The Construction of a Waste Treatment Plant in Vietnam's Con Dao Forest

The Ba Ria Vung Tau People's Committee has recently approved clearing 1.9 hectares of special-use forest in Con Dao National Park in Con Dao Island district to construct a waste treatment plant. The project is located in a vast primeval coastal island forest.

If the plant is constructed, it will degrade the natural forest, destroy the landscape, and damage the ecosystem. The project’s development, including road construction, will disrupt the territorial integrity of the primeval forest.

The project will convert over 63 hectares of special-use forest in Phu Quoc National Park into a resort project in the Phu Quoc Island district, Kien Giang province.

There is an increasing risk of deforestation in Vietnam due to several amended provisions in the revised Land Law, which details the implementation of certain articles of the new Forestry Law issued in 2024. For example, the new regulations expand the list of projects that can convert natural forest land into development land, including industrial zones, industrial clusters, mineral extraction, and ecotourism, resort, and entertainment projects. Additionally, the regulations make the process of converting forest land for economic development easier by requiring only provincial government approval, rather than approval from the National Assembly, Vietnam's parliament.

According to the Forestry Department, while Vietnam's forest cover has increased, its quality remains poor, with about 75% consisting of degraded, low-quality, and replanted forests.