Planning of sustainable and resilient aquaculture development in the coastal zone of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

The research aims to characterise and define the diversity of shrimp farming production systems in the coastal zone of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam and improve understanding of the drivers that facilitate the development of sustainable aquaculture production. Our overarching hypothesis is that spatial arrangement of the shrimp farms affects sustainability of coastal shrimp aquaculture.

To test this hypothesis, the research will include an assessment of the resource use efficiency of the different coastal aquaculture systems. A second thematic study will investigate the different risk management strategies of the shrimp farmers making their livelihood in the coastal zone. The drivers that influence small-scale producers to opt for more resilient aquaculture systems will then be analysed. Finally, the identified shrimp aquaculture systems will be spatially planned for one province to analyse whether an optimal arrangement is feasible considering the three sustainability criteria.