In Report No. 7019 submitted to the government and the Prime Minister, the Ministry proposed transferring Cat Tien National Park to local authorities in line with an earlier directive from the Prime Minister. However, for the four inter-provincial national parks of Cuc Phuong, Tam Dao, Bach Ma and Yok Don, the Ministry recommended maintaining the current centralized management model.

According to the Ministry, the Law on Forestry, the Law on Biodiversity and existing regulations assign direct ministerial management to national parks that span two or more provinces or centrally governed cities. This approach is intended to ensure consistent management, preserve ecosystem integrity, maintain habitat connectivity and protect national interests.

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Cuc Phuong National Park.

Vietnam currently has 167 special-use forests, including 36 national parks. Most are managed by provincial authorities. Five inter-provincial national parks with exceptional biodiversity value - Tam Dao, Cuc Phuong, Bach Ma, Yok Don and Cat Tien - are directly managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. Among them, Cat Tien National Park has already been approved in principle for transfer to the administration of Dong Nai City.

The Ministry emphasized that the national park system is not merely an asset of individual localities but a "particularly important natural asset" of the nation. These protected areas play a vital role in conserving biodiversity, safeguarding ecological and water security, and absorbing carbon to support Vietnam's goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. They also serve as "natural laboratories" for scientific research and genetic resource conservation.

Citing international experience, the Ministry said many countries continue to place nationally significant or inter-provincial national parks under central government management, while local authorities oversee other parks.

During consultations with the 10 provinces and cities containing portions of the inter-provincial parks, seven localities - Tuyen Quang, Phu Tho, Thanh Hoa, Da Nang, Dak Lak, Lam Dong and Thai Nguyen - supported continued ministerial management. Three localities - Dong Nai City, Ninh Binh and Hue - proposed taking over management of the park areas within their jurisdictions.

Notably, even provinces sharing the same national park have expressed differing views. Ninh Binh wants to assume management of Cuc Phuong National Park, while Thanh Hoa and Phu Tho support retaining the current centralized model.

Similarly, Hue has proposed taking over Bach Ma National Park, whereas Da Nang recommends that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment continue its direct management.

Vu Diep