Gia Lai vegetation threatened by golf course project

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked Gia Lai Province to reconsider their proposal to use 174 hectares of forest land for a golf course project due to its environmental impact.

The Vietnam Administration of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked Gia Lai Province to reconsider their proposal to use 174 hectares of forest land for a golf course project due to its environmental impact.

   

Gia Lai vegetation threatened by golf course project.

Gia Lai People's Committee proposed to the PM to convert forest land into commercial land to build a golf course in Dak Doa. However, according to the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, the golf course project will take up to 174ha of forest land and completely destroy 50-year-old vegetation.

Moreover, Gia Lai People's Committee didn't include the golf course project-related papers in their proposal so their proposal didn't meet the requirement to be reviewed. The administration also sent an official document to Gia Lai People's Committee, asking them to carefully reconsider the project.

"Climate change has caused extreme weather phenomena and disasters to occur more frequently. We have had severe flooding and landslides in several provinces, killing many people. Even though there is no official conclusion yet, the NA deputies and experts have questioned if the decreasing forest areas is the cause which badly affected the sustainability of the forest in the Central Highlands," the administration wrote in the document.

Dak Doa Golf Course Project is a part of the high-class eco-tourism resort and entertainment complex plan. It aims to meet international standards and become a tourism hotspot of North Central Highlands. The plan will cover 197.3ha and the land will be leased for 50 years. The total investment cost is over VND1.3trn (USD56m).

According to Gia Lai People's Committee, if the project is approved, the collected tax would be over VND13bn (USD560,000).