MANAGEMENT OF MANGROVES IN CAN GIO
BIOSPHERE RESERVE, HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM


Vien Ngoc Nam¹& Huynh Duc Hoan²

¹Forestry Development Department of Ho Chi Minh City,
51, A5 Nguyen Oanh, F17, Go Vap, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
vnnam@bdvn.vnd.net
²Can Gio Mangrove Protection Forest Management Board, Rung Sat Street,
An Thoi Dong Village, Can Gio District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Huynhduchoan@yahoo.com


Can Gio (formerly Duyen Hai) is located south of Ho Chi Minh City in its suburban district. During the Indochina War, the mangroves here were damaged by herbicides. After the war, the forest was destroyed by locals felling trees for such needs as fuel wood and house construction. A mangrove rehabilitation programme was begun in 1978 with vast tracks of mangroves planted. Some 20,000 ha of Rhizophora apiculata were planted and accompanied by 10,000 ha of natural regeneration. Between 1978 and 1991, the mangroves were classified as economic forest, between 1991 and 2000, the forest became protected forest and since 2000, the forest has been deemed a mangrove natural reserve. Called the Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, it is a first for Vietnam. The management of the mangrove forest changed hands several times as its classification varied. The successes and failures in mangrove forest management during the course of this period are presented in this report.



Copyright 2006 ISME. All rights reserved.