VietNamNet Bridge – The increase in farming shrimp in ponds in coastal areas has contributed to the displacement of forests that once protected people from sand and floods in the central province of Quang Nam and the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu.

Six months ago, Quang Nam authorities were warned about deforestation caused by shrimp hatcheries, and now Bac Lieu Province is facing the same situation.

There are some 5,000 hectares of protective forests along the East Sea coast in Bac Lieu Province, spreading from Bac Lieu City to Dong Hai District, two-thirds of which have been allocated to people for afforestation, forest care and shrimp farms.

The government allocated forests to local residents to protect and develop forested land.

However, much of the allocated forest land has been used for shrimp farming, which can bring higher profits than afforestation activities.

People have even destroyed forested land to build shrimp ponds on the land.

Every year, the State gives local residents VND2 million for every hectare of forest they take care of.

However, if farmers use the entire allocated area for shrimp farming, shrimp output will be 30 percent higher than if they use only a portion of the land.  Farmers said they can earn VND20-25 million per hectare from shrimp farms.

Deforestation has become an alarming problem in Bac Lieu, but forest protection is seen as only a “minor issue”. As a result, stagnant water from shrimp ponds has destroyed large areas of forests.

Meanwhile, the afforestation – shrimp hatchery model, which was seen as a sustainable development model for Bac Lieu, has been replaced by shrimp hatcheries.

People have been farming shrimp everywhere they can, either on an industrial scale or by extending their farms.

They have also been farming white-legged shrimp, which was once prohibited by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. White-legged shrimp breeding  has brought disease to domestic creatures because the shrimp are often bred in freshwater areas.

However, experts have warned that if people continue ravaging the forests, they will not have land for farming shrimp. The existing shrimp ponds may disappear one day because of flooding and saline intrusion.

Bac Lieu provincial authorities, under a plan to develop local agriculture production by 2020, have emphasized the necessity of the combined afforestation – shrimp hatchery model.

Under the plan, Bac Lieu reserves 70 percent of the land for surface water for shrimp farming, while 30 percent is set aside for forest development.

Experts also said that Bac Lieu needs to focus on measures that would lead to sustainable development, given that Bac Lieu is believed to be one of the cities and provinces to suffer the most from saline intrusion and rising levels sea levels.

When asked what local authorities would do to stop deforestation, an official said it was necessary to create a campaign to educate people about the important role of protective forests. He also said the State should pay higher amounts to people who take care of the forests.

The official did not mention possible solutions to punish households that are farming shrimp on the land areas reserved to plant forests. He did not discuss enforcement measures, either.

Thien Nhien