Participatory integrated coastal zone management in Vietnam: Theory versus practice case study: Thua Thien Hue province

Abstract

Sustainable management processes have undergone a shift from a top-down approach to a bottom-up approach. This bottom-up approach allows for a more apprehensive inclusion of stakeholders. In traditional hierarchical societies a combination of both is considered more desirable. This combination is described as a participatory approach that allows for bi-directional knowledge sharing. The question asked is whether this theoretical approach is viable in practice, taking into account different social, political and cultural influences. Qualitative research in bi-directional knowledge sharing and stakeholder participation in Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) was conducted in the provinces of Thua Thien Hue in Vietnam. Qualitative research was conducted using coding analysis. This analysis showed that in practice a great reluctance for change affects the implementation of ICZM. This reluctance is directly related to the level of power of stakeholders and the level to which stakeholders are embedded in the topdown tradition. Two contradicting results emerged. On the one hand the theoretical understanding of participatory ICZM is highest when reluctance for change is highest and vice versa. On the other hand a decrease in power results in an increase of the sustainability of the implementation of participatory ICZM. This research concluded that a 'platform or structure' is essential to achieve sustainability. In the Vietnamese context the tradition of power results in a platform which is both formal and non-formal. A non-formal platform is needed to create social capital, whereas a formal platform will limit the risk for arbitrariness and allow for institutionalisation. ª 2015 Institution for Marine and Island Cultures, Mokpo National University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

International Development Policies and Coastalscape Metabolism: The Case of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

“…A non-change in coastal governance processes emerges by reflecting on the lack of reconfiguration of coastal institutional structure, actors involved, and their practices such as the administrative nature of coastal areas, fisheries permissions, forests, dykes and sea fences management. If we consider the ICZM implementation across scales, from the national to the province-district and community levels, the process emerges as quite complex, problematic and heterogeneous, as argued by diverse scholars (Nichols 1999;Ballinger et al 2010a;Abelshausen et al 2015). Moreover, the process was featured by lack of awareness and coordination between authorities at diverse scales.…”

“…Conversely, by focusing on participation, evidence from Vietnam showed that the government, embedded in a top-down tradition, demonstrated a great reluctance for change concerning the introduction of participatory approaches in ICZM decision-making processes (Abelshausen et al 2015). While Nichols (1999), by focusing on Sri Lanka, argued that the ICZM implementation facilitated the opening of coastal zones worldwide to aggressive global capital investments and resources commodification.…”

“…At the national level, ICZM has been promoted since the 2000s by governments of the Netherlands and Australia together with the WB, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the GIZ (Cuong and Cu 2014;Abelshausen et al 2015). At that time, ICZM was not officially formalised by a new national legislation, but rather promoted through the design of international projects and pilot initiatives inspired by the framework.…”

“…Based on the integration principle, the ICMP focuses on diverse dimensions of coastal management such as: Area Management, which includes the establishment of breakwater fences, mangrove forests rehabilitation and their co-management; Sustainable Livelihoods, which includes the promotion of new sustainable techniques and practices for agriculture and aquaculture; Environmental Awareness, in particular at the community level; and Coastal Governance, with the aim of turning local solutions into national policies (GIZ 2014). With regard to participation and social transformations in coastal resources management, as discussed also by Abelshausen, Vanwing, and Jacquet (Abelshausen et al 2015), co-management is based on a system of shared governance between coastal communities, who share forest resources and do aquaculture, and the state, who owns forests. Although development organisations presented this approach as sustainable, participatory and innovative for mangrove forests protection, they did not consider how it could rework former community level practices in diverse settings and forms of knowledge, social relations, and community level state-farmers relations.…”

Analisis Kesiapsiagaan Dan Kerentanan Lingkungan Terhadap Bencana Tsunami Di Pantai Kukup, Kabupaten Gunungkidul

“…Pengurangan risiko bencana di wilayah kepesisiran merupakan salah satu bagian dari pengelolaan wilayah kepesisiran (Abelshausen et al, 2015;Bird, 2008). Dronkers dan de Vries (1999) menyebutkan bahwa dalam pengelolaan wilayah kepesisiran, setidaknya dapat dipandang sebagai empat entitas yang berbeda, yaitu: 1) sebagai area geografis di mana terjadi interaksi proses proses alamiah daratan dan lautan; 2) sebagai pusat aktivitas ekonomi yang memanfaatkan sumberdaya wilayah kepesisiran dan lautan; 3) sebagai entitas sosial budaya dengan tradisi dan nilai-nilai yang spesifik; dan 4) sebagai entitas institusioinal dengan batas wilayah.…”