Mekong Delta Mangrove Restoration
In October 2023, IUCN partnered with Hyundai Motor Company and Good Neighbors International on a three-year project to restore mangroves on privately owned shrimp farms in Cà Mau Province, part of Hyundai's IONIQ Forest programme. It establishes integrated mangrove-shrimp systems to rebuild coastal forest, lift farmer livelihoods and buffer storms and saltwater intrusion. Major planting began mid-2025, toward a 160,000-tree target in 2026.
Inside the project
The IONIQ Mangrove Restoration Project works on the Mekong Delta coast, where mangroves are replanted directly on working shrimp farms as silvo-aquaculture rather than as separate plantations.
Between 29 June and 15 July 2025, more than 80,000 mangrove trees were planted across 18 hectares in Hoa Binh District, with the remainder of a 160,000-tree target due in 2026.
The model aims to reconcile coastal protection with smallholder income, supporting Vietnam's 30x30 conservation commitments.
Objectives
- Restore mangroves on shrimp farms via silvo-aquaculture
- Strengthen coastal resilience against storms, sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion
- Improve smallholder shrimp-farmer livelihoods
- Conserve biodiversity and sequester carbon
Approach
- Technical coordination runs through the provincial Management Board of Special-Use and Coastal Protection Forests, with oversight from Cà Mau's Department of Agriculture and Environment.
- No formal carbon-accounting methodology has been published; seedling survival and household support are tracked at the project level only.
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