Climate Fund Central Vietnam 3

After the successful preceding projects in 2019 and 2020, four climate protection and adaptation projects by young adults from Central Vietnam will be funded by the Climate Fund of the German Federal Foreign Office for the third time in a row. By means of small-scale projects, which are designed and implemented locally by the young Vietnamese, the awareness of climate change in Central Vietnam is to be raised and the population’s own ability to act is to be made visible through exemplary measures. In particular, the positive effects of climate protection measures on the standard of living, the quality of life and nature are to be emphasized.

UfU supports the projects in terms of content and methodology and monitors their progress together with the local partner Mientrung Institute for Scientific Research (MISR), but they are organized and carried out independently by the young adults. The implementation of the projects is supplemented by a kick-off and closing workshop, which lay the foundation for the implementation and provide an opportunity for exchange and reflection.

Project: Raising public awareness of the carbon storage capacity of seagrass beds to control climate change and minimize activities that lead to the destruction of the seagrass ecosystem in Lang Co Lagoon, Thua Thien Hue Province

Seagrasses are not only habitat and spawning ground for marine animals, but also an important natural carbon sink. However, understanding of the role of seagrasses is not yet widespread, as most people are unaware of its existence. In recent years, Vietnam has experienced a sharp decline in its seagrass areas due to fishing, aquaculture, pollution and infrastructure development. Therefore, the project aims to investigate the current status of seagrass meadow distribution in Lang Co Lagoon and the carbon storage capacity of the seagrass meadows, raise awareness among local people about climate change and the importance of seagrass meadows in mitigating climate change impacts in the region, and promote direct community participation in implementing activities to mitigate seagrass ecosystem degradation through workshops.

Project 2: Increase the proportion of native trees and production forest in Cam Nghia village, Cam Lo district, Quang Tri province

The FSC-certified forest of Cam Nghia village plays a key role in the region in mitigating the negative impacts of extreme weather events, erosion, and loss of soil nutrients, and is a source of income for over 5,000 people. However, since recent years, there has been a decline in forest coverage due to the lack of financial support for tree plantings and the negative impacts of climate change. The project aims to plant 1500 seedlings (500 Acacia, 500 Khaya Senegalensis, 500 Melia Azedarach) together with local volunteers on the land of Keo Son cooperative in order to raise awareness of the forest’s contribution to climate and environmental protection, to mitigate the impact of climate change on the local population, to increase the income of people with FSC certification and thus to introduce the business model to more farmers in the region.

Project 3: Raising awareness on climate change through school gardens. A demonstration project at Hoa Phuoc Primary School, Hoa Vang District, Da Nang City

From 1990 to 2016, the forest area of Da Nang City decreased over time, significantly reducing urban green space. In addition, the city has been facing a lack of household waste disposal capacities. Therefore, a plan to develop a school garden at Hoa Phuoc Primary School, a school with limited budget, was proposed by the project team. In addition to the creation and continuous maintenance of the garden, the primary school students will be educated around climate change issues, waste management and garden maintenance through participatory formats such as quizzes, information sessions and garden collaboration. In addition, the team is organizing an upcycling competition for secondary school students and an online climate change conference for 60 college students to share and connect students interested in tackling climate change.

Project 4: Establish a club to prevent and adapt to climate change at An Dong ward in Hue city

In An Dong district, (retired) medical professionals, community representatives and district employees often guide local people to participate in various community activities. However, environmental protection and climate change adaptation activities have not yet been implemented. Therefore, the project aims to establish a place for communication and exchange on climate and environmental protection in the district by means of a Sunday club. The club’s activities focus on information events, waste collection and separation campaigns, the tree planting campaigns and a social media competition. The project team will also talk about climate protection in the monthly meetings of the An Dong Ward health station, so that the medical staff, who often lead neighborhood groups, can feed knowledge into the neighborhood meetings and thus reach more people from the local population.