Conduct good site investigation and flood modeling
Increase the flood mitigation capacity and resiliency
Preserve wetland and reduce the impact of urban development
Improve water access and maximize social benefits
Awareness
The construction of infrastructure is accompanied by capacity building activities as well as extensive awareness campaigns to foster improved WASH knowledge and practices in healthcare with a focus on infection prevention and control (IPC) among staff, patients, and other relevant stakeholders.
Availability of appropriate IEC materials
Availability of functional and clean hardware and consumables to allow “putting words into action”
Nudges support the awareness creation process, for example through attractive and simple information material, beautified “comfort zones”, or simply strategic placing of handwashing facilities close to toilet cubicles.
All parties must have a clear understanding of the requirements to keep new or rehabilitated sanitation facilities in a good state of repair and hygienically clean. For this reason, Sanitation for Millions offers a wide range of orientation and capacity building activities prior to and alongside any intervention.
O&M plans (specifying daily, weekly, and annual activities)
Explicit allocation of responsibilities
Sufficient budget
A training manual covering all aspects of operations and maintenance, from the planning stage to the everyday use of WASH facilities as well as routine maintenance of the technologies employed in institutional settings, proved to be very useful.
Developing the capacities of healthcare workers and decision takers to sustain WASH services and promote and practice good hygiene with a focus on IPC. Moreover, capacity building activities to ensure the sustainable operation and maintenance of the facilities are implemented.
Contextualized trainings for staff of HCFs (Human care facilities)
Adapted training materials based on international approaches (WASH Fit)
Commitment of management of HCFs to enable staff to participate in trainings and put learnings into practice
Peer exchange creates room for implementers to learn from each other and supports the effectiveness of the capacity development measures. HCF internal monitoring helps that the learnings are put into practice (“what gets monitored gets done”)
Access to safe WASH facilities, such as toilets and handwashing facilities, as well as to hospital waste management facilities is crucial to uphold hygiene and IPC practices in HCFs.
Resources
Sound planning
Proper operation and maintenance of the facilities
Designs for barrier-free, female-friendly WASH facilities according to local and international standards
The female friendly aspects include:
- Privacy and comfort through the gender segregated toilets
- Provision for a washroom/change room that has a shower tray, disposal buckets, soap and is also equipped with emergency menstrual hygiene consumables by the institutions
- Incinerators to cater for proper disposal and management of used sanitary towels
The facilities must be appropriate, robust and easy to repair. They must be adapted to the local conditions, easy to use and easy be cleaned. If possible, selection of locations for the facilities should consider “special needs” of the users.
Mitigation of human pressures on the park’s natural resources
Crocodile baby found at Bau Sau in 2015
Cat Tien National Park
Before 1990, the area around Bau Sau was under severe pressures from local communities in Dak Lua Commune. Local people often entered the park for harvesting timber, fishing, and hunting animals. Conflicts between locals and forest rangers occurred frequently and seriously (with death, and a ranger station was burnt in 1990).
After establishment, the park managers focused on law enforcement. Number of donor projects in this period helped improving local livelihoods through productive and effective farming, e.g. irrigation, increasing rice crops cultivation from twice to three times/year, high yielding maize. With consensus from local people, households living in the core zone were supported to relocate to the buffer zones. Forest protection contracts were signed with local households, forest protection teams were established in villages around the park. Illegal activities were sharply reduced. Relationship with local communities has been improved, pressures on natural resources has reduced, and the habitat quality has been enhanced.
Along with proactive habitat restoration measures, wild fauna populations recovered rapidly. In addition to the Siamese Crocodile population that was re-established in Bau Sau area, other populations of animals of conservation concerns such as Gaur, and Green Peafowl etc. are well maintained.
New protected area policies have helped solving many limitations in the previous period.
Appropriate conservation plans and strategies are in place.
There are sufficient resources (human, financial) provided through nationally and internationally funded projects.
Active participation of local communities in conservation work.
New awareness on biodiversity conservation regarding restoration of wild native and threatened species.
The conservation achievements of Cat Tien National Park could have only be achieved when the participation of the community was mobilised. Good strategic plans and sufficient financial investment have helped local communities redirect livelihood activities to reduce pressures on natural resources, thereby creating conditions for the restoration and improvement of the park’s biodiversity values.
Reintroduction of a Siamese Crocodile population in Bau Sau lake, Cat Tien National Park
In 1998, site managers and scientists discussed the possibility of reintroducing a crocodile population at Bau Sau. This was because the lake was situated in the historical occupation range of the species, and at that time, the habitat quality had been improved and ready for a reintroduction program. Feasibility studies were carried out. The park also held discussions among experts, managers, and authorities at all levels to gain consensus on the program.
In 2000, with the support from international experts, purebred Siamese Crocodiles, which are believed to have provenance from Cat Tien area, were selected from a farm in Ho Chi Minh City, to training for restoring their natural behaviours. From 2001 to 2005, a total of 60 adults were released into Bau Sau. In September 2005, the first baby crocodiles were recorded.
Recent monitoring shows that the number of individuals is increasing, the distribution area is also expanding with records in some neighbouring lakes. As of 2019, monitoring data has recorded at least 286 individuals (including 228 juveniles). Up to now, it can be confirmed that freshwater crocodile populations have been successfully re-established in Cat Tien National Park. The number and structure of the recorded population ensures that this is a healthy and viable population.
Natural habitats of Crocodiles in Cat Tien National Park (Bau Sau and surrounding wetlands) are well protected and restored, prey populations are well maintained to facilitate the reintroduction.
Source of breeds in the crocodile farms meet requirements in terms of genetics and epidemiology.
There is enough scientific basis for a population reintroduction program.
Supports from governments and international community helped the National Park managers have enough determination in re-establishing a Siamese Crocodile population.
The success of re-establishment of a Siamese Crocodile population in Cat Tien National Park is the result of a joint effort of Vietnam and the international conservation community. This is a good lesson for future re-wilding efforts. Local political determination (local governments and site leaders) plays an important role in creating the necessary conditions for population re-establishment.
Important elements for this success include: i) available breeding stock for re-wilding, ii) safe habitats with sufficient prey sources, and iii) proper awareness on animal-human conflict for to ensure the compatible behaviours for long-term survival of the re-established population.
To date, the freshwater crocodile re-establishment programme at Bau Sau was recognized as the first successful crocodile reintroduction effort in the world, and it therefore can provide experience for other population re-establishment projects in future.
