Vietnam has been identified by the International Panel on Climate Change as one of the countries which will be severely affected by climate change. In particular the Mekong Delta with its high population density in low laying lands is threatened by sea level rise and the increase in the frequency and intensity of storms and floods, erosion, saline intrusion and changes in rainfall patterns. Population growth and economic interests in aquaculture have resulted in a very high pressure on the natural resources of the inland and coastal forests

Climate change is not only bringing new challenges, it is also exacerbating existing human-induced pressures. To address these problems, German Development Cooperation has initiated a programme to respond to climate change effects on natural resources in the Southern Mekong Delta commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The programme “Management of coastal ecosystems relevant to mitigate and adapt to climate change related effects in five southern provinces in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam” is implementing coastal adaptation measures in the broader context of integrated coastal area planning and management.

The present programme operates with the AusAID/GTZ cooperation in Kien Giang province and the German-financed GTZ projects in the provinces of Bac Lieu (commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, BMU) and Soc Trang (BMZ). A planned programme extension will see the inclusion of An Giang and Ca Mau provinces as additional areas of AusAID/GTZ cooperation.

The objective of the programme is to efficiently manage and protect coastal ecosystems for the mitigation and adaptation to environmental hazards related to climate change.

Subject areas covered by the programme are:

The advantages of such a programme are that it provides a focused sector strategy for Integrated Coastal Management, cost efficiency through pooling of resources and creation of synergies among the projects through improved knowledge management and mutual support in thematic and management aspects. It also strengthens donor cooperation, especially between GTZ and AusAID, and leads to improved and harmonised information for the stakeholders leads to better cooperation and networking within the sector.