[Report 8. Full report 2.3 MB. pdf format]

Executive Summary

The coastal zone of the Red River Delta supports a large inshore fishery which is dependent on the maintenance of the ecological integrity of mangrove forests, intertidal areas and other associated habitats. As a result of an increasing human population coupled with economic growth, utilization of natural resources has become extremely intensive throughout the coastal zone and may no longer be sustainable. The intertidal areas of the Red River Delta have been identified to be of international importance as a feeding and roosting area for several threatened bird species.

Based on this range of threats, the area’s conservation importance, the productivity of its fisheries, combined with the under representation of coastal wetlands in the current protected areas system, and a clearly stated government policy relating to protected areas development and wise use of wetlands, there was an urgent need for the identification of sites in the coastal zone of the Red River Delta to ensure their conservation and sustainable use.

Project fieldwork was implemented during a six-month period between January and June 1996 in the coastal districts of Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh, Nam Ha, Thai Binh and Hai Phong provinces, by a joint team drawn from the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute, Hanoi (FIPI) and BirdLife International. Data were obtained on biological features and current levels of resource-use and land-use by local communities. Sites were then evaluated using established criteria.

The results of the project indicate that there are seven key coastal wetlands in the Red River Delta. The most important single site for conservation is Xuan Thuy Nature Reserve, ranked second was the entire coastal area of Nghia Hung district, ranked third equal were two sites in the Thai Binh estuary, in Thai Thuy and Tien Lang districts, and the Van Uc estuary in Tien Lang district. The newly established Tien Hai Nature Reserve has a relatively low conservation importance and was ranked only sixth by this study. The coastline of southern Thuy Nguyen district was ranked seventh.

Although nature reserves have been established at Xuan Thuy and Tien Hai, minimal resources are currently available and, consequently, there is virtually no conservation management at these sites. All seven sites are threatened by aquacultural development and, probably, unsustainable levels of exploitation of marine products.

The coastal zone of Nghia Hung district, the two sites in the Thai Binh estuary, in Thai Thuy and Tien Lang districts and the Van Uc estuary are all worthy of designation under the Ramsar Convention. The development of an environmentally sensitive coastal development plan for Nghia Hung district and the establishment of nature reserves at the other sites should be considered an urgent priority. General recommendations are made for coastal zone management and numerous detailed management recommendations are made for these key sites. This will not only help secure the conservation of biodiversity but will assist the sustainable management of natural resources for human communities in these districts.

[Report 8. Full report 2.3 MB. pdf format]