Newton RCUK-SEAMED - Harnessing multiple benefits from resilient mangrove systems
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leeds
Department Name: School of Earth and Environment
Abstract
Mangroves provide multiple benefits from carbon storage and shoreline protection at global and national scales, to food and energy for natural resource-dependent coastal communities at local scale. However, mangroves are coming under increasing pressure due to land use changes resulting from climate change, coastal development and aquaculture. In Vietnam the area under mangrove forest declined by 35% between 1983 and 2012, increasing vulnerability of the coast to tidal surges, hurricanes and saline intrusion as well as reducing the availability and accessibility of mangrove resources necessary to support livelihoods. Previous research in Vietnam has taken a largely technical approach to the relationship between mangrove protection, restoration and aquaculture and has not paid adequate attention to socio-economic factors. This research aims to evaluate socio-ecological resilience in Vietnamese mangroves in the Red River Delta and evaluate management options to enhance delivery of benefits and services across multiple scales, using an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates ecology; remote sensing and GIS; and social research methods on livelihoods and scenario evaluation. By doing so, this research will contribute to a) the livelihoods and resilience of mangrove dependent communities, b) the on-going delivery of ecosystem services across scales, while at the same time c) through stakeholder engagement and knowledge exchange throughout, building the capacity for conservation and sustainable management of mangroves in Vietnam.
Planned Impact
The overall impact of the research is enhanced management of mangrove social-ecological systems to deliver ecosystem services across scales. We have identified a range of stakeholders who will benefit from the research in a number of different ways. These are outlined below. The timeframe over which we envisage benefits is indicated using L = long term; M = medium term; and S= short term.
1. Mangrove-dependent communities will benefit through:
- Enhanced participation of different stakeholders in mangrove governance (M/L)
- Improved diversity, heterogeneity and sustainability of livelihoods and the landscape (L);
- Improved delivery of key ecosystem services (L);
- Overall enhanced quality of life (L)
2. Policymakers (national and other levels) will benefit through:
- Enhanced awareness of ecosystem services delivered by mangrove socio-ecological systems (S/M);
- Improved integrated interdisciplinary knowledge base to inform evidence-based policymaking (M);
- Improved effectiveness of public policies on coastal and wetland management (L);
3. NGOs and other agencies (e.g. ICRAF)
- Increased access and availability of data on the study areas (M);
- Improved interdisciplinary approaches for resource management and ecosystem service delivery (L);
4. Development donors (e.g. DfID, GIZ)
- Decreased need for development aid in the study areas over the longer term (potentially leading to reprioritisation of focal areas) (L)
- Specifically, in line with DfID's climate and environment priorities and of particular relevance to investments in Tanzania:
- Enhanced understanding of how people can adapt to the effects of climate change on their lives and livelihoods (S/M)
- Improved evidence base for how the world's forests and the livelihoods of the 1.2 billion people who depend on them can be enhanced (S/M)
- Improved effectiveness of public policies on coastal and wetland management, supporting the UK Government's promotion of good governance (L)
5. Academics - See academic beneficiaries section
The kinds of potential impacts we envisage are often overlapping. In an ideal scenario, benefits for one stakeholder group support and feed into the delivery of wider benefits for another. For instance, improved effectiveness of public policies on coastal and wetland management at the level of national policy stakeholders will also support the goals of country-level and international donors. Finally, there are less tangible benefits for global society which the research can help to deliver. Healthy, functioning, resilient mangrove systems, which are managed for multiple purposes, will continue to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Thus, the research can also contribute towards climate change mitigation.
1. Mangrove-dependent communities will benefit through:
- Enhanced participation of different stakeholders in mangrove governance (M/L)
- Improved diversity, heterogeneity and sustainability of livelihoods and the landscape (L);
- Improved delivery of key ecosystem services (L);
- Overall enhanced quality of life (L)
2. Policymakers (national and other levels) will benefit through:
- Enhanced awareness of ecosystem services delivered by mangrove socio-ecological systems (S/M);
- Improved integrated interdisciplinary knowledge base to inform evidence-based policymaking (M);
- Improved effectiveness of public policies on coastal and wetland management (L);
3. NGOs and other agencies (e.g. ICRAF)
- Increased access and availability of data on the study areas (M);
- Improved interdisciplinary approaches for resource management and ecosystem service delivery (L);
4. Development donors (e.g. DfID, GIZ)
- Decreased need for development aid in the study areas over the longer term (potentially leading to reprioritisation of focal areas) (L)
- Specifically, in line with DfID's climate and environment priorities and of particular relevance to investments in Tanzania:
- Enhanced understanding of how people can adapt to the effects of climate change on their lives and livelihoods (S/M)
- Improved evidence base for how the world's forests and the livelihoods of the 1.2 billion people who depend on them can be enhanced (S/M)
- Improved effectiveness of public policies on coastal and wetland management, supporting the UK Government's promotion of good governance (L)
5. Academics - See academic beneficiaries section
The kinds of potential impacts we envisage are often overlapping. In an ideal scenario, benefits for one stakeholder group support and feed into the delivery of wider benefits for another. For instance, improved effectiveness of public policies on coastal and wetland management at the level of national policy stakeholders will also support the goals of country-level and international donors. Finally, there are less tangible benefits for global society which the research can help to deliver. Healthy, functioning, resilient mangrove systems, which are managed for multiple purposes, will continue to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Thus, the research can also contribute towards climate change mitigation.
Organisations
- University of Leeds (Lead Research Organisation)
- World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF UK) (Collaboration)
- Griffith University (Collaboration)
- Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (Collaboration)
- University of Hull (Collaboration)
- Hanoi National University of Education (Collaboration)
- Vietnam National University (Collaboration)
Publications
Stringer L
(2018)
A New Framework to Enable Equitable Outcomes: Resilience and Nexus Approaches Combined
in Earth's Future
Quinn C
(2017)
Unpacking Changes in Mangrove Social-Ecological Systems: Lessons from Brazil, Zanzibar, and Vietnam
in Resources
Quang N
(2022)
Comparisons of regression and machine learning methods for estimating mangrove above-ground biomass using multiple remote sensing data in the red River Estuaries of Vietnam
in Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment
Quang N
(2020)
Multi-Decadal Changes in Mangrove Extent, Age and Species in the Red River Estuaries of Viet Nam
in Remote Sensing
Carrie R
(2022)
Social differences in spatial perspectives about local benefits from rehabilitated mangroves: insights from Vietnam
in Ecosystems and People
| Description | Remote sensing is an effective tool to extract useful information about mangrove extent and species. Data collected from standard plots in mangrove communities was used to improve the reliability and accuracy of the estimates of the biophysical mapping of the mangrove forest including above ground biomass estimation, forest classification and estimates of the forest age. In addition, information on mangrove biomass and age could be derived from remote sensing data which is also strongly correlated with mangrove health. Mangroves of similar ages inside and outside of the outer dike showed differences in biomass, regeneration, and density, suggesting the dike has positively affected mangroves on the landward side, and negatively affected mangroves on the seaward side. However, mangrove regeneration inside the dike appears negatively affected. The research developed an innovative approach to understanding social values of mangroves using participatory GIS. We found that protection from storms was the ecosystem service valued most by all local groups of people because of security benefits to the sea dike, lives and assets, and freedom from fear and worry. Food, sediment accumulation and habitat provisioning were also of high value to all. The provision of places for learning, water quality regulation, spiritual association and the fuelwood were of least importance. Our scenarios work showed that under a conservation scenario values attached to places supplying services currently important may be substantially altered. In some cases, restrictions on access to areas perceived as important now may lead to reduction in their value. This implies that values attached to the forest may depend on formal access rights, even if the benefit received is not clearly linked directly to physical access. |
| Exploitation Route | Land building and ecosystem service hotspots, and their relation to local livelihoods, will have important implications for management and planning across the Red River Delta. If this new knowledge is taken up by government planning, environment and agriculture departments then they will influence how, why and where mangrove projects for planting and conservation are implemented, where development along the coast might be implemented, and by the inclusion of mangrove contributions to livelihoods and local economic development in planning processes. Our work developing an mangrove webGIS tool should facilitate this process. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Description | The project has had an impact in terms of Outcome 2 of our pathways to impact, research capacity - academics, research students: Significantly increased capacity of co-Is and research students in addressing interdisciplinary challenges (linked to SDG 4). A female masters student has completed their masters thesis based on field data collected with this project. The student received training and support in the field and then guidance on their analysis from the research team. Research training has been provided for all members of the project team based in Vietnam, in stakeholder analysis, participatory methods and ecosystem services. This has increased the capacity of these team members to engage with the research project, but also to conduct collaborative and multi-disciplinary research. Research training for a wider group of researchers (academics and students) based in CRES Vietnam has been provided in using GIS for social research. Mentoring and support of the PI has increased their capacity to manage the project. This project has two female co-PI's, and two other female co-I's leading work packages (4 out of a total of 5 academic staff on the project) and has employed a female PDRA on the project. As a result the project is building the capacity of female researchers and academics in this field, both in Vietnam and in the UK (SDG 5). A webGIS training event for local stakeholders was held in 2020 (outcome 4) and a policy workshop was held in Hanoi at the end of 2020 (outcome 3). A suite of policy briefs was developed in support of these activities. Currently 7 papers have been published as a result of work on this project. The policy briefs and policy workshop were the main ways the project intended to influence policy processes in Vietnam. New knowledge and tools developed in the project were made available to policy makers to support decision making on economic development planning and conservation in mangrove areas. Key policy makers in government ministries were engaged in the project from the beginning (through meetings) and in the final training event and policy workshop. There is interest in how the spatial products produced by this project (particularly webGIS), can be used in policy and planning processes. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Economic,Policy & public services |
| Description | WebGIS training event for local policy makers |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | A training event was held with 30 participants from local government in the use of the mangrove webGIS tool developed during the project. The training event introduced participants to the tool and enabled them to explore how they might use it in local development planning and decision making. |
| Title | Ecosystem services questionnaire |
| Description | The project team developed a questionnaire to collect spatial and livelihood data on ecosystem service use of mangroves. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The questionnaire is now available through the ReShare archive for modification and use by other researchers interested in investigating spatial social data. |
| Title | Resilient Mangrove Systems: Questionnaires, Participatory GIS, and Focus Groups in Mangrove Socio-ecological Systems in the Red River Delta, Vietnam, 2018-2019 |
| Description | These data were generated in two mangrove socio-ecological systems in the north and south of the Red River Delta with different environmental and socio-economic histories. The research included: a) questionnaires (n=300) with households at each site to quantify household economy and adaptive capacity information and explore spatially explicit perceptions about mangrove ecosystem services; b) in-depth livelihood trajectory interviews (n=20) with households representing different adaptive capacity profiles; c) focus group discussions (n=6) to explore plausible future scenarios that impact the mangrove system with households representing different adaptive capacity profiles; and d) in-depth interviews (n=18) with key informants from relevant Ministries, local government departments and civic groups. Datasets can be used as stand-alone, yet richer analysis can be done linking the various sources of information. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This is the data that underpins the research impacts outlined elsewhere in the submission. In particular it has been used to inform local and national decision makers about the values placed on mangroves by different groups of local people and how management will affect future values. |
| URL | https://reshare.ukdataservice.ac.uk/854718/ |
| Description | CRES |
| Organisation | Vietnam National University |
| Country | Viet Nam |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The University of Leeds team contributed expertise in ecosystem services, participatory approaches, and stakeholder analysis methods through training workshops held alongside project meetings in Hanoi. Within the research, the Leeds team contributed expertise to the collaborative construction of a questionnaire survey and also participated in data collection in the field. The Leeds team led the spatial analysis of the data collected through the questionnaire. The Leeds team led on other aspects of the research related to policy (including stakeholder engagement and future scenarios) and provided project leadership. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our collaborator at CRES was the co-PI on the project. They brought country specific expertise and a wealth of experience in local level social sciences research. They contributed expertise in questionnaire design. They facilitated the field visits, through arranging the necessary visas and permissions to conduct research. They also facilitated meetings with key stakeholders at national, regional, district and commune level in order to gain support and permission for the field research. They also provided field assistants to assist in carrying out the questionnaires. |
| Impact | So far 7 publications have resulted from this collaboration, as well as the creation of a series of policy briefs. A masters student based at the National University of Vietnam was involved in the data collection and analysis and submitted her dissertation based on this work. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | HNUE |
| Organisation | Hanoi National University of Education |
| Country | Viet Nam |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The team from the University of Leeds provided training in ecosystem services, participatory approaches, stakeholder analysis through training workshops associated with project meetings in Hanoi. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The co-investigator based at HNUE contributed ecological expertise to the project. They have specific mangrove ecological knowledge which enabled the research team to ground-truth the remote sensed data. They also assisted in facilitating field-based research, particularly for our Hull partners. |
| Impact | A publication: Loan et al, 2020 has resulted from this collaboration. The publication focuses on leaf characteristics in mangrove forests. The work under this partnership also included fieldwork to install a series of water level and turbidity sensors throughout the mangrove forest to collect data relating to sediment and water dispersal through the mangrove system, to collect sediment samples from the mangroves to obtain typical grain sizes and compositions of material being deposited in the mangroves, and to collect flow data and sediment samples from the Thai Binh River. This work has all been successfully completed. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Investigating sources, amounts and impacts of plastics in mangroves |
| Organisation | University of Hull |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We contributed objectives to proposed research focussed on plastic waste trapped by mangroves at one of our study sites. These objectives seek to understand perceptions held by coastal communities about the sources of plastic waste, its impact on ecosystem services delivered by mangroves locally, and to identify appropriate strategies to reduce waste and impacts. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Colleagues at the University of Hull contributed objectives to identify sources of plastics and quantify the amounts trapped. The University of Hull led the development of the funding application which was submitted to the Royal Geographic Society in February 2019 |
| Impact | A funding application to the Royal Geographic Society Environment and Sustainability Grant funding call in February 2019. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Mangrove Science for Action - How threats and national governance shape mangrove conservation outcomes |
| Organisation | Griffith University |
| Country | Australia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Our post-doctoral researcher is a working group member on this SESYNC pursuit project. They are contributing livelihoods expertise and to help develop a Vietnamese case study. |
| Collaborator Contribution | WWF and Griffith University led the development of the funding application which was approved in 2020. |
| Impact | The ability for working group members to advance outcomes has been delayed by the COVID pandemic. In-person project activities will commence in March 2022 |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Mangrove Science for Action - How threats and national governance shape mangrove conservation outcomes |
| Organisation | World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF UK) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Our post-doctoral researcher is a working group member on this SESYNC pursuit project. They are contributing livelihoods expertise and to help develop a Vietnamese case study. |
| Collaborator Contribution | WWF and Griffith University led the development of the funding application which was approved in 2020. |
| Impact | The ability for working group members to advance outcomes has been delayed by the COVID pandemic. In-person project activities will commence in March 2022 |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | VAST |
| Organisation | Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology |
| Country | Viet Nam |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We contributed training in Ecosystem Services, participatory research and collaborative approaches to research through training workshops run by the UK team during project meetings in Hanoi. Our intellectual input to the collaboration was through our contribution of research on the social science aspects of mangrove ecosystem services in the Red River Delta. We developed a spatial representation of perceptions of ecosystem service delivery that was combined with remote sensing data. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our co-investigator is based in the The Vietnam National Satellite Centre, part of VAST. They co-led workpackage 1 on the project that focused on remote sensing to map ecosystem services in mangroves in the Red River Delta. They contributed expertise in remote sensing, particularly working with SPOT images and data. They contributed expertise in GIS as an approach to combine remote sensed and social science data, and as a tool to enable planning practitioners to evaluate the impact of decisions on the provision of mangrove ecosystem services. They also contributed SPOT data, purchased via the linked funding they received from NAFOSTED for this project. |
| Impact | 2 papers have been published from this collaboration Quang et al, 2022 and Quang et al, 2020. Both papers involve authors from across disciplines including remote sensing, ecology, sedimentology, and environmental social sciences. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Conference Presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Preliminary spatial ecosystem services and livelihoods findings were presented at the 5th International Mangrove Macrobenthos and Management Meeting in Singapore in the Understanding Social and Spatial Differences in the Sociocultural Perspectives Held by Coastal Communities about Mangrove Ecosystem Services and Benefits session. The presentation was well attended and resulted in interest in the participatory GIS approach, findings, and requests for collaboration on mangrove/livelihoods research, and an invite for the postdoctoral researcher to act as a working group member of SESYNC pursuit proposal by WWF and Griffith University. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Dissemination workship |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Final dissemination workshop held in Hanoi with representatives from commune and village level, and with policy makers from Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and Ministry of Planning and Investment. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Engagement with MARD, MONRE, forest department, agriculture department |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | These were a series of small meetings with key stakeholders in MARD, MONRE, the departments of Forestry and of Agriculture, and with commune and village heads. These meetings introduced the research and engaged the stakeholders in discussions about mangrove resources, use and management in the study area |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018 |
| Description | Public lecture, University of Quindio, Armenia, Colombia |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I presented work including that from the resilient mangroves project as part of a talk I gave at the University of Quindío. Several of the academics present were interested in future research collaborations potentially using the kinds of methods in this project in future research on mangroves in Colombia. There were lots of questions following the talk from policy makers and practitioners who were interested in the spatial planning side of things. Even though there are no mangroves in Quindío province, they could see similarities with work they were doing. I was surprised too about the disciplinary mix of the audience, with people from the University coming from faculties of biology, engineering, computer science etc as well as the more social science disciplines. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Resilient Mangroves Social Media Activity |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Twitter and linked Facebook pages and a project website were developed to engage a wide ranging audience with our research activities and issues/events related to our project and the methods we are using. Over 20,000 people have seen our posts on Twitter, ,with 523 direct engagements. This has resulted in consistent increases in people following our activities (275 as at 08/03/2019) and requests for further information about our research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018,2019 |
| URL | https://twitter.com/Mangroves4Dev |
| Description | Scenarios workshops |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | Scenarios workshops were held in our study communities and attended by individuals representing different uses of mangrove socio-ecological systems as well as local organisations (e.g. farming groups). In these workshops the participants worked with researchers to explore possible future scenarios for mangrove systems and explored what that would mean for management, and livelihoods. These workshops were well attended and stimulated significant debate and discussion about the future of these systems. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |