Teacher training on Climate Change and Mangroves

From September 20th to 29th, 2012, the GIZ CZM project together with the Department of Education and Training (DoET) of Soc Trang Province carried out 7 trainings on Climate Change and Mangroves for junior high school and high school teachers in the districts of Nga Nam, Thanh Tri, My Xuyen, Long Phu, My Tu, Chau Thanh and Ke Sach. About 750 Biology, Geography and Civic Education teachers were trained to support them in teaching their students about these important environmental topics. 

The contents of the trainings were based on the Teacher Manuals on Climate Change and Mangroves which were published by the project and handed over to DoET previously. The topic of climate change, its impacts and possible measures to manage these issues and the topic of mangroves, their roles, causes of degradation and measures for effective mangrove rehabilitation were presented and discussed. After each session, participants were divided into groups to discuss specific activities to raise awareness of mangroves protection and climate change in their schools and districts and how to integrate these topics into their curricula as well as extra-curricular activities.

 
20.09.2012 - in Nga Nam district

 
21.09.2012 - in Thanh Tri district

22.09.2012 - in My Xuyen district

 25.09.2012 - in My Tu district

  26.09.2012 - in Long Phu district

  28.09.2012 - in Chau Thanh district

 29.09.2012 - in Ke Sach district

IUCN meeting on "Participatory Action Planning for Livelihood Initiatives"

Notes of the Meeting on

Participatory Action Planning for Livelihood Initiatives Suggested by Local Communities

Time: 8:00 – 11:00 and 13:30 – 17:00 (full day) Date: 27.09.2012

Venue: DONRE

Organizers: IUCN & DONRE

Participants: representatives from Sub-DECAFIREF, Provincial Women’s Union, DARD, DONRE, Provincial Farmer Association, DARD and DONRE divisions in Tran De and Cu Lao Dung districts, People’s Committee of Trung Binh commune, Tran De district and An Thanh Nam commune, Cu Lao Dung district, local farmers of Vam Ho and Vo Thanh Van villages (An Thanh Nam commune, Cu Lao Dung) and of Cho and Mo O villages (Trung Binh commune, Tran De) and GIZ.

Following the “Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA)” training and surveying program in May, 2012 in the framework of the “Improvement of Climate Change Resilience in the Coastal Areas of Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand (BCR)”, DONRE and IUCN organized the meeting on September 27 in order to report preliminary results of the VCA and to discuss on action plan for priority issues based on initiatives proposed by local communities.

Five main priorities were outlined:

v Action 1 - Supporting materials to consolidate embankments for 60 ha crop land in Mo O village.

v Action 2 - Connecting community, enhancing capacity and developing livelihoods for adaptation to climate change. This action consists of 7 activities:

· Activity 1: Awareness assessment and training on environmental protection, climate change and sustainable use of aquatic resources.

· Activity 2: Building sanitary latrines in Cu Lao Dung.

· Activity 3: Capital support for livelihood development (cattle raising in Trung Binh, cows and pigs raising in An Thanh Nam, net-knitting training in Cho village, Trung Binh commune.

· Activity 4: Capital and technical support in planting of high-yield sugar-cane varieties.

· Activity 5: Support composite containers for rainwater harvesting in Trung Binh commune.

· Activity 6: Building water supply system for 3 residential areas in An Thanh Nam commune, Cu Lao Dung.

· Activity 7: Support alum water filters for poor households in Mo O village, Tran De .

v Action 3 – Shifting destructive fishing tools to environmental friendly fishing tools.

v Action 4 – Protection and development of aquatic resources by establishment of releasing focal points for egg-bearing aquatic beings.

v Action 5 – Together with Sub-DECAFIREF, support clam cooperative in Cu Lao Dung conducting zonation for management, exploitation and strict protection.

Action plans for main feasible proposals including activities, roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, resources, implementation time were discussed in a participatory approach through consensus of local authorities and people of 2 communes An Thanh Nam (Cu Lao Dung district) and Trung Binh (Tran De district). 

Roadshow in Mo O village

On September 24th 2012 the GIZ project, together with the Soc Trang Forest Protection Sub-Department, Tran De Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Tran De Youth Union, organized an awareness-raising event about climate change and mangrove forests at Mo O Village, Trung Binh Commune.    

The event aimed at raising awareness of a range of environmental issues, using interactive ways such as games, colouring activities, TV shows, poster exhibition and question and answer games. Around eighty people from Mo O Village, among them many children, joined the event to learn about environmental topics through displayed posters, drawings and talks. Those children who could answer questions in front of the audience on what is happening to our climate and the importance of protecting the mangroves along the coast were awarded with small prizes. The children were encouraged to take their coloured pictures home to show them to their parents and friends and to talk about the environmental issues presented.

This was the 3rd event in Tran De District and the 7th in a series, which will move as a roadshow from village to village in the entire coastal zone of Soc Trang Province.