Aquaculture Adaptation to Climate Change in Vietnam's Mekong Delta

Abstract

Most of the aquaculture production in South-east Asia occurs in the floodplains and coastal areas that are highly exposed and vulnerable to climate change impacts and sea-level rise (SLR). This chapter presents an example of economic estimation of autonomous adaptation by shrimp and catfish farms in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. It illustrates how planned adaptation measures can help defray catfish farmers escalating costs of raising pond dykes in response to increased flooding in the delta. It also indicates that government policy and public investment into planned adaptation towards climate change impacts, particularly for water resources management, would necessarily take account of socio-economic development targets of the aquaculture industry. From these analyses, broader implications of plans for water resources management in the delta on the prospects and challenges to the aquaculture sector are discussed. In the long term, a no-regrets strategy of reducing the high dependence on shrimp and catfish culture and diversifying into more ecologically oriented production systems can also hedge the aquaculture industry against the increasing risks and uncertainties brought about by climate change."