Hoa Binh hosts community consultation on forest protection
A seminar was held in the northern province of Hoa Binh on September 16 to announce the results of a community consultation on the 2004 Law on Forest Protection and Development.
Concerns on Don Sahong Dam Prior Consultation Process
On 10 September 2014, the Save the Mekong Coalition sent a letter to the regional Prime Ministers urging them to halt the Prior Consultation process for the Don Sahong Dam and addressing flaws in the PNPCA.
Dams vs. Airplanes
In August 2014, a 5.5 MW hydropower dam broke for the second time in Gia Lai Province. Luckily no one was killed. This isn’t the first time that dams have leaked or broken in Vietnam but what was striking was the fact that according to the article the construction company ignored basic safety consideration by building the dam in the wet season. As a result, the cement didn’t dry properly and couldn’t withstand the water pressure. After the dam failed for the first time in June 2013, the provincial government ordered the company to suspend construction. The company refused.
REDD+ Piloting in Vietnam Profiled at National Workshop
The Asia-Pacific Community Carbon Pools and REDD+ Programme celebrated successes and learnings last month at the team’s National Vietnam workshop in Hanoi. The July 10 event ‘REDD+ and Community Forestry: the Practices and Perspectives’ was facilitated by People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature) in cooperation with Kon Tum's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) and Fauna & Flora International (FFI). The workshop attracted an attendance of 65 participants from 35 organisations, particularly those who are involved in REDD+ development and implementation in Vietnam.
Institutionalization of Communities’ and CSOs’ Roles Helps Strengthen Environmental Protection
HANOI, 26 August 2014 – People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature) organizes an one-day workshop featuring the theme "Institutionalizing Roles of Communities and CSOs in Environmental Governance in Vietnam", which aims at facilitating discussions and proposals about realizing legal space for…
Project addresses timber trade
A European Union-funded project addressing the timber industry in Viet Nam and Laos was launched yesterday in Ha Noi by the Viet Nam Administration of Forestry (VnForest), The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature).
WWF, Vnforest and PanNature Co-Start a Project to Support Vietnam – EU Negotiation on Legal Timber Havesting and Trade
Hanoi – 21 Aug 2014, Viet Nam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST) - Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) and People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature) co-launch the project of Common Assess to Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) process in Vietnam and Laos to support the Government of Vietnam in the negotiation and implementation of the VPA with the European Union (EU) in the framework of the initiative on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) contributing to the sustainable development of the national industry of timber processing & export and in line with international regulations.
Poor supervision over mining allows many to get rich
A lack of transparency in exploiting natural resources has resulted in large amounts of revenues from mineral exploitation flowing into the pockets of individuals instead of State coffers.
Resources sector needs oversight
The seminar was organised by the People and Nature Reconciliation, a Vietnamese not-for-profit organisation which was established in 2004 with an aim to protect and conserve diversity of life and improve human well-being in Viet Nam.
Save the Mekong Coalition Calls on Prime Ministers to Cancel Mekong Mainstream Dams
As Mekong ministers meet for the 20th Meeting of the Mekong River Commission Council in Bangkok tomorrow, the Save the Mekong coalition has issued a statement calling upon the Prime Ministers of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam to work together to address the threat posed by a proposed cascade of eleven Mekong mainstream dams to the region’s food security and people. The coalition requests that immediate action be taken to cancel the planned mainstream dams, including the Xayaburi and Don Sahong dams, which are already under construction. And to ensure that future decisions over the shared river are based on scientific knowledge, transboundary impact assessment, robust consultations, and respect for the rights of all riparian nations and the public to a transparent and participatory decision-making process.