"Climate-smart" fisheries and aquaculture to support resilient aquatic ecosystems in Vietnam Active

The Vietnamese government has committed to mitigation and adaption in support of the Paris Agreement. Implementation of Vietnam’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to adaptation involves “prioritized adaptation actions for the period 2021-2030” to address “institutional, policy, financial, and human resource and technology gaps.” Of particular relevance, the NDC highlight the need for focus on the Mekong River Delta which is poised to be inundated with sea level rise. Nearly 38.9% of the Mekong River Delta will be inundated it sea levels rise by 100cm and 10% of the delta population will be affected by land loss and reduction in cultivation area for rice. Saline intrusion and droughts have affected aquatic ecosystems and services they provide including freshwater quantity and quality; aquaculture and fishing; and biodiversity (see NDC section 3.1.4.k). Salinity intrusion has already been observed in coastal provinces of the Mekong Delta including Soc Trang province, Bac Lieu province, Kiên Giang province and Cà Mau. Farmers in the region have actively responded to change farming models (e.g., improved conditions for shrimp and crab culture) to bring significant profits. However, the fast pace of these opportunistic endeavors can create conflict among agricultural households. Additionally, all aquaculture models (e.g., super intensive, intensive, semi- intensive, applying biofloc in shrimp culture, mangrove – shrimp, rice – shrimp, rice – prawn, rice – fish) are not equally sustainable. Some practices can contribute to greenhouse gas emission while others may play the role in sequestering carbon. There is an immediate need to better understand how ‘climate-smart’ fisheries and aquaculture can improve adaptive capacity and enhance resilience to climate change in vulnerable communities of Vietnam.