The implementation of the Sustainable Livelihoods in and around Marine Protected Areas (LMPA) Component of the Vietnam-Denmark Development Cooperation in Environment Program in 2005-2010 has been under way for nearly a year. This component contributes to the conservation of marine protected areas (MPAs) and helps ensure sustainable livelihoods for the communities living in and around these areas.
Making use of GIS
Vietnams MPAs such as the Gulf of Nha Trang, Cham Island, Phu Quoc Island and Con Co (Co Islet) have been zoned. However, data and information about these MPAs are being kept in different formats and there is not yet any digital database. Notably, legal documents related to MPAs contain lots of serious typing mistakes. "With such a database, it will be very difficult to do project management," said members of the LMPA project. Therefore, it is an urgent necessity for Vietnam to make positioning maps or zoning maps for MPAs using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology that is being used worldwide. For the first six months of 2009, Vietnam has built a GIS management system that allows it to check and eliminate the mistakes that were made in the process of entering data. Using this management system, Vietnam can systematize the databases of all MPAs according to international standards and distribute the information about these areas. The system will help improve the management of MPAs at the national level.
The LMPA Component is providing the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with instructions to help it set the criteria for defining MPAs. The National Consultation Council has compiled a draft report on 23 criteria, which will serve as the basis for local governments to define MPAs. The LMPA Component also provides training to improve the management capability of Vietnamese authorities at the national and provincial levels.