When research meets NGOs: The GVC-UCODEP project in the Bắc Giang Province and Cầu River (Northern Vietnam) and its feedback on national monitoring programs

The International Cooperation GVC-UCODEP project “Promotion of environmental protection in the Việt Yên, Yên Dũng and Hiệp Hòa districts in the Bắc Giang Province, Vietnam” aimed at the restoration and preservation of natural resources together with the improvement of life conditions of the local population. It focused on the management of pollutant factors and ecological resources of the Bắc Giang Province. An important part of the project was devoted to the implementation of an institutional frame for monitoring the status of the environment, and within this frame a scientific survey was promoted in order to assess the degree of contamination from persistent organic pollutants in soils and sediments of selected areas of the Bắc Giang Province and the bordering Cầu River. The toxicological significance of measured concentrations, and the relative importance of pollutant sources were also investigated. At the same time, enforced Vietnamese regulations were studied to check their effectiveness in protecting the population and the environment. Results of this combined work provided a series of suggestions to central and local authorities in order to ensure people’s health and a better monitoring of local natural resources. It is our hope that the described approach and methodology could inspire similar synergies between research and non-governmental institutions in other developing countries.