Group 6: Mekong Delta Location: Main Room

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Group 6 Mekong DeltaLocation Main Room

• 1. Dr. Andrew Wyatt
• 2. Dr. Dao Huy Giap
• 3. Mr. Do Duc Dung
• 4. Ms. Kasina Limsamarnphun
• 5. Dr. Klaus Schmitt
• 6. Dr. Le Anh Tuan
• 7. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Tri
• 8. Ms. Nguyen Thu Huong
• 9. Dr. Pham Trong Thinh
• 10. Mr. Tran Thai Ngoc Thanh
• 11. Mr. Viet Hoang
• 12. Dr. Vo Le Phu
• 13. Ms. Trang Dang Thuy

• Facilitators
• 1. Ms. Ruth Mathews
• 2. Ms. Trine Glue Doan

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The Mekong Delta Region

• Climate Change Adaptation Strategies
• and Gaps

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Adaptation Strategies

• Structural Measures
• Non-structural Measures
• Policy Options

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Structural Measures

• Dikes construction (coastal areas)
• Infrastructure upgrading/climate proofing
• Transportation system
• Housing design system
• Urban infrastructure systems (water/wastewater/sol
  id waste facilities)

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Non-Structural Measures

• Researches on coping strategies (FW protected
  areas, structure of mangroves for coastal
  protection, etc)
• Reforestation/plantation schemes
• Crop adjustment/re-arrangements
• New aquacultural technologies application
  (species with more resilience or salinity
  tolerance)
• Forecast system capacity
• Public education (awareness raising)

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Policy Options

• Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
• IZCM/ICAM (Integrated Coastal Area Management)
• Land-use planning
• Wetland restoration
• Mangrove conservation
• Swamp/marsh/melaleuca
• Test new approaches to CC resilience (mangrove
  rehabilitation)

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Gaps and Future Actions

• Gaps in Knowledge
• Understanding of resilience of natural systems to
  CC
• Mangroves resilience
• Lack of synthesis practical study on ecosystem
  functions/services/values
• Understanding of costs of socio-economic to CC
• Full understanding of costs and benefits of
  adaptations

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Gaps and Future Actions

• Gaps in Knowledge
• How temperature/rainfall patterns change will
  impact on species?
• Predator prey relationships/food chain/food
  sources
• Pilot projects to test and evaluate adaptation
  and mitigation measures
• Training and educating for capacity improvement
  for managers and local people on CC

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Gaps and Future Actions

• Gaps in Knowledge
• How SLR will impact on seagrass?
• Interaction between SLR and increases of runoff
  (from upstream to downstream)?
• Understanding of increase of flood frequency and
  flood arrival (earlier arrival)?
• What are economic costs to maintain the status
  quo in infrastructure systems?

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Gaps and Future Actions

• Development of Methodology Tools
• Lack of practical methodology informing public on
  CC impacts, which currently focuses on academy
• Realistic scenarios on global/regional/national
  scales
• Details of topographic maps and DTM
• Applicable management practices of wetland
  conservation areas

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Gaps and Future Actions

• Systems
• Monitoring systems (regional extreme climate
  events, ect)
• Monitoring of land habitats, land cover change
• Monitoring CC impacts on vulnerable communities
• Natural disaster warning systems

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Gaps and Future Actions

• Cooperation and Partnerships
• Promote dialogues between policy-makers and
  researchers/academic scholars
• Promote partnerships between different
  stakeholders and society bodies at different
  levels
• (Mekong) Regional cooperation to share
  data/information on CC

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Next Steps

• Maintaining the Working Groups from this
  Workshop
• Spending reasonable time to digest, modify and
  prioritize adaptation options
• Setting up network of CC experts to share
  knowledge and information
• Forming IPCC for Mekong Delta Region (MPCC-
  Mekong Panel on Climate Change)
• Build on Mekong Delta Forum platform (WWF)

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Identify core values (critical habitat, species,
ecosystem services) pertaining to biodiversity
conservation in each priority area

• UpperMiddleCoastal Water
• Freshwater Bracksish Saline
• Critical habitats-Swamp forest-Melaleuca
  -Grassland -Limestone-Rice field-Swamp
  forest-Grassland-Rice field-Swamp forest-Mud
  flats-Grassland-Mangroves-Seagrasses-Coral reefs
• SpeciesEndangered species-Red
  Crane-Monkey-Migratory and non-migratory birds-
  Reptiles-Migratory and non-migratory
  birds-Migratory and non-migratory birds-Monkey

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• Ecosystem servicesRegulatory -water purification-
  flood prevention- pest control- aquifer recharge-
  carbon storage-
• wastewater treatment- nutrient cycling-
• storm protection- coastal erosion prevention-
  supporting fisheries, breeding and nursery
  habitat for fisheries- carbon storage

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• Provisioning- food - water- medicinal plants-
  food- water- medicinal plants- food- water-
  medical plants
• Cultural- tourism- future benefits and existence
  value- tourism- future benefits and existence
  value- tourism- future benefits and existence
  value

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Identify major changes from development that are
likely to occur in each area over the next
decades. Describe how these changes will affect
the area.

• Drivers of changes and Effect on ecosystems
• Physical Development
• DikesRiver dikes - Ministry plans to build
  dykes upriver to prevent saline
  inundation.Coastal zone dikes (sea dikes)
• Changes in hydrological regimes, though it should
  be noted that the impact of dikes is highly
  variable depending on the location. By blocking
  development of mangrove in response to the
  SLR.Port and water transportationChanged water
  flow and hydrological regimes. Impacts of
  high-speed boats on soil erosion.

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• Tourism and supporting infrastructureLand
  reclamation for industrial activity, related to
  river dredging and extract of sand Losing wetland
  areas and fragmentation of ecosystems.
• Urbanisation in coastal zoneLosing wetland areas
  and fragmentation of ecosystems. Coastal tourism
  development
• Exportation of sand and gravelRiver bank erosion,
  and increase in invasive species. Industrial
  development (saw mill, thermal energy
  plants)Water quality.

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• Expansion road networksHabitat fragmentationGas
  pipeline development
• River channel alteration (river channel networks,
  dredging etc) for navigation
• Changed flow regimes and river bank erosion
• Continuing crop changes and diversification
• Abandoned shrimp farms being converted to rice
  fields
• Expansion of irrigation systems for agriculture

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• Land use change conversion of natural
  ecosystems for aquaculture and food production
  (rice)
• Habitat fragmentationAgricultural practices and
  overuse of pesticides, herbicides, and
  fertilizer.
• Water quality

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• Socio-Economic
• Natural migration from rural areas to urban
  areas for employment, including migration both
  from within the Delta, and to the industrial zone
• Food including rice export policy
• Forest policy and fire management policy
• Industrialization through industrial zones
• Water quality
• Population growth
• Increased pressure on resources and demand for
  housing development and construction materials
  (cement from limestone, river sand),

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• Poor, disjointed, sectorial land use planning and
  policy will Vietnam proceed to more integrated
  planning? Uncertain, but hopeful that it will.
• Poor conservation area planning, degrading
  conservation areas
• Ineffective, inadequate management of wetlands
• Changing value sets e.g. regarding wetlands as
  wasted lands
• Improved capacity in policy arena due to next
  generation leaders taking a more progressive,
  sustainable approach to development and
  conservation
• Changing preferences and increased standards of
  living placing increased pressure on resources

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• Political Improved empowerment of people and
  safeguarding of rights to own, use, and manage
  natural resources
• Change in structure of agriculture -transition
  from smallholders to more corporate, large scale
  agriculture
• Sectoral shift
• Labour force changes
• Human health

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• Natural
• Physical impacts influenced by
• River erosion
• River dredging and changing channels for
  navigation, transportation
• Mining of sand and gravel for export and housing
  construction
• Impacts of high-speed boats on soil erosion
• Coastal erosion
• Loss of mangroves
• Loss of wetlands
• land reclamation for industrial development
• Loss of biodiversity and habitat fragmentation
• Expansion of road networks

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• Increase in invasive species
• River alteration
• Declining water quality of rivers
• Industrial development (saw mill, thermal energy
  plants)
• Increased sedimentation from upstream
  developments (road networks, other..?)
• Industrial pollutions from expanding industrial
  zones
• Declining water quality in estuary?
• Decreased water availability - from decreased
  water flows due to altering rivers and flow
  regimes
• Change in hydrological cycle

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Identify species, harbitats and ecosystem
services likely to be most sensitive to the
combined effects of CC

• Freshwater
• BrackishThere will be habitat shifts along this
  continuum, for example freshwater will become
  increasingly brackish .
• Freshwater food source relationship between
  predator/prey, including freshwater birds,
  reptiles and amphibians .- increased invasives-
  increased insect pests that will affect
  agriculture - - flowering triggers for
  pollination- increased invasive species
  displacing endemic species (e.g. reduced
  Dissolved Oxygen (DO_ that will favour some
  introduced pest species like sucker fish)-
  increased incidence of fire- fish migration cues-
  distribution and density of bird species- impact
  on fisheries?- protected areas e.g . bird
  sanctuaries as U Minh Thuong and U Minh Ha, . -
  Grasses Kim Giang, Ha Tien
• Saline- impact on coral reefs- seagrasses

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• Precipitation- altered precipitation- Flooding
  changes (duration and frequency) - food source
  relationship between predator/prey, including
  freshwater birds, reptiles and amphibians. -
  rainfall distribution patterns will change, and
  this is most serious in the start and end of the
  year. - fish migration cues- acid soils increase
  drying- distribution and density of bird species

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• Sea level rise- increased salinity- prolonged
  inundation and flooding (even during the dry
  season)- becomes more saline- disturbance of
  ecological relationships- impact on high
  biodiversity - wetlands will be lost- inundation-
  seagrasses
• Storms - Mangroves Rhizaphora species in
  particular will be affected as the stems are
  susceptible to breakage.- Severe erosion leading
  to loss of plants- Saline intrusion- seagrasses
• Glacial melt- increased river flow and flooding

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• Knowledge Gaps
• - Impact of sea level rise on sea grasses.
• - What is the ecosystem resilience? Need to do
  further modeling to assess the ability for
  species to adapt, for example what are the
  possible species shifts into different ecological
  niches?
• - How will CC impact on coral reefs
• Uncertainties
• Impact of climate change on mudflats? The extent
  of mudflat retreat depends upon what development
  occurs to restrict mudflat shifting in response
  to climate change. Communities living on mudflats
  are well-adapted to living in coast, and will be
  able to adapt quite easily to sea level rise.
• Dialogue between scientists and policy-makers
  What will the policy on dike construction around
  HCMC be? There are currently plans to construct
  dikes to protect the city, but there is also a
  growing awareness of the importance of preserving
  mangroves for natural storm protection.

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• Impacts of climate change on Ecosystem Services
• Food production (rice)
• - temperature changes and saline intrusion
• Water availability
• - dry season rain water
• - saline intrusion
• Carbon Storage
• - loss of mangroves
• Storm protection
• - loss of mangroves
• Erosion prevention
• Melaleuca forests will be affected by more fire
• Aquifer storage
• Water purification
• Flood prevention
• Nutrient Cycles
• - sea level rise causing less nutrients for
  phytoplants
• Fish/aquatic food