ACCORD agrees formal collaborations with local government partners in Vietnam

In June 2019, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK (PML), and the Da Nang Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Vietnam (DONRE), to support joint activities in "Quantifying the capacity and socio-economic value of Da Nang Bay in cycling, processing storing and exporting land derived carbon and nutrients".

Signing on behalf of PML, Professor Icarus Allen (Chief Executive) said that “Collaborations with DONRE, and their agencies, provides an exciting opportunity to embed NERC environmental science and research directly into the local policy making process”. The MoU was also welcomed by Ms Pham Thi Chin (Director of the Da Nang Agency of Sea and Islands, DASI) who, signing on behalf of DONRE, described some of the sustainability challenges faced by a rapidly developing city such as Da Nang. One month later the Da Nang project formally started with an official workshop for ACCORD project staff and a wide range of local stakeholders and media.