Planting red mangrove in the swamps of Sa Huynh

Early in the morning, when the tide had not yet risen, Le Thanh Cong and members of the tree planting team were present at the mangrove swamp of Pho Thanh ward (Duc Pho town, Quang Ngai province) to take care of newly planted young red mangroves. All were volunteers, moving with a common goal of enriching the land.

Born and raised in Sa Huynh, Cong understands every nook and cranny of its waters. Each rising and falling tide affects the process of planting red mangroves. Therefore, he always proactively arranges the planting schedule at the right time, ensuring that the trees can take root and grow strongly.

“Since 1997, I have been the production team leader here. I know when the water rises and falls, when the water is fresh and when it is salty. That is why there were times when we had to carry flashlights to plant the trees at 5 a.m. If we came later, the water would rise and the planting would result in failure,” Cong said.

For nearly half a year now, Cong has been persistently planting and caring for the red mangroves. From putting soil in pots, enclosing the nursery to planting, putting up signs, etc., all production stages have the marks of his hard work and dedication.

In the Sa Huynh mangrove area, red mangrove is a special tree species that helps protect the soil from erosion and sets up a favorable environment for producing clean and high-quality salt. In particular, planting red mangroves also creates a "home" for shrimp and fish to live in, thus generating an additional source of income for the people of Pho Thanh.

Sa Huynh salt field is approximately 115 ha wide. It is an important source of livelihood for more than 500 households in the area. Sa Huynh salt making trade has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage, a driving force for salt farmers to develop their profession in a sustainable direction.

The project "Conservation of traditional salt fields associated with community tourism development" is being implemented on this land with many different activities, and planting red mangrove is one of many solutions to improve the salt field ecosystem.

The project is put into motion with a total budget of over VND 1.9 billion. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Program (GEF SGP) fund over VND 1.1 billion. The rest comes from combined and counterpart funds. The Farmers' Union of Pho Thanh ward is assigned as the project implementation organizer.

With the support and guidance of project experts, Cong and members of the tree planting team personally planted local red mangroves. The planting process requires patience and meticulousness as red mangroves are easy to grow, but it is a challenge to maintain a suitable environment and regular care for them in the early stages.

After nearly half a year of pilot planting around Pho Thanh mangrove swamp, more than 1.000 red mangrove trees are growing well. For the locals here, each tree is a part of their heritage, a responsibility to preserve the long-standing traditional salt making profession of their homeland.

Pho Thanh mangrove swamp, which is over 200 ha wide, used to be home to many natural red mangrove trees, forming a "defense line" to protect the coast, maintain clean water for the salt fields and feed many aquatic species. However, over time, due to many reasons, the red mangrove trees slowly disappeared. Cong and the salt farmers in Sa Huynh are currently working hard so that one day the red mangrove forest will return.

"The dung trees are grown from native varieties. After a period of planting, the trees grow well and are suitable for the local climate. The Association is promoting and mobilizing people to join hands to protect and care for this forest," said Thai Thuan Lang, Chairman of the Farmers' Union of Pho Thanh ward.

$ 1 = VND 25.720 - Source: Vietcombank.