SEA of the TAM DAO NATIONAL PARK BUFFER ZONE in DAI TU DISTRICT,

VIETNAM Presented by Jan Peter Schemmel (GTZ)

for the Tam Dao NP & Buffer Zone Management Project (TDMP)

Location: Tam Dao NP & BZLocation: Tam Dao NP & BZ

Background:Background:

Tam Dao NP Tam Dao NP & &

Buffer Zone:Buffer Zone:

1. NP located 70km from Hanoi in Vietnam2. High biodiversity & many threatened species3. Buffer zone (BZ) with ca. 90,000 km² and

190,000 people (90% farmers)4. NP within administrative zones of 3 Provinces

Key IssuesKey Issues:

1. Limited agricultural land & population growth2. High incidence of poverty3. Reliance on natural resources from NP4. Limited planning & management coordination

between NP & provincial administrative bodies

Biodiversity of Tam Dao NP:Biodiversity of Tam Dao NP:Type Species Recorded Species Threatened

Plants 1,282 64

Reptiles & amphibian 159 38

Mammals 64 33

Birds 243 15

Insects 802 14

TDMP Project Aims:TDMP Project Aims:

1. Develop conservation strategies for NP

2. Support livelihood initiatives in BZ

3. Support integrated, collaborative management

of TDNP & BZ

4. Bring together stakeholders to develop plans

& programs to balance economic, social &

environmental interests in the NP & BZ

SEA Pilot in Tam Dao:SEA Pilot in Tam Dao:1. SEA identified as suitable means for achieving

TDMP objectives;

2. Dai Tu District chosen as pilot site in BZ

3. Taskforce comprising Provincial & District

GoV & NP Management established to

implement SEA

4. Dai Tu District SEDP* chosen as focus for

assessment *SEDP = Socio-Economic Development Plan (2006-2010)

Objective of the SEA:Objective of the SEA:“Provide guidance, for incorporation into the Dai

Tu district draft SEDP, on the way in which

activities can be carried out in the TDNP and

buffer zone to: a) achieve the development

objectives set by Dai Tu district, while b)

maximizing fulfillment of the sustainability for

the valued physical components.”

SEA in Vietnam:SEA in Vietnam:• no clear framework for SEA in Vietnam• references / calls for SEA in:

• CPRGS (PRSP)• Natl. Strategy on Env. Protection• Nsds (Vietnam Agenda 21)• Draft revised Law on Env. Protection

*SEDP = Socio-Economic Development Plan (2006-2010)

SEA Stakeholders:SEA Stakeholders:province

district

commune

People’s Committee political oversight

Dept. Plan. & Invest. lead agency

Line Depts.(Env., For., Agri., Ind.)

taskforce consultants

GTZ

tech. &

fin. assist.

TDNP Man. Boardsust. criteria

& assessPeople’s Committee coord. & dev. obj.

Farmers’ / Women’s Union

consultation

People’s Committee baseline data

SEA Methodology: StepsSEA Methodology: Steps1. Identify “valuable physical components” &

establish baseline data on existing conditions

2. Identify relevant plans, development

objectives & targets for the Dai Tu District

3.Complete sustainability assessments for the

NP & BZ & provide recommendations

4. Develop implementation & monitoring plan for

recommendation to SEDP, NP & BZ

SEA Methodology II: AssessmentSEA Methodology II: Assessment

Recommendations:Recommendations:

Some Outcomes Some Outcomes (so far…)(so far…)

1. Commitment by planning authority to integrate environmental considerations (currently there are no references at all in SEDP)

2. Revision of SEDP accordingly (in progress)3. Revision of TDNP Operational Plan for coherence4. Stakeholder agreement on need for collaborative management

mechanism for BZ5. Agreement on use of Commune-level Resources Use Plans as

basis for planning in BZ

TDNP OP

CRUPsSEDP

TDNP OP

CRUPsSEDP

SEA Implementation:SEA Implementation:province

district

commune

People’s Committee political oversight

Dept. Plan. & Invest. lead agency

Line Depts.(Env., For., Agri., Ind.)

Tech. moni-toring/repor-ting/cap.bldg.

consultants

GTZ

tech. &

fin. assist.

TDNP Man. BoardLiase to, impl. & monitor in TDNP

People’s Committee political coord., support, budget

Farmers’ / Women’s Union

Assist in monitoring

People’s Committee Monitoring & liase to CRUPs

Monitoring of SEA ImplementationMonitoring of SEA ImplementationMonitor …• SEA implementation to determine extent to which

recommendations are being implemented• SEA outcomes to guide further planning• SEA outcomes to guide future SEA processes

Indicators• Key Outcome Indicators (for overview to be integrated in SEDP)

% buffer zone households relying on TDNP resources

• Sustainability Indicators (to support info on key indicators) Extraction rate of selected resources from TDNP

• SEA Implementation Indicators Revision of SEDP; establishment of monitoring system; …

Lessons LearnedLessons Learned1. Lack of practical guidelines and experience of SEA in Vietnam

(leads to more active role of consultants team in first pilot) need for further capacity building

2. Strong stakeholders ownership possible through participatory methods & consultation

3. SEA suitable tool for local level planning in NP & BZ4. SEA helped fill a gap of formalized cross-institutional

communication & coordination in strategic planning

Lessons LearnedLessons Learned

1. Continuing institutional & financial commitment & supportneeded to ensure implementation of outcomes

2. There are more lessons to be learned …other donor-supported SEA processes are starting planning to support exchange between these

3. Greater developments (population growth) also need to be tackled to support the outcomes of the SEA.

4. There might be insufficiently well known indirect economic and social effects of implementation of SEA results due to limited focus of SEA