Toward an Improved Management of Common Property in Tam Giang Lagoon, Vietnam

Abstract

"Tam Giang lagoon in Vietnam provides sources of living directly or indirectly to about 300,000 inhabitants living around the lagoon in 236 villages with 31 communes. The high population density and high growth rate puts more and more pressure on the resources, particularly increasing overexploitation. The lagoon system is very complex because not only human activities are diverse and intensive but also natural environment displays very high heterogeneity. The marine, inland conditions, the river estuaries, seasonal fluctuation and high range in salinity, and different soil property all combine to form the complex ecosystems. There are difficulties to manage such complex systems for sustainable use.

"In 1994 a project "Management of Biological Resources of Tam Giang Lagoon" funded by CIDA/IDRC was developed by a group of Canadian and Vietnamese researchers from Hue region. Research activities, started in 1995, had the objectives to understand the aquatic environment, exploitation, use and the present management of the resources. Participatory data collection was to form the basis on which to build a sustainable management strategy of Tam Giang resources. The research was also to address methodological issues on local participation and community-based activities.

"First efforts made by the project were to involve resource users in the research activities and raise their awareness about resource problems and conflicts in management. The project collected data to serve as a basis from which to establish community-based management of biological resources in the lagoon. The main project activities were to use a participatory research approach with interdisciplinary perspectives in studying the ecological and human systems. Human efforts, which increase competitive ability to exploit lagoon resources, result in conflicts not only among local groups but also between management strategies. Realizing the conflicts is very important to perceive difficulties and challenges in further expanding community-based activities for management of communal resources.

"This paper provides information extracted from preliminary findings to help understand the unique system and highlight issues regarding management of common property in the lagoon. The issues raised include nature of resources, technologies used to exploit these, human behaviour, arrangements for property rights associated with different management strategies, and efficiency and effects of informal and formal rules within the present management."