Vietnamlawmagazine

DECISION

Approving the master plan on biodiversity conservation in the whole country through 2020, with orientations toward 2030[1]

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;Pursuant to the November 13, 2008 Law on Biodiversity;Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 65/2010/ND-CP of November 6, 2010, detailing and guiding the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Biodiversity;At the proposal of the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the master plan on biodiversity conservation in the whole country through 2020, with orientations toward 2030, with the following principal contents:I. VIEWPOINTS AND OBJECTIVES1. Guiding viewpoints:a/ To combine in-situ conservation with ex-situ conservation and other forms of conservation to ensure effective conservation, consistency and conformity with conditions of each region in the whole country without affecting national defense and security;b/ To harmoniously combine conservation and rational exploitation and use of biological resources, attaching importance to maintaining and developing ecosystem services, environment and landscape of biodiversity;c/ To consistently comply with the criteria set out in the Law on Biodiversity on the basis of inheriting to the utmost the achievements and maintaining the stability of the existing special-use forest, marine and inland water conservation zones;d/ To ensure safety of biodiversity, mitigate the degradation and depletion of natural resources, mitigate and adapt to climate change;dd/ To mobilize all resources and experiences of organizations, individuals and communities in the biodiversity conservation; to ensure the principles of equitable and harmonious sharing of interests of the stakeholders;e/ To enhance cooperation with other countries and international organizations on biodiversity conservation, especially with bordering countries.2. Objectives through 2020a/ Overall objectives:To ensure that important natural ecosystems and endangered, precious and rare species and genetic resources are conserved and sustainably developed; to maintain and develop the ecosystem services to adapt to climate change in order to promote sustainable development of the country.b/ Specific objectives:- To identify and zone off important natural ecosystems for protection. To improve the quality and increase the acreage of ​​natural ecosystems that are protected across the country; to increase the forest coverage to 45%; to conserve and have plans for effectively protecting 0.57 million ha of primary forests in the Central Highlands, southeast and north central regions; to protect and sustainably develop about 60,000 ha of natural mangrove forests; to protect the ecosystems of coral reefs and seagrass beds in the south central and southeast regions; to protect the ecosystems of coastal lagoons in the north central, south central and southeast regions; and to restore 2,000 ha of forests on limestone mountains in the northeast region.- To complete the planning of the system of conservation zones; to propose the adjustment of the land use plan for the period 2016 - 2020, ensuring land areas for the establishment and putting into operation of 46 new conservation zones with a total area of ​​about 567,000 ha, raising the total area of ​​the system of conservation zones in the whole country to about 2.94 million ha.- To develop and upgrade the system of 26 biodiversity conservation facilities and formulate a development plan with the following types: 4 botanical gardens in the geographic regions: northeast, Red River delta and southeast; 5 national medicinal plant gardens in the geographic regions: northeast, northwest, Red River delta, north central Vietnam and southeast; 2 national zoological gardens in the geographic regions: Red River delta and southeast; 12 animal rescue stations/centers nationwide and 3 gene banks in the Red River delta.- To establish and put into operation 4 biodiversity corridors in 2 northeast and south central regions with a total area of ​​about 120,000 ha to connect the habitats and enhance the capacity of the ecosystems and species to respond to climate change.3. Orientations toward 2030- To continue to protect natural ecosystems of international and national importance; and degraded coral reef, seagrass bed, natural mangrove forest, coastal lagoon and limestone mountain ecosystems.- To continue to establish and put into operation the conservation zones, biodiversity conservation facilities and biodiversity corridors as proposed.II. PLANNING TASKSA. MAJOR CONTENTS1. By 2020:To plan the biodiversity conservation by 2020 according to 8 geographical regions in the whole country with 4 objects: natural ecosystems, conservation zones, biodiversity conservation facilities and biodiversity corridors, specifically as follows:a/ The northeast region:- To protect the natural forest ecosystems of the Red River, Lo and Gam river basins; limestone mountain ecosystems in Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang, Lang Son, Bac Kan, Cao Bang and Quang Ninh; and wetland ecosystems in Dam Ha, Yen Hung (Quang Ninh).- To transform 36 existing conservation zones into a conservation zone system under the Law on Biodiversity with a total area of about 265,800 ha.- To upgrade and establish 3 biodiversity conservation facilities, including 1 animal rescue center, 1 botanical garden and 1 medicinal plant garden.- To establish and put into operation 1 biodiversity corridor with an area of about 506 ha connecting the habitats between Na Hang nature reserve and Ba Be national park.b/ Northwest region:- To protect the natural forest ecosystems of Da and Ma river basins; forests at the altitude of over 1,500 m in Lao Cai and Son La.- To transform 15 existing conservation zones into a conservation zone system under the Law on Biodiversity with a total area of about 261,500 ha.- To upgrade and establish 2 biodiversity conservation facilities, including 1 animal rescue center and 1 medicinal plant garden.c/ Red River delta:- To protect the natural mangrove forest ecosystems in Hai Phong and Thai Binh; the important wetland ecosystems in Ninh Binh and Nam Dinh.- To transform 11 existing conservation zones into a conservation zone system under the Law on Biodiversity with a total area of about 88,000 ha.- To upgrade and establish 8 biodiversity conservation facilities, including 2 animal rescue centers, 1 medicinal plant garden, 1 zoological garden, 1 medicinal plant garden and 3 gene banks.d/ North central region:- To protect the primary forest ecosystems in Nghe An and Ha Tinh; the natural forests in the Ma, Ca and Gianh river basins; the coastal mangrove forests in Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Thanh Hoa; the limestone mountain ecosystems in Thanh Hoa and Quang Binh; and the Tam Giang - Cau Hai lagoon ecosystems in Thua Thien Hue.- To transform 21 existing conservation zones into a conservation zone system under the Law on Biodiversity with a total area of about 630,000 ha.- To upgrade and establish 3 biodiversity conservation facilities, including 2 animal rescue centers and 1 medicinal plant garden. dd/ South central region:- To protect the natural forest ecosystems of the Cai river (Phu Yen, Ninh Thuan and Khanh Hoa provinces), Con, Da Rang, Ba, Tra Khuc and Thu Bon river basins; the dipterocarp forest ecosystems in Ninh Son (Ninh Thuan), Hoan Giao (Khanh Hoa), the coral reefs and seagrass beds in Cu Lao Cham, Ninh Hai, Vinh Hy bay, Cam Ranh bay, Thuy Trien pond rammer and Van Phong bay; wetland ecosystems of Thi Nai , Tra O, Cu Mong, O Loan and Nha Phu pond rammers.- To transform 22 existing conservation zones into a conservation zone system under the Law on Biodiversity with a total area of about 347,000 ha.- To establish and put into operation 3 biodiversity corridors connecting the conservation zones in the South Central region with an area of about 118,700 ha.e/ The Central Highlands:- To protect the primary forest ecosystems including: average mountain forests (Ngoc Linh and Chu Yang Sin), semi-deciduous forests (giant crape-myrtle forests), deciduous dipterocarp forests (dipterocarp forests); and natural forests of Se San, Ba and Dong Nai river basins.- To transform 16 existing conservation zones into a conservation zone system under the Law on Biodiversity with a total area of about 461,000 ha.- To upgrade and establish 3 animal rescue centers.g/ Southeast region:- To protect the primary forest ecosystems; coral reef and seagrass bed ecosystems in Ca Na, Con Dao; the wetland ecosystems in Thi Nai pond rammer and Can Gio mangrove forest.- To transform 11 existing conservation zones into a conservation zone system under the Law on Biodiversity with a total area of about 212,200 ha. - To upgrade and establish 6 biodiversity conservation facilities, including 2 animal rescue centers, 2 botanical gardens, 1 medicinal plant garden and 1 zoological garden.h/ Mekong River delta:- To protect and sustainably develop 30,000 ha of natural mangrove forest ecosystems and the coral reef and seagrass bed ecosystems at Phu Quoc, the mangrove ecosystems and melaleuca forest ecosystems in Tram Chim, U Minh and Tra Su.- To transform 21 existing conservation zones into a conservation zone system under the Law on Biodiversity with a total area of about 106,500 ha.- To upgrade and establish 1 animal rescue center.i/ During the period from 2016 - 2020, the planning orientations are to establish 46 new conservation zones with an area of ​​about 567,000 ha of additional land area on the basis of proposing adjustment of the national land use plan for 5 years (2016-2020) to be passed by the National Assembly, particularly as follows: 6 new conservation zones with a total area of ​​about 81,300 ha in the northeast region; 2 new conservation zones with an area of ​​about 35,000 ha in the northwest region; 7 new conservation zones with an area of ​​about 63,150 ha in the Red River delta; 7 new conservation zones with an area of ​​about 140,000 ha in the north central region; 8 new conservation zones with an area of ​​about 113,000 ha in the south central region; 3 new conservation zones with an area of about 57,100 ha in the Central Highlands; 4 conservation zones with an area of about 43,600 ha in the southeast and 9 conservation zones with an area of ​​about 33,500 ha in the Mekong River delta.k/ The list of conservation zones already transformed into the conservation zone system under the Law on Biodiversity is provided in Appendix I to this Decision.2. Orientations toward 2030:- To identify the regions with natural ecosystems and potential to provide important ecosystem services; to continue to protect the depleted important natural ecosystems.- To continue to improve the detailed master plan and prepare dossiers for submission to competent authorities to approve the establishment and putting into operation of 20 new conservation zones with an area of about 128,000 ha, bringing the total number of conservation zones to 219 with a total area of about 3,067,000 ha evenly distributed across the country.- To continue to improve the detailed master plan and prepare dossiers for submission to competent authorities to approve the establishment and putting into operation of 12 biodiversity conservation facilities, bringing the total number of biodiversity conservation facilities to 38.- To continue to establish and put into operation 17 biodiversity corridors distributed in 8 regions across country with a total estimated area of about 445,000 ha.B. PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS PRIORITIZED FOR IMPLEMENTATIONTo approve in principle 6 programs and projects prioritized for the master plan implementation (see details in Appendix IV to this Decision).III. IMPLEMENTATION SOLUTIONS1. To complete the legal documents on management of conservation zones, biodiversity conservation facilities and biodiversity corridors; criteria for ranking and classification of conservation zones by ecosystem; establishment of conservation zones, biodiversity conservation facilities and biodiversity corridors; and economic-technical norms for formulation and adjustment of biodiversity conservation master plans. To develop mechanisms and policies to encourage organizations and individuals, especially local communities, to participate in the implementation of the master plan on biodiversity conservation; to assign and delegate power to local administrations and enhance the role of communities in organizing the management and protection of conservation zones, biodiversity conservation facilities and biodiversity corridors in localities. To develop policies to support investment for communities in the buffer zones of the conservation zones and biodiversity corridors.2. To increase the effectiveness of the system of state management agencies in charge of biodiversity through clearly defining the functions of state management, focusing on implementing the master plan on biodiversity conservation. To strengthen law enforcement and increase sanctions, and strictly handle violations of the master plan on biodiversity conservation.To draw up training plans to raise professional qualifications and skills and management competence of biodiversity conservation workers from the central to local levels.3. To survey, study and establish criteria for determining ecological regions in the whole country; to identify regions with important, sensitive, vulnerable and degraded natural ecosystems in order to have plans for protection and restoration. To focus on regions that have potential to provide ecosystem services. To survey and evaluate the conformity of and practical demand for land areas for biodiversity conservation.To develop and effectively implement the programs and projects on scientific survey and research as a basis for identification and proposal and specific protection measures for each class and type of conservation zones, biodiversity conservation facilities and biodiversity corridors. To promote the study and use of various methods and tools and apply new models, especially the ecosystem-based approach to adaptation to climate change, in the management of conservation zones, biodiversity conservation facilities and biodiversity corridors.4. To increase public information on the benefits and responsibilities of the community in the master plan implementation, especially the communities living in and around the conservation zones and biodiversity corridors.5. To increase international cooperation in order to attract financial and technical assistance for scientific survey and research and training; to expand the scientific exchange and cooperation with other countries, especially with bordering countries to exchange and learn experiences on the management and protection of conservation zones, biodiversity conservation facilities and biodiversity corridors. 6. To specifically determine funding for implementation of the programs and projects under the master plan on the basis of decisions of competent state agencies under the State’s current regulations on finance; at the same time to encourage and mobilize the participation of the community and enterprises to make financial investment; to create mechanisms to diversify investment sources for biodiversity conservation planning.To develop contents and plans to integrate the master plan on biodiversity conservation in the whole country into the socio-economic development strategy, land use master plan, forestry development master plan and development master plans of related sectors and action plans on response to climate change from central to local levels.IV. ORGANIZATION OF IMPLEMENTATION 1. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall:a/ Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with other related ministries, sectors and localities in implementing the master plan;b/ Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with other related ministries, sectors and localities in, formulating legal documents and creating mechanisms and policies to effectively implement the master plan;c/ Guide localities to review, formulate and adjust provincial-level biodiversity conservation master plans in conformity with this master plan;d/ Guide and inspect the implementation of the master plan on a national scale; review the implementation of the master plan by 2020;dd/ Implement the assigned tasks and prioritized programs and projects. 2. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall:a/ Coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and other related ministries and sectors in implementing the master plan contents according to its management functions;b/ Assume the prime responsibility for and implement the assigned tasks and prioritized programs and projects;c/ Integrate the planning contents in the strategies, master plans, plans, programs and projects on forestry, agriculture and fisheries.3. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall:a/ Allocate investment capital for related ministries and sectors to implement the master plan contents;b/ Mobilize international financial assistance to implement the master plan.4. The Ministry of Finance shall, on the basis of the master plan contents and the prioritized programs and projects approved by competent authorities, balance and allocate in time state budget funds for implementation in accordance with the Law on the State Budget.5. Other ministries and ministerial-level agencies shall, within the scope of their responsibilities and powers, coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, develop and implement the programs, projects and tasks in line with the master plan’s objectives, contents and solutions.6. Provincial-level People’s Committees shall:a/ Coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in implementing the master plan in localities;b/ Review, formulate and adjust the provincial-level biodiversity conservation master plans in conformity with this master plan;c/ Direct the functional agencies to develop programs and projects for implementation of the master plan; formulate and approve projects to establish conservation zones, biodiversity conservation facilities and biodiversity corridors in locality as decentralized;d/ Manage the conservation zones, biodiversity conservation facilities and biodiversity corridors as decentralized by the Government;dd/ Develop mechanisms and policies to exploit the values of biodiversity for economic development and stabilization of local people’s lives;e/ Carry out propaganda and education to raise people’s awareness about and sense of law observance in biodiversity conservation;g/ Arrange local resources and properly and efficiently use the resources allocated by the central government for implementation of the master plan;h/ Inspect the implementation of the master plan in their provinces or centrally run cities.Article 2. This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing.This master plan replaces the master plan on Vietnam’s system of marine conservation zones up to 2020 issued together with the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 742/QD-TTg of May 26, 2010.The master plan on wetland conservation zones specified in Appendix I of this Decision replaces the master plan on inland water conservation zones of the same locations and with the same place names that have been planned under the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 1479/QD-TTg of October 13, 2008, approving the master plan on the system of inland water conservation zones by 2020.Article 3. The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, other ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies and chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees shall implement this Decision.-

For the Prime Minister

Deputy Prime Minister

HOANG TRUNG HAI

* All appendices to this Decision are not translated.