The impacts of environmental degradation and climate changes to livelihoods and social lives of ethnic minority groups in Vietnam.

Abstract

Environmental degradation and climate changes have been and will have a continuing and considerable impact on coastal regions, plateaus, valleys, mountains, river entries, and protected forests which are the living environment of ethnic minority groups. Vietnam is one of five countries that suffers the greatest negative impact of environment degradation and climate change that leads to rising sea levels. Besides the challenges of high proportions of poverty, low levels of education and limited resources for coping with environment degradation and climate change, ethnic minority groups in Vietnam have to face to their agriculture, forestry, fishery and social lives. Based on the analysis of secondary data collected from authoritative departments, the authors present some comments on the impacts of environment degradation and climate change to ethnic regions in Vietnam where we see the differences in the impacts on livelihoods, social lives and access to basic social services. The authors want to facilitate and encourage further discussion on this issue.