Economic value of mangrove restoration as local resource and storm protection in Vietnam | Forestry in a changing political environment: challenges for the 21st century
1997
Adger, W. N. | Kelly, M. | Hoang Tri, N. | Mushove, P. | Mubaiwa, M. | Mukwekwerere, M. | Pfukwa, C.
The rehabilitation of mangrove forests results in both marketed economic products, as well as the enhancement of coastal protection services. This latter indirect benefit is important because developing countries are hard-pressed to protect their coastal resources against present-day hazards such as storm surges and floods. The incidence of such extreme climate events is likely to become more unpredictable due to future global climate changes. The paper examines the rehabilitation of mangrove forests and its role in providing dual benefits of improving the livelihood of local resource users as well as enhancing sea defences. Mangrove forests are currently being lost at an unknown rate from the world's tropical coasts, with implications for human use as well as for diversity in coastal ecosystems. The benefits of conserving mangrove forests are recognised by many coastal communities, to the extent that mangroves are now being rehabilitated and newly planted in selected areas. This paper quantifies the economic benefits of mangrove rehabilitation undertaken to enhance sea defence in three coastal districts on northern Vietnam. The results of the analysis show that mangrove rehabilitation can be desirable form an economic perspective based solely on the direct use benefits by local communities. Such activities have even higher benefit cost ratios with the inclusion of the indirect benefits resulting from the avoided maintenance cost for the sea dike system which the mangrove stan´ds protect form coastal storm surges. While further research needs to be undertaken to evaluate the full costs and benefits of mangrove rehabilitation, this analysis suggests that this approach may prove an important component of a sustainable management strategy for the coastal forestry in Vietnam and in other similar regions.
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