Workshop Syllabus

Systems Thinking and Endangered Natural Areas in Vietnam: the Case Study of the Song Bong Dam Project

This is a atelier workshop organized in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History and several partners in Vietnam. It is offerred as study travel course at the University of Vermont, in the Rudenstein School of Natural Resources and Environment, and in the Department of Community Development and Agricultural Economics. The course will take place during the spring break, with a group of 5-6 students traveling to Vietnam to partner with Vietnamese students to work on the project.

The Song Bong Dam is one of the many projected construction sites in Vietnam that are developed for hydro power. There may be a significant impact of this construction on the natural resources, both aquatic and terrestrial, in this area. Several thousand people are to be relocated into other places because of the flooding created by the reservoir. During the course students will travel to Hanoi and then to Hue province, where the workshop will take place. It will be organized as an atelier workshop with local stakeholders participating. The students will participate in field studies, and interviews with local people. They will learn about the species in this area and will apply their knowledge of systems thinking to design scenarios of possible change as a result of the dam constructions. We will also consider various alternatives for the project.

There will be two options for students to take the course:

  • The long 3 credit option in which case students will work on the project throughout the spring semester. Prior to the workshop they will be collecting data, reading documents about the project, communicating with our Vietnam partners, creating a student network over the internet, that will assist in preparing the web materials for the course. There will be meetings once a week to discuss the work progress, explore issues related to modeling and systems thinking, biodiversity, natural resources in Vietnam, etc. After the workshop these students will help prepare publications and reports, and participate in writing proposals for future work in Vietnam. [There may be some financial support available for one or two of 3 credit students].
  • The short 1 credit option will cover only the travel part of the course. The students will still be expected to read the materials offered on the web and be prepared to do the study.

The travel part of the course will start: 03/16/06 and end: 03/28/06

Tentative travel plan

Day Activity
Day 1. Flight from Burlington to Hanoi
Day 2. Fighting jet lag. Exploring Hanoi. Ho Chi Mingh Mausoleum. Puppet show.
Day 3. Trip to Hue.
Day 4. First day of workshop: Meeting with other participants, introductions. Background lectures. Meeting with local state officials. Defining issues. Forming workgroups.
Day 5. Second day of workshop: Site visit. Forest trip.
Day 6. Third day of workshop: Site visit. Meeting with people.
Day 7. Forth day of workshop: Lectures in Hue. Working in workgroups.
Day 8. Fifth day of workshop: Reports from workgroups.
Day 9. Return to Hanoi.
Day 10. Last day in Hanoi. Shopping and museums.
Day 11. Departure from Hanoi.

The study area:

The site will be the watershed for the planned "Song Bung #4 (or Song Boung #4) dam".. The study area includes the northern portion of the Song Thanh Nature Reserve. The dam will inundate portions of the following two districts: Tay Giang and Giang and the following communes: Lang, Zuoih, Ta Bhing, ChaVal. The watershed will include additional communes and districts. The boundary of the watershed is being defined by CBC staff.

The issues:

The primary biodiversity-related issues identified by FPD personnel in Quang Nam are:
  • Illeagal logging
  • Forest fires
  • Shifting cultivation
  • Infrastructure development (in particular, roads and dams)
  • Gold mining