07/12/2017
Việt Nam has more than 3,260 km of coastline with more than 3,000 small and large islands, stretching 15 latitudes from North to South, and locates in the humid hot tropical weather zone. Therefore, the marine zone of Việt Nam consists of diverse resources, including biological, non-biological resources and location resource.
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| Việt Nam sea possesses diverse natural resources |
VIỆT NAM MARINE POTENTIALS
By now, Việt Nam has identified more than 11,000 marine species located in more than 20 typical ecosystems, belonging to six different marine biodiversity regions. Particularly, in coastal zones, there are hundreds of estuaries, lagoons, inlets, bays, islands and peninsulas... which creates a system of complex landscapes and biodiversity: Mud shrubs, mangroves, estuaries, lagoons, inlets, bays, coral reefs, delta, sandy beach, mudflat, brackish aquaculture, coastal wetlands... Some ecosystems have high biological productivity such as coral reef, sea grass and mangroves. In islands, there are 1,290 fauna and flora species that were discovered. This is the foundation for sustainable development of some marine economic sectors that are based on natural resources such as tourism, fishery and marine health and drugs.
In addition, the marine zone of Việt Nam has identified about 35 types of minerals having different exploitation reserves, belonging to different groups: fuels (outstanding with oil and gas with the reserve of about 3-4 billion tonnes of oil equivalent) minerals, construction materials, precious stones and semi-precious stones, and liquid minerals. Along the coast, placer of heavy minerals of precious elements such as titan, zirconium and cerium have been found. Our sea also has potentials of natural hydrate, seawater resources, coastal land, wind, tidal energy, wave energy and currents. The coastal geography features with many islands, long coastlines, many estuaries, perching points and inlets, bays, sandy beaches… are potentials for marine and maritime tourism development.
Particularly, Việt Nam has the advantage of ocean facing location and the ocean plays important geo-politics position in the East Sea and in the world, with the across big international marine route from Indian Ocean to Pacific. Large-scale marine ports and “marine-toward” key economic centres make the urbanization process faster and stronger and create important development dimensions which decide the marine and coastal marine economic development structure of the country. The vast marine zone is a very special important spatial area for the development of marine transportation, marine fishery exploitation, oil and gas exploitation, solid minerals in the continental shelf; at the same time, it will be the place for cooperation activities and dynamic marine economic integration between Việt Nam and the world.
POLICY ON MARINE AND ISLAND NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT DURING THE INTERNATIONAL INTEGRATION PERIOD
In the past, in Việt Nam as the awareness on marine resources was limited, non-material resource types were paid insignificant attention and overexploited, causing natural resources wastes and marine and island environment degradation. In the common trend of the world considering “XXI is the century of ocean” as well as being aware of the impacts of climate change and sea level rise, Việt Nam has initially established marine and island natural resources and environment management policy in an integrated manner in the context of international integration with following main contents:
First, the management of marine natural resources and environment takes place in an appropriate, effective and sustainable manner in accordance with strategies, planning and plans on socio-economic development, national sovereignty, security and national defence. To implement above contents, in recent years, the State has established an unified and integrated management agency on marine and islands from central to local levels; developed and implemented inter-sectoral and inter-regional coordination policy mechanisms and tools to ensure that marine and island resources are exploited and used effectively, maintained the function and structure of ecosystems towards sustainable development, protected sovereignty, sovereignty rights, and national jurisdiction of Việt Nam in the sea, and ensured national defence and security.
Particularly, the Prime Minister has promulgated Decision 1570/QD-TTg approving the Strategy on sustainable exploitation and usage of marine natural resources and environmental protection to 2020, vision to 2030; Decision 2295/QD-TTg approving the National Strategy on integrated coastal management to 2020, vision to 2030. At the same time, the Government instructs the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to develop the scheme on sea use planning and plan for appropriate spatial arrangement and resource allocations for sustainable exploitation of marine and island natural resources and environmental protection.
Second, encouraging to promote baseline investigations and scientific studies on marine and island natural resources and environment; establishing an information system and an integrated and comprehensive database on marine and island natural resources and environment for marine economic development, natural defence and security; encouraging organisations and individuals to sustainably exploit marine and island natural resources and environmental protection. Promoting baseline studies and scientific studies on marine and island natural resources and environment to ensure the supply of information and data on marine and island natural resources and environment to meet the requirements of management, marine economic development, response to climate change, sea level rise, national jurisdiction protection, national defence and security guarantee.
Third, enhancing marine and island environmental protection, including regulations and contents on pollution control of the marine environment; responding to oil spills, hazardous chemicals on the sea, and ocean dumping; enhancing responsibilities of the State, organizations and individuals in marine and island environmental protection. Currently, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is assigned to implement Decision no. 1278/QD-TTg by the Prime Minister “Approving the plan to implement the Joint Statement and Framework Programme among Việt Nam, Cambodia and Thailand on joint oil spill preparedness and response in the Gulf of Thailand”, Decision no. 1864/QD-TTg approving the Implementation agreement between the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam and the Republic of the Philippines on cooperation in marine oil spill response”. The implementation of these decisions aim to implement the obligations that Việt Nam committed to cooperate in timely and effectively respond to oil spills in marine areas in the transition zone between Việt Nam and other relevant countries.
Fourth, enhancing the capacity of monitoring, supervising and forecasting on marine and island natural resources and environment; establishing an information system and a comprehensive and unified database on marine and island natural resources and environment for the marine economic development, national defence and security. In order to effectively manage marine and island natural resources and environment, timely respond to and prevent marine disasters, Việt Nam marine and island natural resources and environment management policy directs to establish an integrated marine and island natural resources and environment monitoring system that is open, connected and shared thoroughly from central to local levels; and to participate in regional and international marine and ocean monitoring and supervision systems.
Fifth, expanding and enhancing international cooperation in natural resources management, exploitation and usage and environmental protection in the principle of protection of national independence and sovereignty. The Việt Nam Marine and Island Natural Resources and environment management policy in the international integration context is considered in the whole national socio-economic development strategies and planning; in order to ensure the principle of a peaceful, cooperative and partnership sea and to jointly develop in the principle of respecting national independence, sovereignty and integrity, not interfering in each other internal affairs, equality, not intervening in matters within the domestic jurisdictions, fairness, mutual interest, respecting Việt Nam legislations and relevant international conventions that the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam is a member.
In other words, being aware of the important roles of marine and island natural resources and environment to the socio-economic development and the guarantee of national defence and security, the Việt Nam policy on marine and island natural resources and environment management has moved towards international integration. That is the policy on marine and island natural resources and environment management towards integration in order to appropriately, effectively and sustainably manage marine natural resources and environment.
Hoàng Nhất Thống
Vietnam Administration of Sea and Islands
Ministry of National Resource and Environment
