Effectively harnessing precious “natural capital source”

Dong Nai Province boasts abundant, diverse, and large reserves of natural resources in the Southern region. With a favorable geographical location, increasingly well-developed transportation infrastructure, and rich mineral resources, the province possesses valuable "natural capital" to meet the requirements of industrialization and modernization.

In recent years, mineral exploitation activities in the province have met the urgent needs of construction projects, the material industry, urban development, industrial parks, and especially key national transportation infrastructure projects in the South. However, this activity also leaves undesirable impacts on the natural environment and poses potential risks to people in neighboring areas, both during and after the exploitation phases.

On the principle that the environment should not be traded for economic growth, the province has planned areas permitted for mineral exploitation, meeting the immediate, medium, and long-term socio-economic development requirements; and at the same time, identifying prohibited and temporarily prohibited exploitation areas. As for construction sand, the province no longer grants exploitation licenses to protect the environment and reserve resources for the future. Licensed mines all have clear reserves, limited annual exploitation volumes; are required to strictly comply with environmental protection solutions and encouraged investors to apply modern technology in exploitation and processing to improve efficiency.

Currently, Dong Nai is applying many synchronous measures to manage mineral resources such as: strengthening patrols and supervision at mines and points prone to illegal exploitation; requiring mine owners to install surveillance cameras and automatic monitoring equipment, ahich connect to data to state management agencies; strictly handling violations in exploitation and consumption, including the responsibility of organizations and individuals who loosen management. Along with that, the licensing process is transparent, information about mines, exploitation capacity, and remaining reserves are publicly disclosed, to ensure fairness, minimize resource and budget losses, and reduce pressure on the environment and local security and order.

Simultaneously, the province has adopted a policy on restoring the "dead lands" after being exploited to safe state, meeting environmental protection requirements and optimizing land use purposes. Accordingly, some mineral mines after exploitation are put up for auction for land use rights to implement community-serving projects such as: parks, backup water reservoirs, or eco-tourism spots combined with commerce-services. This approach not only avoids wasting land resources but also creates new value for the ecological environment and the community. Active mines are also required to implement environmental rehabilitation and restoration plans in parallel with the exploitation process and upon completion.

Minerals are valuable resources that need to be exploited reasonably, strictly managed, with environmental restoration required after exploitation. Therefore, sustainable, economical, and efficient exploitation and use of resources continue to be the consistent, long-term viewpoint of the province, aiming to transform today's "black gold" into a vital driver for future socio-economic development.

By: Hoang Loc

Translated by: Van Nga-Thu Ha