Environmental protection planning to be zoned in three levels

Illustrative image (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Hanoi (VNA) -  Vietnam's environmental protection planning is expected to be zoned in three levels. The criteria for environmental zoning will be synchronized with the provisions of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 after being passed by the National Assembly.

At a meeting in Hanoi on December 4 to assess the national environmental protection planning in 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050 built by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, representatives from relevant ministers and experts said that this plan should be oriented, and lead development activities in a way that is suitable to the environmental carrying capacity.

As planned, the environmental protection planning will be zoned in three levels.

Environmental pollution at alarming rate

Reporting at the event, representatives from the Vietnam Environment Administration said under the pressure of industrialization and modernization process, the environmental pollution is at alarming level. The environmental protection is facing severe challenge.

Currently, natural resources have not been exploited in accordance with the plan or without paying attention to sustainable development factors, leading to the risk of widespread ecological imbalance and negative impacts on socio-economic development, health and life of the people.

Participants attributed the situation to the lack of methodical integration of requirements on environmental and natural resources protection and management in development plans; and the lack of unified planning in environmental protection.

Different development plans built by ministries and sectors have not clearly showed the contents of ecological and living environment management and protection for each region, each field and specific activity.

In the past time, many pollution incidents and environmental degradation have happened. But at present there is no legal basis for the mechanism and criteria for classifying investment projects in line with the environmental risk level; and specific control mechanisms for those at high risk of causing environmental pollution and incidents, participants said.

To cope with these problems, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has outlined the national environmental protection plan to 2030, with a vision to 2050, which aims to promote environmental protection and socio-economic development in a sustainable manner.

The scope of planning space is the entire territory of Vietnam divided by geographical regions suitable to the characteristics of climate, river basin and development conditions.

Zoning in three levels

The national environmental protection plan will focus on formulating long-term plans to build a national environmental protection system based on environmental surveys and assessments, environmental management, forecasts of environmental trends and climate change; conservation needs and usable resources as well.

It will serve as a basis for evaluating and approving investment projects of each region in conformity with environmental protection requirements, prioritized orientations and technologies.

The plan is expected to be zoned in three levels. Accordingly, Level 1 is the strictly protected area, including concentrated residential areas, nature conservation zones, water areas for  daily activities, and areas with other groups sensitive to the environment that need to be protected strictly.

Level 2 is the area including buffer zone of strictly protected areas, natural heritage areas, biodiversity corridors, important wetland areas, high biodiversity areas, natural forest ecosystems, coral reefs, sea-grasses, and important aquatic species that need to be protected.

Level 3 is the remaining areas.

Criteria for environmental zoning will be synchronized with the provisions of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 after it is passed by the National Assembly.

According to the national strategy on environment protection to 2020 with a vision to 2030 approved by then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in 2012, Vietnam aims to control pollution, resources and biodiversity degradation, while at the same time improving people’s living conditions and climate change responses to achieve sustainable development goals.

The strategy sets a vision to push back pollution and create fundamental conditions for a green, low waste low carbon economy by 2030./.