Raising shrimp beside the Magroves Forest

In Da Loc Commune, Hau Loc District, Thanh Hoa Province, there are many households who cultivate shrimp ponds along the mangrove that are very good, less disease.

It was found that when tidal water in shrimp ponds through mangroves was cleared by filter as mangrove roots. Sonneratia caseolaris has breathable roots so it is possible to remove pollution in the forest, when the water in shrimp ponds is clean and safe for shrimp pond environment.

While other households use natural water from river mouths where there are a few mangroves forest, river water (brackish water) is polluted by upstream wastes that pollute the shrimp pond environment and are frequently infected by disease for shrimps.

Local people find the benefits of mangroves to shrimp farming, some households also plant mangroves forest next to shrimp ponds to prevent erosion of ponds, to shade shrimp ponds in summer time and filter clean water for shrimp ponds for sustainable develpment and less disease. This is the model of ecological shrimp – forest – shrimp that should be widely disseminated so that farmers do not cut the forest to make shrimp ponds, but need to develop forests to develop long-term sustainable shrimp to ensure livelihoods for local people in the coastal area.

By Nguyen Viet Nghi – Consultant of UNDP