Abstract
1.Introduction
Tam Giang lagoon, one of the biggest in Asia, is located in Thua Thien Hue Province, Central Viet Nam. Its area is about 22,000 ha with a length of 70 km along the coast, connected to 5 of 8 districts in Thua Thien Hue Province, comprising 32 communes. Approximately 300,000 inhabitants (18% of provincial population - 2006) live around the lagoon in 326 villages. Around 195,000 people are directly involved in lagoon activities, and 7,500 labourers specialising in lagoon exploitation. About 10,000 people take the lagoon surface to be their residence. Since aquaculture has been regarded as a suitable alternative, fishers wanted to convert natural lagoon areas into the cultured fisheries areas with high valuable species. Opening scale of aquaculture area, types of culture and participation of social classes has set the complicatedness of resource management, environmental and socio-economic issues. It effects directly or indirectly on the change of lives of local people, widening the gap between the poor and the rich around the lagoon. The purpose of this paper is to examine the change of resource management of local communities and environmental issues under aquaculture development. Simultaneously, we discuss how to manage and develop suitable lagoon by community-based resources management in the Tam Giang lagoon. This research used questionnaires, field observation, and interview with fishers, farmers, leaders of communes and experts from relevant agencies in Thua Thien Hue Province to analysis and evaluate. The data and related documents were gathered on March and September, 2006.
