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Nga Dang
Practitioner Fellow at International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Location:
Vietnam
Project Title: Paying for Watershed Protection in the Thu Bon River Basin, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam
Publications and Presentations: Forthcoming
Project Description
Quang Nam Province in Vietnam is home to more than 1.4 million people, but it has some of the lowest population densities in the country. Almost a third of the population lives below the poverty line, dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods. In fact, around 72% of the Ka Tu people—one of the region's eight ethnic groups—are dependent on natural resources during times of stress.
Currently, there are eight large dams and more than 30 small- to medium-sized dams planned for Quang Nam province. All will be in the watershed of the Thu Bon River, leaving no major tributary to flow freely and preventing the movement of aquatic organisms along the full length of the river system. Construction of the dams is having, and will continue to have, a major impact on the forests, the region's renowned biodiversity, and the livelihoods of the local communities.
Nga Dang is studying how to implement the use of payments for watershed services (PWS)—a fairly new concept for Vietnam—in the Thu Bon River basin of Quang Nam Province. She will focus on the importance of watershed services to the Khe Dien private hydropower plant and how the plant can get involved in a payment scheme to protect upstream forest areas for conservation and poverty reduction.
"This study will help contribute to more equality between watershed beneficiaries and the poor," said Dang. "Outcomes from the research can be used to replicate other PES schemes in this and other provinces in Vietnam where there is a similar situation."
Under her fellowship, Dang will complete the following activities:
- Conduct an economic evaluation of the value of watershed services to the Khe Dien hydropower plant;
- Conduct an economic evaluation of the watershed to communities;
- Identify financial shortfalls for conservation and forest protection in specific upstream areas;
- Conduct a legal study to identify options for payment mechanisms; and
- Investigate lessons learned from previous payment mechanisms in Southeast Asia.
"This fellowship will provide me with a good opportunity to learn more about PES from experts at IUCN, which is well-known for its involvement in such initiatives around the world," said Dang.
Biographical Information
Nga Dang earned a bachelor's degree in economics, with a specialization in environmental economics and management, from the National Economics University in Vietnam. She also holds a master's degree in environmental management, with a focus in natural resources management, from the University of New England in Australia.
Since graduation, Dang's focus has been using economic instruments for conservation. After serving as a consultant to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on forest management and watershed rewardship projects, she joined the organization in 2006. She now serves as the environmental economics officer for WWF Vietnam, where her duties include coordinating the organization's PES activities in that country and helping national parks achieve sustainable finances.
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