| Author | Nguyen Quoc Nghi |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.EV-08-23 |
| Subject(s) | Mangrove ecology--Vietnam--Hoi An
|
| Note | A thesis submitted impartial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and Management |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Vietnam has a long coastline, supporting a large area of mangroves. Large losses of mangroves have occurred for decades, leading to coastal erosion, decline of fishery resources and other environmental consequences. The mangroves, including nipa palm forests around Hoi An City, one of the popular tourism destinations in central Vietnam, has also experienced these impacts. The study showed that the remnant mangrove forest of Hoi An, mainly located in Cam Thanh Commune, includes 56 ha of nipa palm (Nypa fruticans) and some 0.3 ha of remnant Rhizophora apiculate planted in 1999 as 2.5 ha. The density of nipa palm is 1-3 shoot/m2. Existing aquaculture areas in the Cam Thanh Commune consist of 83% of the former nipa palm forest, 11% abandoned rice field and 6% of fallow land. Nowadays, there is a tendency to abandoned fallowed shrimp ponds back to nipa forest. Development of tourism has encouraged local people to cut down nipa leaves to make handcrafts. A total of five to eight leaves are removed from each tree per year. This situation has led to the overexploitation of the nipa palm forest, decreasing its area and use of an inappropriate fish gear. In addition, the hydropower development upstream may impact on natural hydrology and prevent the passage of migratory organisms for reproduction, feeding, entering their nursery habitats. Recently, the nipa palm area has slightly increased because the local government has banned people from overexploitation of the forest. The study has shown a close relationship of local people and the nipa ecosystem, especially from the point of view of fisheries. Three main aquatic animal groups in the Cam Thanh water bodies were monitored (mollusks, crustaceans and fish). During the survey, 14 species of mollusks, 6species of crustaceans and 18 species of fish were found. Biodiversity (Shannon index)following by group were 2.330, 1.563 and 2.590, respectively shows that the area still harbours significant variety of life. The rising number of visitors to Hoi An and Quang Nam which have reached 1.25 million in 2005 may be considered as a future threat in terms of pollution if no mitigation measures are introduced. In addition, builtding of further infrastructure may lead to more pressure on the ecosystem. The values of selected water quality parameters (ammonia, nitrate, and salinity) established during the study demonstrate that even if the current water quality is satifactory, further steps to wards the water quality protection should be taken. In order to harmonize the benefits for local people with the future development, education of local people on the important role of mangrove forest should be promoted. Threats to existing mangrove forest areas should be mitigated by the local authorities and these measures must be into development plan and policies. As a result of the present study it is proposed to rehabilitate approximately 28 ha of additional nipa forest ecosystem in the Cam Thanh Commune area. |
| Year | 2008 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Environmental Engineering and Management (EV) |
| Chairperson(s) | Shipin, Oleg V.;Berg, Carl Erik Hakan; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Nguyen, Thi Kim Oanh; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Ministry of Education and Traning (MOET), Vietnam;Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2008 |