Sharing experiences on mangrove conservation at the XIV World Forestry Congress

On 8 September 2015, project manager Thuy Nguyen shared lessons and experiences from SNV’s Mangroves and Markets (MAM) project at the XIV World Forestry Congress in Durban.

The World Forestry Congress (WFC) is the largest gathering on forests and forestry and is held at six-year intervals by a host country and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It serves as a platform where governments, academics, civil society, the private sector and other interested parties come together to discuss and share knowledge on forests, and find ways of addressing key issues for sustainable development. In 2015 the WFC was held from 7 to 11 September in Durban, South Africa, under the theme “Forests and People: Investing in a Sustainable Future”.

SNV submitted a paper to the WFC on the MAM project, which is being implemented in South Vietnam. The author, project manager Thuy Nguyen, has been invited to present the initiative at one of the congress’ special events: the International Forests and Water Dialogue. This event showcases the latest scientific findings, institutional mechanisms, policies and practices on forest-water management.

In her presentation, Thuy highlighted the importance of the mangrove ecosystem for coastal protection and community resilience, and explained SNV’s innovative approach for mangrove conservation. The MAM project supports integrated mangrove-shrimp farming systems to enhance the stability and profitability of the aquaculture sector, while contributing to mangrove protection. Effective collaboration between public, private and civic stakholders has led to the development of a Payment for Ecosystem Services scheme, which provides an important financial incentive to farmers for mangrove restoration. The workshop participants reflected on how a similar approach could be applied to other agricultural commodities and countries.

Download SNV’s paper submitted to the WFC here