•••

Compatibility with future carbon tax or emissions-trading systems (and thus close coordination with Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, so that C-PFES is compatible with and fits into larger carbon pricing schemes);

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VNFF and provincial funds leaders’ roles for providing oversight and using service providers for activity implementation; and

•••

C-PFES investments and ensuring that they can take credit for outcomes – e.g. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and ‘green products’. C-PFES presents a very important opportunity for MARD to achieve multiple objectives: to implement the new Forestry Law, to fund strategic plans and targets in the forestry and agricultural sectors, and to highlight the proactive measures that Vietnam is taking to address climate change. To ensure success, it is necessary to have a high-level political commitment to act on C-PFES and to ensure significant strengthening of the current PFES program, including demonstrating verifiable outcomes. With evolving initiatives in other ministries for carbon pricing and carbon markets, MARD should not attempt to develop C-PFES in isolation. Rather, C-PFES must be compatible with these initiatives. VNFF’s development partners can play an important role in ensuring this compatibility, as well as in preparing the requisite capacity within the VNFF and provincial funds for a significant expansion of their roles beyond the current PFES program.

Sincere engagement with future payers, allowing their participation in U S A I D G R E E N A N NAMI TES / 8

DEVELOPING A PROVINCIAL REDD+ ACTION PLAN FOR QUANG NAM QUANG NAM AND THUA THIEN HUE PROVINCE RICHARD RASTALL | TECHNICAL ADVISER ON CLIMATE CHANGE, SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES AND REDD+ | SNV PHAM THANH NAM | CLIMATE CHANGE SPECIALIST | USAID GREEN ANNAMITES PROJECT

he USAID Green Annamites Project is supporting Quang Nam province to transition toward a climate-smart, low emission, and resilient development pathway that protects people, landscapes, and biodiversity. In order to complete this objective, the Project implements a wide range of complementary and integrated interventions including building the capacity of local government bodies in low emission land use practices, promoting climate smart agriculture, and expanding Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES). Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) coupled with conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+) could also make an important contribution to this overall goal by incentivizing developing countries

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to reduce land-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by providing finance for achieved emission reductions (ER). REDD+ is expected to contribute significantly to Vietnamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to tackling climate change. The country actively participated in international REDD+ negotiations and was among the first countries to develop a National REDD+ Action Programme (NRAP) in 2012. NRAP was revised in 2016, and now provides strategic guidance on how Vietnam intends to achieve REDD+ goals. The new NRAP is oriented to the wider context of green growth and calls for considerable inter-sectoral coordination, notably including work packages on integrated land use planning and sustainable agriculture in addition to forest protection and development activities.

At the sub-national level, Provincial REDD+ Action Plans (PRAPs) are detailed plans for operationalizing the strategic policies and measures outlined in the NRAP. The PRAP for Quang Nam province (QN) will define priority forest landscapes within the province and specific actions to reduce deforestation and forest degradation whilst delivering a range of environmental and social co-benefits. By developing and implementing these measures, it could help prioritize the province for REDD+ funding, attract deforestation-free and green investments, distribution of results-based REDD+ payments or other sources of finance for low emissions/sustainable development. The USAID Green Annamites Project is working closely with the QN Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD QN) and

forest-dependent communities to prepare necessary inputs for the PRAP along with a viable and realistic financing strategy to implement the PRAP under a results-based framework. The Project will also provide trainings to increase awareness of REDD+ in local communities and among provincial officials from DARD QN and the Forest Protection Department (FPD) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; core organizations leading the development of PRAP for the province. Previously, in April 2018, the Project conducted and completed an initial baseline carbon emission from land use change and forestry study (see more in Newsletter Issue 01) for its target provinces, QN and Thua Thien Hue (TT Hue). This study now provides critical inputs for PRAP development for QN. As a next step, the Project and partner Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) have prepared initial guidelines for the PRAP development process, which to ensure the participation of relevant stakeholders, departments and sectors (see more details in the graphic beside). The final output provides a basis for REDD+ implementation in the province as well as efforts to attract or leverage additional investment. In preliminary consultations in May 2018, DARD QN agreed on this participatory and multi-stakeholder process and displayed their strong commitment to the development of the PRAP and their willingness to lead and invest in the process. QN Provincial Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Committee formed the Technical Working Group and Core Working Group comprised of various stakeholders including

Provincial government agencies, businesses, and communities actively participate in PRAP development.

relevant government line agencies, forest management boards, and companies and representatives of ethnic groups. These stakeholders will provide key inputs into the above process. Moreover, based on the actual need of increasing awareness and understanding of REDD+ among provincial officials who are responsible for development of PRAP, on July 10, 2018, the Project organized orientation training on REDD+ for members of the provincial PRAP Core Working Group including staff of DARD, FPD, and Forest Protection and Development Fund. The training delivered fundamental knowledge about REDD+, information about national strategies

and policies, PRAP development procedure, etc. From July 11-12, 2018, the Project also conducted a workshop on the drivers of defrorestation and forest degradation and barriers to increasing carbon sequestration of the Quang Nam forests with the participation of 25 offcials of relevant provincial agencies. The Project and SNV have planned further assessments and consultations throughout August, with the aim of developing the final PRAP for Quang Nam province by September 2018.

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INTEGRATED CROP MANAGEMENT ON RICE TOWARDS LOW EMISSIONS

WINTER - SPRING RICE CROP SEASON 2018: REDUCED INPUTS - INCREASED INCOMES LE VIET NHAN | PROJECT COORDINATOR IN QUANG NAM PROVINCE | USAID GREEN ANNAMITES PROJECT TRAN VAN TIEM | PROJECT COORDINATOR IN TT HUE PROVINCE | USAID GREEN ANNAMITES PROJECT

and has created more jobs for farmers during the off-season.

The Farmer Field School pedagogical approach improves the ability of farmers to memorize and apply the learned knowledge into their farming works later.

ice cultivation is a common source of income for farmers in Quang Nam (QN) and Thua Thien Hue (TT Hue), leading to increased food security, especially for local populations in the mountainous areas. However, farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lack knowledge of effective rice cultivation techniques, particularly of pest management, and are ill-prepared for erratic weather and diseases that can have a large impact on rice productivity and local incomes. To help farmers increase rice productivity and boost their incomes, in the winter-spring season, the USAID Green Annamites Project collaborated with the Agriculture Extension Center of QN province (QN AEC) to conduct four training courses on integrated crop management (ICM), a low-emissions method for producing rice. Each course lasted for five days and was held in coordination with each rice crop growth and development stage. 120 farmers in Nong Son and Bac Tra My districts took part in the trainings, which employed the Farmer Field

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School (FFS) pedagogical approach, which combines classroom instruction with field practice sessions. FFS is centered around the practical experiences of farmers and requires their participation during the whole learning process, helping to increase their retention and application of lessons into their future farming endeavors. The trainees learned advanced rice cultivation techniques that will help their rice better adapt to erratic weather patterns. Training contents covered topics such as nutrition management, integrated pest management (IPM) and intermittent irrigation. Trainees also learned about the agriculture-related causes and impacts of climate change, which will help farmers boost their yields while avoiding cultivation methods that cause emissions. The farmers were also trained in post-harvest rice straw residue management such as manure composting using probiotics and producing straw mushroom â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a high-value product, which has contributed to the improvement of nutrition and incomes,

In April 2018, after completing of the trainings, the Project teamed up with the QN AEC to conduct four field workshops in which they evaluated the results of the trainings and the demonstration models. The results show that each course helped farmers to reduce the amount of seeds they needed to use by 3-3.5 kg of seeds/sao (500m2), to reduce three times of pesticide spraying or completely not to use insecticide, and to use less water for irrigation. On average, these farmers have increased their productivity by 50kg/sao. In Tra Giang, farmers achieved an average productivity of 75 quintals/ha, indicating the effectiveness of the model. As a result, the profit has also increased by 380,000-880,000 VND/sao. Because of their reduced need for seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and water, these farmers have seen a significant decrease in input costs, increasing their net incomes as well as a reduction in emissions. Additionally, manure composting using probiotics and mushroom production using rice straw have led to a decrease in post-harvest rice straw burning and greenhouse gas emissions, while also improved soil nutrition. The initial results indicate that the farmers have acquired sufficient knowledge and been able to apply the environmentally-friendly cultivation methods they learned about to increase their yields. After the training, many trainees have become key farmers in sharing with and disseminating the acquired knowledge and skills to others in their communities.

FARMER’S STORY The ICM model applied in the winter-spring rice crop season has been successful in terms of economic, social and environmental impacts. The model has been highly appreciated by the local technical agencies as well as local authorities, who have made the commitment to encouraging farmers to maintain and replicate it in the next crop seasons. ‘Through training courses on ICM model in Tra Giang and Tra Son, I think that farmers followed and well perceived the training contents. These advanced practices then help them reduce costs, manage diseases, increase productivity from 10-15% compared with traditional production, and contribute to the reduction of emissions’, said Mr. Nguyen Trong Duoc, Deputy Director of Bac Tra My Agriculture Technical Center. In order to support farmers during the coming summer-autumn rice crop season, the Project will continue its cooperation with QN AEC and organize 20 additional training courses for 600 farmers in other five districts Tien Phuoc, Nui Thanh, Phu Ninh, Dai Loc and Hiep Duc.

Through the training, farmers had access to advanced rice cultivation techniques that help rice adapt better to erratic weather conditions and reduce costs.

From January 29 to May 31, 2018, the project collaborated with the TT Hue AEC to organize 16 training courses that were similar to the courses in QN, but using the approach ‘Three Reductions and Three Gains’ (Three Reductions involves the reduced use of seeds, fertilizers and insecticides; and Three Gains refers to the increase of rice productivity, rice quality and farmers’ income). In total, 480 farmers in Phu Loc and Phong Dien districts participated in the trainings. Each course was conducted in five rounds, which corresponded with five growth and development stages of rice plants. The lessons provided during the trainings were lively, hand-on and easy to understand, with illustrations and combined with field practices, drawing an active participation of rice farmers. Through the trainings, farmers have attained more in-depth knowledge of rice cultivation and tending techniques based on each growth stage of rice plants while learning to reduce their input costs due. Consequently, the quality of local rice has been improved, and farmers are earning higher incomes while practicing more environmentally sustainable techniques.

RICE FIELD YIELDS BOUNTIFUL HARVEST

e Thi Nghi is a farmer who lives with her family in Tra Giang commune, Bac Tra My district – one of the poorest areas in QN. She and her husband make their incomes farming a five-meter paddy rice field and a five-acre acacia plantation. But they often have trouble making ends meet. ‘Every year, my family earns just enough to cover our daily expenses and our children’s education. However, me and my husband have to work very hard to take care of both the rice field and the plantation’, she said. Lack of knowledge about pest control and the proper use of pesticides and fertilizer, combined with hard, low fertility soil, has led to high production costs and low yields. Fluctuating demand and prices have further hampered Mrs. Nghi’s family’s financial security. But now, Mrs. Nghi is starting to make changes to improve her family’s wellbeing. She attended the training course on integrated crop management (ICM) for rice, held by the USAID Green Annamites Project and the QN AEC. She equipped herself with new knowledge such as how to pick the best seeds for her farm’s growing conditions, how to improve irrigation techniques, and how and when to use pesticides and fertilizer. In the winter-spring farming season, she started to apply what she had learned. During the season, she had to use just half the amount of seeds she had in the past to get the same yield and, for the first time, she did not need to use pesticides, and therefore saving the labor cost for pesticide spraying. Her rice thrived despite the inhospitable soil and the productivity averagely increased 100 kg/sao. Since she did not use the pesticide, her ‘clean’ rice was sold at higher price, which helped her earn 1.4 million/sao more than the previous season. Not only did she dramatically reduce her costs and increase her profits with these new methods, but she also made a positive impact on the environment because she did not have to use as many inputs that harm the environment and cause emissions. Now, Nghi is filled with hope for her rice farm and her family. ‘I have mastered the techniques, and I will try to apply them strictly in the coming seasons, because looking at the field, I know my rice is growing well’, she said.

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APPLICATION OF SATELLITE IMAGERY AND FIELD SURVEY TOOLS IN FOREST MONITORING

USAID GREEN ANNAMITES HELPS COMBAT FOREST LOSS IN QUANG NAM WITH ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY TRUONG NGUYEN BAO CHUNG | GIS ANALYST | GREEN FIELD CONSULTING & DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD.

Upgrading the forest monitoring system by applying advanced technology such as space imagery and field surveys will make the forest monitoring become more timely, precisely and cost effective.

ith more than 500,000 ha of natural forest, Quang Nam province is known for having the second most forests in Vietnam â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and for being a hotspot of deforestation and forest degradation due to timber logging (both illegal and legal) and shifting cultivation practices. Those harmful activities remain the primary challenges the local authority faces when working to promote forest protection and management, biodiversity conservation, and increasing resilience for vulnerable communities. In order to offer its governmental partners a long-term solution to cope with these challenges, the USAID

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Green Annamites Project is working closely with the local governmental agencies related to forest protection and management on upgrading the existing local forest monitoring system by adopting advanced aerial observation and field survey technologies. These technologies offer a number of possibilities for monitoring forest conditions in a timely and cost-effective manner. They provide a more accurate satellite imagery database and better technical field survey methodology. While the satellite imagery datasets remain a stable baseline for forest observation from outer space, the actual data collecting from field surveys are crucial to ensure the accuracy

and transparency of information about the status of forests. In collaboration with the Project for Sustainable Natural Resource Management (SNRM) funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Project has launched a one-year campaign promoting the implementation of the Forest Resources Monitoring System (FRMS) throughout the forest areas of Quang Nam (QN) and Thua Thien Hue (TT Hue) provinces. When implemented, relevant stakeholders will receive satellite image-based forest change alerts. In addition, the mobile-based survey results on forest change will

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With better access to information technology, I am more capable of managing forest site conditions and forest ranger activities. I hoped that more training sessions will be provided to help improve our professional skills. Mr. Vo Hoang Nguyen | Technical staff | FPD in Dong Giang district, Quang Nam province

be updated and included in the national FRMS database. The Project has supported technical staff and rangers in QN and TT Hue with technical training and equipment including 225 tablets and various software tools, as well as access rights to the national FRMS server. The provincial authority of QN has committed to investing an additional eight billion VND in equipping rangers and technical staff, as well as to working with contracted households to protect forests with similar equipment and software, in order to systematically apply this advanced technology to observe changes in the forest. On May 07, 2018, the Project kicked off this campaign with the first Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop on using the FRMS software suite (FRMS Mobile, FRMS Desktop, and the FRMS server). 25 rangers and technical staff of the Forest Protection Department (FPD) and district forest protection units in Quang Nam received comprehensive instruction on the functionalities of FRMS, including: ••• Collecting field data on forest changes via the FRMS mobile application ••• Editing and synchronizing field survey data with the national FRMS server ••• Creating base maps for assessing forest loss patches on FRMS Mobile ••• Opening satellite image-based forest loss alerts retrieved from FRMS server Two follow-up training sessions were held from May 14-16 and from May 21-23, 2018. These training sessions focused on practicing and applying the knowledge they had previously learned in the field. The trainees created real forest monitoring entries, and uploaded and reviewed forest monitoring plots on the FRMS desktop

application. These skills will help them to successfully conduct and evaluate the effectiveness of the similar trainings for other rangers and technical staff. After the TOT training series, from June 04-09, 2018, the 25 certified trainers delivered seven replication tra-

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tools in forest monitoring as well as helpful supports of the project staff during and after the training sessions. The participants also said that they expected to be able to apply their newfound FRMS skills in the monitoring work they conduct on a regular basis. ‘FRMS Mobile is a breakthrough in forest monitoring techniques. The provin-

Trainees practiced to collect forest data on the real field using mobile phones.

inings to 187 rangers and technical staff of forest management units in the province, under the observation of experts from the North West SubForest Inventory and Planning Institute (Sub-FIPI). Due to the helpfulness of the trainings, the Song Thanh FPD has expressed interest in organizing their own workshop for the entire department. The participants gave positive feedback about the training sessions. Mr. Tu Van Khanh, Deputy Director of the Quang Nam Provincial FPD, highly appreciated the assistance of the USAID Green Annamite Project in providing QN with the latest software and hardware

ce-wide implementation of FRMS Mobile will save a large amount of expense and labor work in our future activities’, Mr. Truong Ba Lam of Division of Forest Protection and Management and Nature Conservation said. In July 2018, similar training sessions was organized for the staff of FPD Thua Thien Hue, which will further contribute to establishing the key team of well-trained trainers on FRMS using tablets-PCs for the province. These trained staff will be able to collect and maintain local forest change data as well as to pass on their knowledge to other colleagues.

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INITIAL RESULTS OF BIODIVERSITY INVENTORIES IN SELECTED PROTECTED AREAS IN QUANG NAM AND TT HUE PROVINCE NGUYEN VAN TRI TIN | BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION LEAD | USAID GREEN ANNAMITES PROJECT

Red-shanked Douc found in Bac Hai Van proposed Nature Reserve, TT Hue province

Large-antlered Muntjac appeared in Song Thanh Nature Reserve, Quang Nam province

Annamites Striped Rabbit recorded by camera trap in TT Hue Saola Nature Reserve

Owstonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Civet passed by a camera trap in Phong Dien NR, TT Hue province

nderstanding biological diversity in terms of the processes by which ecosystems function and their various community, species, population, and genetic components, is critical to ensuring their sustainability and safeguarding them for future generations. Biological diversity is dynamic, continually evolving in response to biotic and abiotic fluctuations and other environmental pressures. Thus, it is necessary to record and subsequently monitor the status quo in order to assess and understand changes to biological diversity for the purposes of its future management. 1 5 / US AID G R E E N A N N A MITES

The USAID Green Annamites Project aims to establish a baseline for biodiversity monitoring systems in the protected areas (PAs) of Song Thanh Nature Reserve (NR), Quang Nam Saola NR, Phong Dien NR, Thua Thien Hue Sao La NR, and Bac Hai Van proposed NR. This will include the creation of species lists, abundance estimates of key species, and landscape threat analysis data to inform management planning and zoning of target protected areas. This data will serve as a basis for upgrading, expanding and establishing new PAs and facilitating sustainable management of them.

Between October 2017 and May 2018, survey teams comprised of scientists, WWF Vietnam fauna and flora experts, and protected area staff conducted biodiversity inventories in five selected PAs. Taxonomic surveys included field-based surveys for small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and plants. These surveys involved extensive camera trapping in order to detect largely terrestrial mammals and birds, which are otherwise impossible to detect. The initial survey results of each selected PAs are highlighted below:

In Bac Hai Van proposed NR, mammal surveys and camera trapping revealed three species listed on the IUCN Red List: the vulnerable Sambar Cervus unicolor, the stump-tailed macaque (Macaca arctoides) and the Endangered red-shanked douc (Pygathrix nemaeus). The red-shanked douc comprises a very important record for the Bac Hai Van proposed NR, as this taxon is to be classified as critically endangered in 2018. In TT Hue Saola NR, which is supposed to be the habitat of the highest-priority conservation species â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Critically Endangered and Annamite-endemic Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), there was no individuals of this species was recorded during the survey. It is likely that this species is on the verge of extinction (IUCN, 2018, Tilker et al 2017). Key detected species records in TT Hue Saola NR include the Annamite striped rabbit (Nesolagus timminsi), a poorly known Annamite endemic listed as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List. Although this species was also found in the Phong Dien NR, the TT Hue and QN Saola NRs appear to hold

the strongest populations of Annamite striped rabbit among the study sites that were surveyed. Some key species listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List were also recoded in the Phong Dien NR including two endemic mammals: Chrotogale owstoni and Owstonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s civet, which also be found in the Song Thanh NR in QN province. Beside Species count per Protected Area these two species, there is nother endemic mammal as recorded in the Song Thanh NR during the survey: the large-antlered muntjac (Muntiacus vuquangensis). The large-antlered muntjac is one

of the highest priority species in the Annamites, as it is critically endangered (IUCN, 2018) and, like Saola, is approaching imminent global extinction as a result of snaring pressure. Song Thanh is only the third forest complex in all of Vietnam where the species has been camera trapped since 2000, and therefore these represent highly significant records for Song Thanh NR. These results are informing an ongoing reclassification and expansion of PAs in Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue Province, as well as an assessment of which PAs should be designated nature reserves. These PAs promise to play an important role in supporting biodiversity and connectivity between the coastal zone in the east, the forests of the west, and into Lao PDR.

Endangered species count in Protected Areas

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ECOTOURISM TO HELP PROTECT BIODIVERSITY AND IMPROVE LIVELIHOODS IN THE ANNAMITES REGION NGUYEN VAN TRI TIN | BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION LEAD | USAID GREEN ANNAMITES PROJECT

he Central Annamites is central to Vietnam’s tourism industry and plays an important role in creating jobs and promoting socio-economic growth. By 2020, Vietnam hopes to attract 17-20 million international arrivals and 82 million domestic tourists. Tourism revenues are projected to reach 35 billion U.S. dollars accounting for 6.5-7 percent of Vietnam’s gross domestic product. The industry plans to create four million jobs. Some of the most attractive and popular destinations in Vietnam are the coastal city of Da Nang, as well as the provinces of Quang Nam (QN) and Thua Thien Hue (TT Hue). These places have invested considerable resources into building up tourism infrastructure and facilities in recent years. In 2016, 2,300,000 international tourists visited QN, 1,052,000 visited Hue, and 1,660,000 chose Da Nang. The rich diversity of landscapes and ecosystems in these places, coupled with their vibrant cultural heritage (they are home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites) means they have the potential to develop a booming ecotourism industry. Ecotourism could provide a range of social, environmental, and economic benefits to people in these areas by becoming a lucrative source of income for local people, especially ethnic minorities living in the buffer zones of protected areas (PAs) in QN and TT Hue. These people could potentially derive incomes from the sale of locally-produced souvenirs such as handicrafts, as well as from pro1 7 / US AID G R E E N A N N A MITES

Selling local souvernirs such as Zang Weaving handicrafts to tourists could potentially bring additional income to the local ethnic communities in Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue provinces.

viding tourist accommodations. If they explore these alternative livelihoods, they will become less dependent on the natural resources from forests for their incomes. At the same time, ecotourism is a potentially valuable source of sustainable financing for biodiversity conservation and PA management through park/nature reserve entry fees, user fees, concessions, and taxes. In addition, ecotourism can promote inter-provincial/regional cooperation and development. A Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for combined tourism development signed on February 27, 2014 by the Provincial People’s Comttees of Da Nang, Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue and the Vietnam National Administration for Tourism is a collective effort to boost the development of this sustainable industry in the region.

Since then, the provinces have developed ecotourism attractions in places such as Bach Ma National Park, A Luoi district, Lagoon area, Lap An, Mo Waterfall, and others in TT Hue; and Triem Tay village, Phu Ninh Lake, Dong Giang, Tay Giang, and Song Thanh Nature Reserve (NR) in QN. However, the region is losing its biodiversity and natural resources because of deforestation, wildlife poaching, the low awareness level of local people regarding environmental protection, and ineffective management by local governments. In this context, Community-Based Ecotourism (CBET) which refers to ‘a form of ecotourism where the local community has substantial control over, and involvement in, its development and management, and a major proportion of the benefits remain within the community’ (WWF International), would be a key solution for sustainable

development of this region, when it can enhance nature preservation while improving local living standards.

tourism businesses to develop at least two feasible ecotourism models to pilot in two provinces.

In order to support the expansion of this form of sustainable tourism for the benefit of forest-dependent communities, the USAID Green Annamites Project is assisting QN and TT Hue provinces to develop a Regional Ecotourism Development Strategy and Plan (REDP) that takes

From March 31 to April 11, 2018, Ecotourism Advisor Douglas Hainsworth assisted the Project with the design and oversight of the ecotourism activity. He provided practical and useful recommendations on the design of the REDP, and pilot models including (i) For CBET to be successful, all relevant stakehol-

Guol house of Ka Tu people: the common space for all members of a village with unique structure and decoration

KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR DEVELOPING A REGIONAL ECOTOURISM STRATEGY FOR QN AND TT HUE PROVINCES

Traditional dance: a CBET service providing by ethnic people in A Ka village, A Roang commune, within the buffer zone of Sao La Nature Reserve in TT Hue province

a protected landscapes approach to conservation and ecotourism development, and includes a clear policy and management strategy, as well as systems and actions to guide the development of ecotourism and related economic activities. The Project will also support the identification of investment opportunities for ecotourism development in the targeted PAs and their buffer-zones and propose an implementation plan (roadmap) for executing the proposed REDP. In addition, in order to provide tangible results for future replication, the Project will work with local stakeholders, including protected area managers, local communities, and

ders must be engaged in an effective manner; (ii) Tour operators servicing CBET sites need to fully understand and adhere to the principles of CBET as a tool for environmental conservation and local livelihood development; (iii) Engage development organizations in CBET development; (iv) A regional ecotourism strategy needs to be a clear, defining document that sets out a strategic course for ecotourism development in the region based on inputs from all relevant stakeholder groups. In June, the USAID Green Annamites Project and its implementing partner, the Asian Management and Development Institute (AMDI), organized two tech-

(1) Stakeholder Engagement, (2) Market-Based Approach, (3) Location (a regional strategy should align with existing tourism hubs and routes), (4) Product Diversification, and (5) The REDP should act as the operational plan for the ecotourism strategy. The REDPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design should be aligned with Government efforts and should work to identify linkages between the USAID Green Annamites regional strategy and pilot projects.

nical workshops in Quang Nam and TT Hue to consult relevant stakeholders on REDP. During the technical seminars, the governments of these two provinces committed to strongly supporting ecotourism development in the region, especially the provincial Departments of Culture, Sport and Tourism and the business sector including tourist companies and operators. U S A I D G R E E N A N NAMI TES / 18

IMPROVE FOREST MANAGEMENT AND BIODIVERSITY MONITORING APPLYING SPATIAL MONITORING AND REPORTING TOOL (SMART) NGUYEN VAN TRI TIN | BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION LEAD | USAID GREEN ANNAMITES PROJECT NGUYEN THUY LINH | SMART OFFICER | VIETNAM ASSOCIATION OF NATIONAL PARK AND PROTECTED AREA (VNPPA)

ccording to the UN Environment Programme, the Earth is in the midst of a mass extinction of life. Scientists estimate that 150-200 species of plant, insect, bird and mammal become extinct every 24 hours (The Guardian, 2010). The Central Annamites of Vietnam are home to more than 3,000 species, including a number of endangered species listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and rare animals like the muntjac (Muntiacus vuquangensis), which was recently discovered in Sao La Nature Reserve in Quang Nam (QN) province. However, it is impossible to protect these animals against wildlife hunters without knowing their exact locations within the forests. Forests cover almost half of all natural areas in QN and Thua Thien Hue (TT Hue) provinces, so it is very challenging for local authorities and rangers to effectively manage these protected areas (PAs). In order to effectively protect the valuable forests and conserve the globally-significant biodiversity in these provinces, it is necessary to reduce illegal activities in protected areas and nature reserves (NRs) such as poaching and wildlife hunting. Up-to-date information about the occurrence and distribution of wildlife, threats, protection efforts, and even about tourism activities is needed for protected area management boards to make effective decisions on how to deploy resources, monitor and evaluate the status of the forests and their inhabitants, and build and update 1 9 / US AID G R E E N A N N A MITES

Forest rangers and technical staff practiced patrolling and collecting data in the actual environment using patrol data sheets and tools such as GPS and smartphones.

forest protection plans. However, at present, this data is out of date and remains ineffectively processes due to a shortage of human resources (rangers and technical staff) and necessary technical equipment. The Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) is currently one of the most effective tools for improving the quality of forest patrolling and data collection. Using ranger-collected data from SMART, PA and nature reserve (NR) management boards can effectively predict where illegal activities are happening, and develop a patrol plan targeting different conservation priorities and concentrating resources accordingly. The USAID Green Annamites Project and its implementing partner the Vietnam Association of National Parks and Protected Areas

(VNPPA) organized several 5-day intensive training courses on SMART for staff of Song Thanh NR, Ngoc Linh NR, and Elephant Habitat and Species Conservation Area of Quang Nam Province as well as of Phong Dien NR, and Bac Hai Van Protection Forest of TT Hue province from January 08 to April 04, 2018. The participants of the training were comprised of PA staff involved in site management, field patrol, patrol data entry, SMART report analysis, and the management and administration of patrol data. A total of 58 participants from five PAs took part in the training courses. The training courses covered how to use GPS and smartphones to collect data for SMART and how to use SMART software and adapt it to the needs of the PAs. Each course

module incorporated classroom exercises to ensure that each participant could work individually through the step-by-step guidelines in the SMART User Manual. Trainers applied interactive training methods that encouraged participants to raise question and concerns, and to exchange ideas with the class. The Project also provided all participants with SMART User Manuals in

from the software. After the 5-day trainings, 95 percent of the participants said they have a better understanding of the SMART tool and 31 percent of participants said they felt confident that they could deploy SMART in the PAs in which they work for patrolling, while 64 percent said they understood the tool, but still might face some difficulties when applying SMART. (This is to be expected, as this is the first time they had had the chance to use this

SPATIAL MONITORING AND REPORTING TOOL (SMART)

The Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) is open source, non-proprietary, and freely available. It is developed to profit the whole conservation community. The SMART approach combines the cutting edge site based management tool with capacity building and a set of protection standards and best practices. SMART enables the collection, storage, communication, and evaluation of data on illegal activities, biodiversity, patrol routes, management actions and rangersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; performance. It aims to help protected area and wildlife managers better monitor, evaluate and adaptively manage patrolling activities.

In the class, trainees learned how to use SMART software to synthesize, analyze information and generate reports, base maps and data models.

Vietnamese. Additionally, all participants received materials that included PA maps, data models, and SMART patrol data sheets for PAs. Trainers also downloaded and installed the latest version of the SMART software (version 5.0.2) on traineesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; laptops and PA desktops. Before the training began, just 17 percent of participants said they possessed at least basic knowledge about how to use the SMART tool, such as how to create base maps and data models; enter, manage and analyze patrol data; or generate reporting

technology.) To fill this gap, the Project has made several recommendations to PA managers, including developing a step-by-step implementation plan to help them integrate SMART into their daily work, organizing quarterly technical meeting to solve any problems related to the use of SMART, and facilitating exchanges between staff to help them improve their knowledge and skills so they can better use this technology. Moreover, PA and NR managers are being encouraged to regularly analyze SMART information and integrate the results to improve their patrol and protection plans.

They should also develop and share an up-to-date database with their staff and the staff of other PAs in the province, in order to facilitate the synchronization of the SMART data model and to ensure consistency between categories, sub-categories, and attributes used by PAs in the region. The USAID Green Annamites Project will continue to support the implementation of SMART in the five PAs by providing adaptive management training for PA managers on how to integrate SMART data into central databases for forest management. U S A I D G R E E N A N N AMI TES / 20

SCHOOL BASED CLIMATE CHANGE TRAINING SERIES IN THUA THIEN HUE PROVINCE

Through active extracurricular activities, teachers together with primary and secondary students in Phu Vang district, Thua Thien Hue province were provided with basic information on climate change that helps to raise their awareness and encourage children to participate more actively in environmental protection activities.

he Tam Giang – Cau Hai lagoon system is located east of Thua Thien Hue Province’s coastal plain. It is the largest lagoon in Southeast Asia, with a surface water area of more than 22,000 hectares. It is 68 km long, extending over most of the coastline of Thua Thien Hue province as well as five of nine cities and districts of the province including Phong Dien, Quang Dien, Huong Tra, Phu Vang, and Phu Loc districts. The lagoon system is rich in natural resources and biodiversity, and plays an extremely important role in balancing the ecosystem of the coastal area and

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in providing livelihoods to more than 320,000 people, who comprise 30 percent of the province’s population. According to the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment conducted by the USAID Green Annamites Project in 2017, Phu Vang district is one of the lagoon districts that has been most impacted by the negative impacts of climate change, such as storms, floods, and sea level rise. In recent years, the district’s training and education sector has suffered from extensive damage due to these disasters. These damages include the destruction of school faci-

lities and the interruption of teaching and learning due to serious and fatal floods, storms, cyclones, and other natural disasters. During the 2018 school year, the USAID Green Annamites Project supported the Phu Vang District Division of Education and Training (District DoET) to hold a series of trainings about climate change and disaster risk reduction for teachers and students of schools in communes/townlets of Phu Mau, Thuan An, Phu Hai, Phu Than, Phu Da and Phu Thanh. The training series started with an extracurricular activity celebrating

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We are delighted to have the opportunity to bring our children a very informative and meaningful extracurricular activity. We believe the messages they receive on the Earth Day will help them be more aware and responsible for the environment around them. Mr. Ho Van Dung | Principal | Phu Tan Secondary School, Phu Vang District, TT Hue province

EARTH DAY 2018 Earth Day on April 22, 2018 at Phu Tan Secondary School with the global theme, ‘End Plastic Pollution’. Then, from May 10-12, 2018 the Project held a three-day training of trainer workshop on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction education and communications skills for 36 primary and secondary school teachers and three District DoET staff. After the training, the teachers integrated what they had learned into extracurricular activities organized by the schools with support of the Project and Phu Vang District DoET. These activities helped students improve their understanding of environmental protection and disaster preparedness. From May 22-30, 2018 eight extracurricular activities were organized for more than 2,700 teachers and students from eight primary and secondary schools in Phu Tan, Phu Thuan and Thuan An communes. The activities boosted understanding and awareness of climate change and its effects on daily life. This awareness will help these students and teachers adopt behaviors that mitigate climate change, and encourage them to take actions to prepare for natural disasters. The USAID Green Annamites Project will continue to provide follow-up support for teachers and students to integrate their newfound knowledge into daily life. As an immediate next step, the project will support the expansion of the school based program to vulnerable areas in Huong Tra, Phu Loc, Nam Dong, A Luoi, Phong Dien districts.

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CHILDREN COME TOGETHER TO PROTECT THEIR ENVIRONMENT

Cactus planted in a plastic water bottle: One of beautiful and creative DIY products made from plastic trash by 9th grade students of the Phu Tan Secondary School in the Earth Day 2018

im Nhan is a ninth grader at Phu Tan Secondary School in TT Hue Province, Vietnam. Until recently, he was unaware of the harmful impacts of plastic waste on the environment, or how he could alleviate plastic pollution. Nhan is not alone. Vietnam is the 17th biggest plastic waste producer in the world. Every day, Vietnam generates nearly 18,000 tons of plastic waste. Most of this waste is dumped directly into canals and rivers, which then flow to the seas and oceans. This could have debilitating impacts not only for the country’s marine environment, but also for its people. Millions of Vietnamese people derive their incomes from fishing and aquaculture, and plastic pollution threatens their livelihoods and food security. In Thua Thien Hue Province, where Nhan lives, the impacts of this pollution are already wreaking havoc on coastal communities. If the people of this province are to survive and thrive, it will be necessary for them to make changes including reducing plastic pollution. Nhan and his classmates learned all about this and more at an Earth Day 2018 event held by the USAID Green

Annamites Project at his school in the lagoon district of Phu Vang in TT Hue. More than 300 students and 40 teachers attended the Earth Day event. The theme of the event was, ‘Let’s work together to end plastic pollution.’ The students learned about plastic waste’s negative impacts on biodiversity, humanity, and the environment through videos, presentations, and group discussions. The event attendees put these lessons to action by picking up trash in the area, making art projects using recycled materials, formulating green action plans, making posters to promote environmental awareness, and planting 200 hopea odorata trees on campus. Nhan says he and his friends are now devoted to working together to keep their school and home clean and pollution-free. They have also committed to educating their families and neighbors about how to safeguard their environment for the long term. ‘I learned a lot of things that I had not heard before about garbage and plastic’, he said. ‘I will try to use less things like plastic bags. I will also throw the garbage out in the proper places and stop littering.’

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