Policies and institutions in mangrove forest governance in Vietnam

Abstract

     Mangroves are important ecosystems that need to be well managed to preserve and promote their values. The research focused on the current status of policies and institutions for mangrove management. The results show that most of the mangrove areas in Vietnam (except special-use forests) are managed by the Commune People's Committee under the direct guidance of the Department of Natural Resurces and Environment (DONRE) at districts and provinces. Forest owner groups: Management Boards, Commune People's Committees cooperate with local communities and social organizations. There is an overlap between forest owner groups as well as management forms. The right to decide on the how to use mangroves, manage the forest area belongs to the goverment (through apropriate authorities). In general, mangrove management policy currently not yet encourage the participation of stakeholders. This result shows that it is necessary to continue to develop institutional and policy systems to better support mangrove governance