The Government issued Decree No. 40/2016/ND-CP on May 15, 2016 detailing a number of articles of the Law on Marine and Island Resources and Environment; in which the most important provision is about restricted activities within a coast protection corridor.
Accordingly, exploitation of groundwater may be conducted only in emergency cases to serve disaster prevention and control or fire prevention and fighting or to remedy an environmental incident or for other purposes when there is no alternative water source for exploitation; seaward reclamation or encroachment and mineral or oil and gas exploration activities may be carried out only with the Prime Minister’s written approval.
Similarly, an existing work may be renovated only if such renovation does not change the use purpose, scale, structure, depth or height of such work or helps better maintain and protect the coast protection corridor. Production, business and service activities which are at risk of degrading coastal ecosystems or decreasing the service value of ecosystems and natural landscapes may be carried out only when there are solutions to address such risk without affecting the requirements and objectives of the establishment of a coast protection corridor…
Also in accordance with this Decree, a draft list of areas that require establishment of coast protection corridors shall be provided to related ministries, sectors, agencies, organizations, individuals and communities for opinion through organizing conferences, sending written requests or directly collecting opinions, and posting on the websites of the Natural Resources and Environment Department and People’s Committees of coastal provinces. The period of posting such draft list on the websites for opinion must be at least 45 days.
This Decree takes effect on July 01, 2016.
