This report concerns the controversy surrounding mangrove restoration policy in Vietnam, examining how decentralization works in a central state and how it plays out on the ground. It is also a look into the level of understanding of mangrove restoration policy among stakeholders, and how local and scientific knowledge contest and intertwine in mangrove restoration. The study found that local people are often left out of the decision-making process, and whether or not their participation in implementation is effective depends on the way the local government interprets policy and embeds it into the local setting.

1. Mangrove ecology. 2. Restoration ecology.