Protecting coasts

In some areas, the mangrove saplings are nothing more than a few brittle stalks facing the mighty ocean. But they symbolize hope. The hope that perhaps things won't become so bad and that in a few years people will be still be able to live in the Mekong Delta even when the sea waters rise.

With its vast network of channels, the Mekong Delta is one of Vietnam's most fertile regions. It's also one of the most densely populated areas of the world. Shrimp farms, paddy fields and villages are packed between the snaking waterways. This is where most of the country's food is grown. Vietnam is one of the world's leading rice as well as shrimp exporters.

But the people living here face an uncertain future. The river delta could soon become a victim of climate change. It's feared that rapidly rising sea levels could submerge the region. Scientists predict that only Bangladesh, which has a similar river topography, could suffer a worse fate.

Erosion of mangrove forests

Vietnam's mangrove forests work like natural sea dikes and offer a front line against storm surges. Their wide root systems protect against floods and salt water. They regulate the local climate and water levels.

But mangrove trees are being cut down at a rapid rate in the country. It's estimated that Vietnam has lost about half its mangrove forests in the last decades. The trees were first felled out of sheer need. After the devastation of the Vietnam war, most of the trees were chopped for their wood.

In recent years, the mangroves have fallen victim to shrimp farmers. Fueled by a global demand for shrimps, Vietnam, like many other countries in the region, has seen a boom in lucrative shrimp farming. It's estimated that land use for aquaculture has jumped ten-fold in the coastal regions of the Mekong in the past 15 years.

The boom has brought lots of money and jobs to the region. But it's also had fatal consequences. Plant and animal life are losing their natural habitat, the ground is becoming more saline and in some places infertile, where antibiotics and chemicals from the shrimp processing plants have contaminated the ground water.

The contradiction between economic and ecological interests - or, more bluntly, between shrimps and mangroves - seems difficult to resolve. But some say there is a straightforward solution: shrimps and mangroves, both.

“We have just the model for the future,” Stefan Bergleiter of Naturland, a German organization that promotes organic agriculture worldwide, said.

Since the end of the 1990s, there have been several international projects for the reforestation of mangroves. Naturland combines these with the promotion of ecologically friendly shrimp breeding.

“The idea is, we promote reforestation but also continue to allow aquaculture,” Bergleiter said. In order to get organic certification from Naturland, the shrimp farmers have to fulfill certain conditions. The shrimps have to be bred without chemicals and at least half of the area used for aquaculture has to be covered by mangrove trees.

Thus, those wanting to sell organic shrimps cannot cut trees and must plant new ones. Independent organizations monitor whether the regulations are being adhered to.

“Economically and ecologically sensible”

“It's simply the most sensible thing both ecologically and economically. The farmers increasingly realize that too,” Bergleiter said.

The aquaculture expert, who often travels to Vietnam, said it is frequently existing shrimp farms that are turned into organic production centers. That is prompted by concrete economic advantages. Organic shrimps need less food and are more resistant against infections, he said. Farmers can sell them at a much higher price than conventionally bred shrimps, and can also pocket the profits from mangrove forestry.

More than 1,000 farms with a total area of some 6,200 hectares in Vietnam are now certified by Naturland. It's still just a tiny drop in the ocean, but it's growing.

“In the short-term, we want to have the whole cake,” Bergleiter said. Organic shrimps should become the norm, he said.

Naturland certified the first shrimp farms in Ecuador 10 years ago. Organic shrimp farming is now also practiced in Peru, Indonesia, Burma and Brazil.

Naturland isn't alone in offering aquaculture certification, but it's considered one of the best.

“They (Naturland) look at the whole picture,” Heike Vesper, a fisheries expert at the World Wide Fund for Nature said. Shrimp farming remains problematic, she said. But Naturland's organic certification is ecologically “by far the best on the market.”

Reconciling shrimps and mangroves seems to be a win-win situation for all involved. The farmer in the Mekong can earn more money with it, the consumer in the main importing regions of Europe, the US and Japan, can eat healthier shrimps with a better conscience. They can also play a role in ensuring the future of the Mekong Delta. Even when the water rises.

Author: Oliver Samson (sp)
Editor: Jennifer Abramsohn