MARD says no to several land conversions

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has turned down proposals from Binh Thuan, Quang Nam, and Ninh Binh authority on the forest use conversion for several projects.

These projects are related to limestone exploitation in Ninh Binh Province, Hoa Thang 1.2 wind power project, and building roads to Ngoc Linh Ginseng production area in Nam Tra My District, Quang Nam Province.

In a document which was sent to Ninh Binh Province’ People’ Committee, the MARD said the conversion of natural forest under the planning of special use forest and protective forest to implement mineral exploitation activities are prohibited under Clause 3 Article 41 of  Government Decree 83/2020/ND-CP. The project failed to meet criteria for converting to other purposes, it said.

Earlier, the provincial People’s Committee has submitted a plan on forest land conversion to implement the project on exploiting limestone as raw materials for production of Duyen Ha cement factory. Specifically, the province wants to change the land use purpose of 38.17 hectares of natural forest land that is supposed for the protective forest.

The proposal from Binh Thuan provincial People’s Committee on the conversion of forest land for carrying out Hoa Thang 1.2 wind power project was also rejected for similar reason.

The MARD said following a Government resolution on land use adjustment plan and plan fo 2016-2020, the land allocation for the project was 60 hectares. But the province just mentioned that 29 out of total 45.41hectares of the project are natural forest, and information about the rest has not yet been disclosed.

The document submitted by the provincial authority did not satisfy the requirements, so it hasn’t been referred to the Prime Minister who would decide on forest use conversion.

The project on building roads to Ngoc Linh Ginseng production area on Mang Lung-Dak Lay route in the central province of Quang Nam’s Nam Tra My District was in the same fate.

The MARD said the provincial People’s Committee didn’t clarify the natural forest area of Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve that was supposed to be converted. Therefore, there was ground to determine whether the project met the criteria for land conversion or not.

The ministry also said that the approval of the project’s environmental impact assessment report was not relevant, in terms of authority. In line with Government Decree No. 18/2015/ND-CP,  the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is authorized to approve such a project.

Climate change, extreme weather, and natural disasters have become more and more popular, causing floods and severe landslides in some localities, threatening the lives of many people.

Although there is no official conclusion about the cause, the public and experts believe the reduction of natural forests left a negative impact on the environment and increase erosion, especially in Quang Nam Province.

The MARD proposed the people’s committee of Quang Nam and Binh Thuan carefully consider the proposals on the conversion of natural forest use as well as other relating activities which might leave an impact on the natural ecological balance of local coastal and mountainous areas.