Son Phu and Na Hang are the next locals receiving fund from CEPF as well as legal aspect support from local authorities to apply the co-management model of fishery resources. After one year the project was carried out, basically, some self- managed groups were established. These groups were supported for expense to maintain their activities such as: go patrolling, mobilize community to take part in activities which protect the environment in the reservoir (not litter, no use of destructive fishing gear).

On March 19th, 2016, the mission team worked with co-management of fishery resources team of Son Phu commune. As a volunteer, I observed, listened to the community team’s shares about execute situation for February and March and next plans for April. Also in the afternoon of that day, the mission team patrolled directly the reservoir. In this patrol, apart from remind people raising and catching fishery resources, I joined checking the construction of milestone and notice board. The milestone system would help the community team to manage better water surface area which local authority had given to them.

Left Son Phu commune, we continued working with the community team of Na Hang town on March 21th, 2016. In the meeting, we received an official decision of People’s Committee of Na Hang town on establishment of co-management of fishery resources team. That was the result of the perseverance and determination of the community team in Na Hang town under the guidance and support of WARECOD staff. The mission team listened to the activities report of the community team in February and March, to hear shares of difficulties they experienced in communication activities in the reservoir.

The next activity was sharing Forum Theatre to the community team in Na Hang town. This method was a quite new type of role playing in Vietnam, with the desire to build plays that had the plot based on pressing issues in a community team. These plays didn’t have a complete ending like normally traditional play but the audiences themselves were the person to give solution. That all participants found out the ending together will help them to have a multidimensional view, different solutions as well as perceive problems which was causing pressing in the community to be more thorough. This was really an opportunity to help the community team more cohesive, more understand each other after a long stressful, day of working.

Finished the field trip in two communes, I have gotten a lot of lessons for myself, more love and admire people here about the enthusiasm, awareness and responsibility for preserving and protecting of the environment for themselves and later their descendants. I have extremely remembered the speech of uncle Bay in Na Hang town group: "Let everyone take 30 minutes per day to think about protecting the environment, and then we would do it". Indeed, the only possible action from today can sustain further future!

Nguyen Chi An - Hanoi University Of Natural Resources And Environment

Translating: Do Thi Ly