Viet Nam's mangrove forests have been severely impacted by human interventions, with a reduction in forestation from 408,000 ha in 1943 to a low of 150,000 ha in 2000. This study provides an overview of the information needs and communication issues surrounding people living in mangrove regions of Viet Nam. It is hoped that this study will help to raise the awareness of issues surrounding mangrove environments and improve the accessibility to information, for all stakeholders.

The practical application of livelihoods approaches is still relatively new in development work and guidance is much sought by field teams. The concept aims to build a comprehensive picture of how people within communities live, rather than approaching development planning from a sectoral perspective such as agriculture, forestry or fisheries, to assist in planning interventions that will benefit present and future generations. This document discusses the concepts of livelihoods and sustainable livelihoods analyses with these objectives in mind.

This paper provides an overview of seafood consumption production in southeast Asia circa 2006. It forecasts a need for aquaculture to expand area under culture and intensity; highlights the potential for fishmeal to constrain growth, and identifies a trend towards cultivation of high-value species. Sources for the review included a regional synthesis of aquaculture developed for a regional workshop in 2005, a review of marine finfish hatchery development and a regional survey of cage fish culture.

This report examines the role mariculture could play in reducing poverty and providing alternative livelihood opportunities for people living in coastal areas. This includes a review of the current status of coastal poverty, coastal livelihoods and vulnerabilities within the Asia-Pacific region and the experiences and examples of sustainable economic development through mariculture. This review then identifies key follow-up actions and recommends strategies for future pro-poor mariculture development.

This manual provides guidelines for attaining better practices in culture-based fisheries, an emerging practice in rural areas in the Asian region. It deals with the principles of culture-based fishery practices, primarily based on relatively long-term experiences in Sri Lanka and Vietnam. It deals with the gross factors that are applicable to improving fish yields and therefore revenue; and sustaining culture based fisheries as a development activity in the long-term.