Applying Resource Management Domain (RMD) concept to land and water use and management in the coastal zone: case study of Bac Lieu province, Vietnam

Abstract

Because of changing hydrological conditions due to infrastructure development to prevent salinity intrusion into the coastal zone, local authorities in Bac Lieu Province, Vietnam, faced complex natural resource management issues concerning managing saline and freshwater resources to support diverse production activities in the coastal zone while farmers had to adjust their production strategies. The resource management domain (RMD) concept was applied, using geospatial techniques, to delineate spatial clusters of hamlets that reflected the influence of key environmental factors on land-use changes and the resulting socio-economic conditions of the rural communities. While some socio-economic differentiation was discernible among the hamlet clusters, the clustering was mainly dominated by land-use change and hydrological characteristics. The results, interpreted on a broader scale, supported the identification of land-use and water management zones to accommodate rice-based, shrimp combined with rice, and shrimp-based production systems in the area, thereby reversing an earlier policy of intensifying rice cultivation. The hamlet clusters also provided a sampling frame for selecting pilot sites for evaluating improved rice production techniques with farmers. The RMD approach is meant to provide an analytical platform to support an adaptive land-use planning process to support the use and management of coastal resources regionally and locally.