The Ocean and The 9 Dragons: Mekong Cracking to Climate Change
 |
| Image Vietnam Tourism Venture: Mekong Delta is becoming an touristic attraction globally but faces critical issues. |
Just hours before an earthquake birds and animals flee from disaster zones...hours to a Tsunami -in midst of a dead calm sea level retreats dramatically exposing the beaches before impact…Nature has a way of signaling the coming of natural disasters. But sometimes signs are more subtle and the crisis more enduring.
The Mekong Delta is home to over 300 million people and is shared by China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. In Vietnam, in the heart of the Mekong Delta, signs are speaking out. Strange changes in depths, unexpected salinity differences, strange reports of local fishermen and changes of flow are some of the signs.
Bayer reported on August 11 that “Salt is the New Danger at the Mekong River”.
“In the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, salt seawater is increasingly penetrating into inland areas through rivers and ditches and destroying rice harvests. The problem has become a serious threat, and not just for farmers: as the World's second-biggest rice exporter, Vietnam plays a key role in feeding the world population,” Bayer- making “Science for a Better Life” reported.
On August 16 Tuoitrenews reported from Vietnam that the major rivers of the Mekong Delta are becoming unusually deep. Vietnam scientists are warming that the unusual increase in the depths of the two major rivers in the Mekong Delta are signs of alarm. Locals blame hydroelectric developments and hydroelectric dams in China.
VN Express International reported on August 15 that Vietnam farmers are praying for flood waters to arrive. This year the season has revealed itself to have low water levels. Migratory species -hundreds of them move with the water levels and are absent in low waters. From yabbies to worms, shrimp, frog and fish local people being to worry because these species are their primary daily food sources.
“My family has been living here for generations. We have never experienced a rainy season when the waters have risen so slowly,” Nguyen Van Ut - 70-year-old farmer in Dong Thap Province told the Vietnamese Media.
Drought and low levels of water are the ideal stage for vector diseases to spring and thrive and this could not happen in a worst time. Local Media of Vietnam reported that the Health Sector in the Delta is in Code Red due to serious Doctor shortages. The Can Tho City University of Medicine and Pharmacy assured that the 13 Cities and provinces in the region desperately need more Doctors to treat anatomic pathology, tuberculosis, leprosy, mental health and forensic examination. There are only 52 Doctors working in five branches and half of them will reach retirement age within the next four years. The situation is critical.
Government and International organizations are listening to the alarms which rise from the Mekong voices. Solutions to face climate change and international science efforts are on thier way to bring new light to new shadows.
There is a reason why the Mekong River is known as a World Treasure Trove. The region is not only known as the Rice Bowl of Asia but also homes the largest inland fishery in the World.
WWF explains that there are other hidden treasures in the Greater Mekong´s Trove. 20 thousand known species of plants, 1.2 thousand bird species, over 800 species of reptiles and amphibians registered by science and incredibly 430 mammal species live in the delta. In the past decades thousands of new species have been discovered and more are expected to still be hidden deep in this water environment.
Culture in the region is another gem of this Treasure Trove. Humans have lived in the basin for more than 4 thousand years. 100 different ethnic groups each holding their own secrets passed down from generation to generation live side by side the Delta every day.
The Delta is their healthy natural systems, their food security, their livelihoods and their culture.
“Few places on Earth demonstrate so dramatically the fundamental link between human and ecosystem well being. This is why people are central to our conservation strategies,” WWF assures.
World Bank on August 1 asked: “ How will the Mekong Delta adapt to climate change?” The Bank -working to end Global Poverty referred to salinity and losses in rice and fish production and climate change impacts and assured to be working with Vietnam towards new solutions.
“Better flows of information can help communities cope with extreme weather and plan in uncertain times,” The World Bank said.
But while most focus inland others are taking to the Ocean to understand what is really happening.
It is impossible to think about the Mekong Delta without thinking about the Ocean. Both the Delta and the Ocean are united, linked and bonded. The Deltas are the only environments on Earth where the ocean and inland waters relate in such an intimate give-and-take relationship.
The South China Sea is what it is because of the Mekong Delta and the Mekong Delta is what it is because of the South China Sea. This must be fully understood. The lives of millions of people and millions of species -both oceanic and from land are molded by this ocean-delta relationship.
The Schmidt Ocean Institute is about to end the second leg of their Expedition to South China Sea. Their main focus is the Mekong Delta a river they say is “Ever Changing” and “unexpected”.
The Expedition “Changing River” of Schmidt Ocean Institute set sail again this September to measure the “Nutrient Flux of the Mekong River” in the South China Sea.
Ocean life -all ocean life on this planet can actually live thanks to the nutrients which are found in the ocean. Onland life is possible thanks to rich levels of nitrates, phosphates and other basic elements. Life in the ocean is also possible thanks to the presence of the same basic nutrient elements. But where do these nutrients found in the ocean come from? Land natural erosion is a major provider of these basic nutrients. Large rivers -such as the Amazon or the Mekong are therefore main players in this global planetary cycle of life. This flow -of a large river into the ocean is known as a “plume” and it is extremely important under this perspective.
“The biogeochemical impact of river plumes and their role in supplying nutrients to tropical oceans remains poorly understood,” Schmidt Ocean Institute now navigating the plumes of the Mekong says.
“The South China Sea basin has received relatively little attention to date. To capture seasonal differences in the Mekong River output, research vessel Falkor will travel to the South China Sea during the spring and fall of 2016. Led by Dr. Montoya from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and his experienced science team, the group will purposely be working during monsoon season. A bumpy ride is to be expected, but there is good justification for such a decision,” Schmidt communicated. The expedition is now reaching its peak.
“If you have ever flown over a coastal area and observed a river meeting the ocean, chances are you have had the opportunity to see a river plume. The patch of distinctly colored water demonstrates the clear continuity of the river flow as it enters the ocean,” Schmidt Ocean experts explain.
This plume of colored water which can be seen from the sky and which NASA Satellites so meticulously track, measure and follow are clear evidence on how much power large rivers have even over massive volumes of water as those which make up our oceans.
“It becomes obvious that rivers dominate the transfer of suspended material from freshwater sources, acting as a primary connector between continents, river-estuary systems, and the ocean,” Schmidt Institute adds.
But not all materials which reach the ocean through massive rivers are beneficial for life as we know it today.
“Rivers also carry the signature of our land-based impacts, such as dam construction, land and fertilizer use, increased sewage loading, and mangrove destruction. The ocean is not an infinite sink,” scientists at Schmidt warn.
Runoff pollution does not only affect inland populations and environments but alter the ocean chemically and biologically.
Schmidt Ocean Institute is on a mission to understand more about these issues which are poorly studied. They say more information is of paramount importance to apply solutions which can range from ocean conservation to coastal management, inland management and mitigation.
Recent studies have demonstrated that runoff pollution is a major stressor and accelerator of global coral bleaching and causing massive death tolls among the global coral system and coral population species.
“The riverine fluxes of water, sediments, and nutrients likely are affecting the natural balance of the South China Sea,” Schmidt Ocean Institute says.
But water does not only move down from the Delta to the Ocean but also moves from the ocean to the Delta. This causes unique salinity balances which provide unique habitats from species which can live in no other place in this World. Alteration of these flows cause devastation.
Aboard the Schmidt Vessel in the South China Sea Expedition Leg 2 an ocean circulation experts aims to unravel “the role of ocean circulation in the productivity of the marine ecosystem”.
“A variety of biological processes are affected by the circulation of the South China Sea, especially during upwelling, which has a strong effect on the spatial distribution of phytoplankton biomass and activity,” Schmidt goes oceanographically technical.
Scientists assure that the key is to “Untangle the Mekong Plume”.
At Sea the team will taste climate change and local monsoon season first hand. The season brings intense rainfall and the flow of the Mekong grows exponentially. Will this year´s particularly droughted monsoon rain season reveal alterations in the open ocean? Another question which is yet be answered.
Strong monsoon winds cause upwelling by displacing the ocean surface water dramatically and allowing the colder more rich in nutrient ocean waters of the South China Sea to rise. This causes a plankton and microorganism to bloom. Because these elements are the basis of the food webs in the ocean a feeding frenzy in which most oceanic organisms are involved breaks out.
What is Schmidt doing in these incredible waters? Modelling patterns, collecting water and plankton samples and taking in the hard beating of the rain and waves.
The Oceanographer Ajit Subramaniam took part in the first leg of the Schmidt Ocean South China Sea Expedition and is now back on the water. His focus are major rivers and biological alterations caused by plume-ocean interaction.
“Each river is different.” He says, “Just because you’ve studied one, it would be a big mistake to think you know them all. The Mekong is fascinating because it is in transition. It is changing extremely rapidly, right in front of our eyes.”
Aji adds that what makes a river great is not the length or width but rather the water volume it carries and the plumes it generates.
“These are fascinating waters. Did I find anything interesting or unexpected? Almost every day,” Aji assured and warned that his study signals to human elements manipulating the natural lifespan of the plume.
Physical Oceanographer Dr. Annalisa Bracco also working at the Schmidt Expedition uses mathematical models to explain complex physical processes. Before focusing fully on the ocean she used to model how planets were formed.
Her models today are all about ocean circulation transports and mixes microbial life and chemicals. “With this understanding, she can then study how those physical processes affect our climate, biodiversity and evolution. One equation at a time, she turns the oceans into more predictable landscapes,” Schmidt praises her work.
Dr. Bracco has a big thing for the small things of life. She assures that small scales have a real impact in the ocean's composition.
Her models show “sudden changes in salinity and temperature”.
Onland deep in the Mekong vast network of ditches and canals salinity sudden changes are daily news. Bayer reported on August 11 that “seawater is advancing further and further inland from the coast and raising the salt content in the water that flows through the rice paddies”.
In this Rice Bowl of Asia and Rice Bowl of the World sudden changes in salinity are “damaging rice seedlings, as their roots are unable to develop properly”. Entire harvests have been spoiled.
Bayer linked the changes in salinity to El Niño.
“In the first half of this year the El Nino phenomenon reached its peak after 100 years. Heat waves, drought and saline intrusion seriously affected agricultural production and lives of local citizens. It is estimated that agricultural losses in the Mekong Delta amounted round about 210 million US Dollars,” Bayer reported.
The Vietnam’s Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development last report dated June 2016 revealed that salinity sudden changes also affected the shrimp production area which was damaged. Salt intrusion spread through over 83 thousand hectares in what is considered the home to the largest inland fishery of the World.
Salt intrusion impacted 232 thousand hectares of rice over 6.5 hectares of crops, and over 10.8 thousand hectares of fruit and industrial trees.
The rain of the wet monsoon season is aggravating the situation. Bayer adds that sea level has risen millimeter by millimeter in the past decades and that ocean salt is moving up the land.
A reversed plume driven by alternations of the basin, global elements and climate change is effective. The 9 Dragons and the Ocean seem to be immersed in a deep conversation -one which they have not had in this tone before.
For Dr. Bracco the mathematical modeller who used to unravel the mysteries of planet formations there were three main factors which brought her to Schmidt and the South China Sea Expedition: river input, ocean upwelling and heavy rains.
Scientists on the Schmidt Expedition follow and track the plume of the Mekong using recent imagery of NASA. They encounter temperature, chlorophyll and salinity signatures alterations. They have already been surprised in the last expedition by salinity. Schmidt expected to find lower salinity levels in the water closer to the Mekong entrance but this was for some unknown reason not the case.
The work of Schmidt is not the only work which shines bright in search of solutions. Several programs are working with the people of the Mekong.
WWF -World Wildlife Fund works hard to bring conservation actions in the Mekong.
“At least 1,100 freshwater species swim the waters of this mighty river including the last remaining populations of the Irrawaddy dolphin, giant freshwater stingray which can weigh up to 1,300 pounds, and the Mekong giant catfish. Tigers, elephants, giant stingrays, along with thousands of other lesser known but equally threatened species form a complex web of life in the Greater Mekong's ecosystems.” the organization says.
“With booming economies, the countries of the region must now balance legitimate needs for development while safeguarding a natural treasure that is under growing threat,” WWF ends it.
The Government of Vietnam is also working towards solutions. They have teamed up with the World Bank and other partners for the Coastal Resources for Sustainable Development project.
Together they work aquaculture, climate resilience, increased production gains and other ways to “rethinking rural development in the delta to sustain livelihoods and long-term growth in a challenging environment”. They also recognize losses in rice, production and aquaculture to salinity.
The World Bank project will provide critical information to producers to be able to cut back losses and identify areas where productivity can be increased. Netherlands will also be investing in Vietnam support programs to adapt to salinity and floods and protect coastal areas.
Bayer on its side assures that their research is helping farmers in the Delta develop new hybrid rice varieties. They believe that a special selection of rice seeds developed to withstand salinity increases can be the solution. The Bayer seeds are already in play in the region and the organization will launch a new rice seed variety with even more salt tolerance.
Relief International reported on August 15 that the government of Japan is also jumping into the region to help. Working with the government of Vietnam they will be developing irrigation response system.
“Few places on Earth show such a strong link between human and ecosystem connectivity, as the Greater Mekong,” WWF says it's all about nature and its people.
“A river is great when its discharge has a detectable impact on the ocean,” Schmidt Ocean Experts voices echo from the not so distant ocean waters taking in wave after wave of the South China Sea.
...The Ocean and The 9 Nine Dragons continue their ancestral relationship…
...our Civilization is forcely or voluntarily joined...committed...
The Mekong Delta is home to over 300 million people and is shared by China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. In Vietnam, in the heart of the Mekong Delta, signs are speaking out. Strange changes in depths, unexpected salinity differences, strange reports of local fishermen and changes of flow are some of the signs.
Bayer reported on August 11 that “Salt is the New Danger at the Mekong River”.
“In the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, salt seawater is increasingly penetrating into inland areas through rivers and ditches and destroying rice harvests. The problem has become a serious threat, and not just for farmers: as the World's second-biggest rice exporter, Vietnam plays a key role in feeding the world population,” Bayer- making “Science for a Better Life” reported.
On August 16 Tuoitrenews reported from Vietnam that the major rivers of the Mekong Delta are becoming unusually deep. Vietnam scientists are warming that the unusual increase in the depths of the two major rivers in the Mekong Delta are signs of alarm. Locals blame hydroelectric developments and hydroelectric dams in China.
VN Express International reported on August 15 that Vietnam farmers are praying for flood waters to arrive. This year the season has revealed itself to have low water levels. Migratory species -hundreds of them move with the water levels and are absent in low waters. From yabbies to worms, shrimp, frog and fish local people being to worry because these species are their primary daily food sources.
“My family has been living here for generations. We have never experienced a rainy season when the waters have risen so slowly,” Nguyen Van Ut - 70-year-old farmer in Dong Thap Province told the Vietnamese Media.
Drought and low levels of water are the ideal stage for vector diseases to spring and thrive and this could not happen in a worst time. Local Media of Vietnam reported that the Health Sector in the Delta is in Code Red due to serious Doctor shortages. The Can Tho City University of Medicine and Pharmacy assured that the 13 Cities and provinces in the region desperately need more Doctors to treat anatomic pathology, tuberculosis, leprosy, mental health and forensic examination. There are only 52 Doctors working in five branches and half of them will reach retirement age within the next four years. The situation is critical.
Government and International organizations are listening to the alarms which rise from the Mekong voices. Solutions to face climate change and international science efforts are on thier way to bring new light to new shadows.
There is a reason why the Mekong River is known as a World Treasure Trove. The region is not only known as the Rice Bowl of Asia but also homes the largest inland fishery in the World.
WWF explains that there are other hidden treasures in the Greater Mekong´s Trove. 20 thousand known species of plants, 1.2 thousand bird species, over 800 species of reptiles and amphibians registered by science and incredibly 430 mammal species live in the delta. In the past decades thousands of new species have been discovered and more are expected to still be hidden deep in this water environment.
Culture in the region is another gem of this Treasure Trove. Humans have lived in the basin for more than 4 thousand years. 100 different ethnic groups each holding their own secrets passed down from generation to generation live side by side the Delta every day.
The Delta is their healthy natural systems, their food security, their livelihoods and their culture.
“Few places on Earth demonstrate so dramatically the fundamental link between human and ecosystem well being. This is why people are central to our conservation strategies,” WWF assures.
World Bank on August 1 asked: “ How will the Mekong Delta adapt to climate change?” The Bank -working to end Global Poverty referred to salinity and losses in rice and fish production and climate change impacts and assured to be working with Vietnam towards new solutions.
“Better flows of information can help communities cope with extreme weather and plan in uncertain times,” The World Bank said.
But while most focus inland others are taking to the Ocean to understand what is really happening.
It is impossible to think about the Mekong Delta without thinking about the Ocean. Both the Delta and the Ocean are united, linked and bonded. The Deltas are the only environments on Earth where the ocean and inland waters relate in such an intimate give-and-take relationship.
The South China Sea is what it is because of the Mekong Delta and the Mekong Delta is what it is because of the South China Sea. This must be fully understood. The lives of millions of people and millions of species -both oceanic and from land are molded by this ocean-delta relationship.
The Schmidt Ocean Institute is about to end the second leg of their Expedition to South China Sea. Their main focus is the Mekong Delta a river they say is “Ever Changing” and “unexpected”.
The Expedition “Changing River” of Schmidt Ocean Institute set sail again this September to measure the “Nutrient Flux of the Mekong River” in the South China Sea.
Ocean life -all ocean life on this planet can actually live thanks to the nutrients which are found in the ocean. Onland life is possible thanks to rich levels of nitrates, phosphates and other basic elements. Life in the ocean is also possible thanks to the presence of the same basic nutrient elements. But where do these nutrients found in the ocean come from? Land natural erosion is a major provider of these basic nutrients. Large rivers -such as the Amazon or the Mekong are therefore main players in this global planetary cycle of life. This flow -of a large river into the ocean is known as a “plume” and it is extremely important under this perspective.
“The biogeochemical impact of river plumes and their role in supplying nutrients to tropical oceans remains poorly understood,” Schmidt Ocean Institute now navigating the plumes of the Mekong says.
“The South China Sea basin has received relatively little attention to date. To capture seasonal differences in the Mekong River output, research vessel Falkor will travel to the South China Sea during the spring and fall of 2016. Led by Dr. Montoya from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and his experienced science team, the group will purposely be working during monsoon season. A bumpy ride is to be expected, but there is good justification for such a decision,” Schmidt communicated. The expedition is now reaching its peak.
“If you have ever flown over a coastal area and observed a river meeting the ocean, chances are you have had the opportunity to see a river plume. The patch of distinctly colored water demonstrates the clear continuity of the river flow as it enters the ocean,” Schmidt Ocean experts explain.
This plume of colored water which can be seen from the sky and which NASA Satellites so meticulously track, measure and follow are clear evidence on how much power large rivers have even over massive volumes of water as those which make up our oceans.
“It becomes obvious that rivers dominate the transfer of suspended material from freshwater sources, acting as a primary connector between continents, river-estuary systems, and the ocean,” Schmidt Institute adds.
But not all materials which reach the ocean through massive rivers are beneficial for life as we know it today.
“Rivers also carry the signature of our land-based impacts, such as dam construction, land and fertilizer use, increased sewage loading, and mangrove destruction. The ocean is not an infinite sink,” scientists at Schmidt warn.
Runoff pollution does not only affect inland populations and environments but alter the ocean chemically and biologically.
Schmidt Ocean Institute is on a mission to understand more about these issues which are poorly studied. They say more information is of paramount importance to apply solutions which can range from ocean conservation to coastal management, inland management and mitigation.
Recent studies have demonstrated that runoff pollution is a major stressor and accelerator of global coral bleaching and causing massive death tolls among the global coral system and coral population species.
“The riverine fluxes of water, sediments, and nutrients likely are affecting the natural balance of the South China Sea,” Schmidt Ocean Institute says.
But water does not only move down from the Delta to the Ocean but also moves from the ocean to the Delta. This causes unique salinity balances which provide unique habitats from species which can live in no other place in this World. Alteration of these flows cause devastation.
Aboard the Schmidt Vessel in the South China Sea Expedition Leg 2 an ocean circulation experts aims to unravel “the role of ocean circulation in the productivity of the marine ecosystem”.
“A variety of biological processes are affected by the circulation of the South China Sea, especially during upwelling, which has a strong effect on the spatial distribution of phytoplankton biomass and activity,” Schmidt goes oceanographically technical.
Scientists assure that the key is to “Untangle the Mekong Plume”.
At Sea the team will taste climate change and local monsoon season first hand. The season brings intense rainfall and the flow of the Mekong grows exponentially. Will this year´s particularly droughted monsoon rain season reveal alterations in the open ocean? Another question which is yet be answered.
Strong monsoon winds cause upwelling by displacing the ocean surface water dramatically and allowing the colder more rich in nutrient ocean waters of the South China Sea to rise. This causes a plankton and microorganism to bloom. Because these elements are the basis of the food webs in the ocean a feeding frenzy in which most oceanic organisms are involved breaks out.
What is Schmidt doing in these incredible waters? Modelling patterns, collecting water and plankton samples and taking in the hard beating of the rain and waves.
The Oceanographer Ajit Subramaniam took part in the first leg of the Schmidt Ocean South China Sea Expedition and is now back on the water. His focus are major rivers and biological alterations caused by plume-ocean interaction.
“Each river is different.” He says, “Just because you’ve studied one, it would be a big mistake to think you know them all. The Mekong is fascinating because it is in transition. It is changing extremely rapidly, right in front of our eyes.”
Aji adds that what makes a river great is not the length or width but rather the water volume it carries and the plumes it generates.
“These are fascinating waters. Did I find anything interesting or unexpected? Almost every day,” Aji assured and warned that his study signals to human elements manipulating the natural lifespan of the plume.
Physical Oceanographer Dr. Annalisa Bracco also working at the Schmidt Expedition uses mathematical models to explain complex physical processes. Before focusing fully on the ocean she used to model how planets were formed.
Her models today are all about ocean circulation transports and mixes microbial life and chemicals. “With this understanding, she can then study how those physical processes affect our climate, biodiversity and evolution. One equation at a time, she turns the oceans into more predictable landscapes,” Schmidt praises her work.
Dr. Bracco has a big thing for the small things of life. She assures that small scales have a real impact in the ocean's composition.
Her models show “sudden changes in salinity and temperature”.
Onland deep in the Mekong vast network of ditches and canals salinity sudden changes are daily news. Bayer reported on August 11 that “seawater is advancing further and further inland from the coast and raising the salt content in the water that flows through the rice paddies”.
In this Rice Bowl of Asia and Rice Bowl of the World sudden changes in salinity are “damaging rice seedlings, as their roots are unable to develop properly”. Entire harvests have been spoiled.
Bayer linked the changes in salinity to El Niño.
“In the first half of this year the El Nino phenomenon reached its peak after 100 years. Heat waves, drought and saline intrusion seriously affected agricultural production and lives of local citizens. It is estimated that agricultural losses in the Mekong Delta amounted round about 210 million US Dollars,” Bayer reported.
The Vietnam’s Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development last report dated June 2016 revealed that salinity sudden changes also affected the shrimp production area which was damaged. Salt intrusion spread through over 83 thousand hectares in what is considered the home to the largest inland fishery of the World.
Salt intrusion impacted 232 thousand hectares of rice over 6.5 hectares of crops, and over 10.8 thousand hectares of fruit and industrial trees.
The rain of the wet monsoon season is aggravating the situation. Bayer adds that sea level has risen millimeter by millimeter in the past decades and that ocean salt is moving up the land.
A reversed plume driven by alternations of the basin, global elements and climate change is effective. The 9 Dragons and the Ocean seem to be immersed in a deep conversation -one which they have not had in this tone before.
For Dr. Bracco the mathematical modeller who used to unravel the mysteries of planet formations there were three main factors which brought her to Schmidt and the South China Sea Expedition: river input, ocean upwelling and heavy rains.
Scientists on the Schmidt Expedition follow and track the plume of the Mekong using recent imagery of NASA. They encounter temperature, chlorophyll and salinity signatures alterations. They have already been surprised in the last expedition by salinity. Schmidt expected to find lower salinity levels in the water closer to the Mekong entrance but this was for some unknown reason not the case.
The work of Schmidt is not the only work which shines bright in search of solutions. Several programs are working with the people of the Mekong.
WWF -World Wildlife Fund works hard to bring conservation actions in the Mekong.
“At least 1,100 freshwater species swim the waters of this mighty river including the last remaining populations of the Irrawaddy dolphin, giant freshwater stingray which can weigh up to 1,300 pounds, and the Mekong giant catfish. Tigers, elephants, giant stingrays, along with thousands of other lesser known but equally threatened species form a complex web of life in the Greater Mekong's ecosystems.” the organization says.
“With booming economies, the countries of the region must now balance legitimate needs for development while safeguarding a natural treasure that is under growing threat,” WWF ends it.
The Government of Vietnam is also working towards solutions. They have teamed up with the World Bank and other partners for the Coastal Resources for Sustainable Development project.
Together they work aquaculture, climate resilience, increased production gains and other ways to “rethinking rural development in the delta to sustain livelihoods and long-term growth in a challenging environment”. They also recognize losses in rice, production and aquaculture to salinity.
The World Bank project will provide critical information to producers to be able to cut back losses and identify areas where productivity can be increased. Netherlands will also be investing in Vietnam support programs to adapt to salinity and floods and protect coastal areas.
Bayer on its side assures that their research is helping farmers in the Delta develop new hybrid rice varieties. They believe that a special selection of rice seeds developed to withstand salinity increases can be the solution. The Bayer seeds are already in play in the region and the organization will launch a new rice seed variety with even more salt tolerance.
Relief International reported on August 15 that the government of Japan is also jumping into the region to help. Working with the government of Vietnam they will be developing irrigation response system.
“Few places on Earth show such a strong link between human and ecosystem connectivity, as the Greater Mekong,” WWF says it's all about nature and its people.
“A river is great when its discharge has a detectable impact on the ocean,” Schmidt Ocean Experts voices echo from the not so distant ocean waters taking in wave after wave of the South China Sea.
...The Ocean and The 9 Nine Dragons continue their ancestral relationship…
...our Civilization is forcely or voluntarily joined...committed...
