Supporting Letter for the Petition to Save Cat Tien by the Love & Save Cat Tien National Park Group in Vietnam

November 11, 2012

Dear Love & Save Cat Tien National Park Group,

We the undersigned, Vietnamese from around the world, are concerned for the sustainable development of our country, the preservation of its cultural heritage, the protection of its environment and the conservation of its natural resources. We wholeheartedly support your Petition to save Cat Tien National Park with its very convincing arguments.

We would like to contribute a few additional thoughts, in the hope that the Government of Vietnam will be persuaded to cancel the Dong Nai 6 and Dong Nai 6A hydropower projects in view of the adverse impacts they would have on Cat Tien National Park, a rare and precious ecological and cultural heritage for Vietnam and the world.

The construction of these two additional hydropower plants within the strictly protected zone of Cat Tien National Park would be a violation of Vietnam’s Law for the Protection of Biodiversity and of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands regarding the Bau Sau (Crocodile Lake) Wetlands and Biosphere Reserve. These dams would also undermine the case for Cat Tien National Park to be recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage, together with the Oc Eo Cultural Heritage Site and the Space of Gong Culture.

The potential benefits of the two hydropower projects do not justify their cultural, environmental and social costs. The deforestation they would cause goes against the current international trend of achieving economics and conservation benefits by using the REDD (Reduced Emission from Forest Destruction and Degradation) mechanism.

An area of 3,200,000 square meters of forests would be permanently lost. According to the project environmental impact assessment report, the total budget set aside for forest restoration and wild life preservation will be VND 95 billions or just 1% of total investment, equivalent to 14 US cents per square meter per year. The ecological loss would hugely outweigh the economic benefits.

It is important to point out that 90% of the total hydropower potential of the Dong Nai river has already been exploited by the DN 2, 3, 4, 5 and Tri An dams. Cat Tien National Park is the last forest area left unexploited between them. The proposed locations for DN 6 and DN 6A are immediately upstream of Cat Tien and the reservoir operation would alter the hydrological regime and the flood cycles, destroying the ecological environment of Cat Tien. The proposed new access roads to these dams and reservoirs would provide easy access for illegal loggers and poachers.

Cat Tien National Park is the last surviving native forest in the Dong Nai river basin after three decades of hydro development. It represents an ecological treasure for Vietnam and the world. Cat Tien should not be sacrificed for 212 MW of hydropower, which could be easily recovered by more efficient energy usage.

The Vietnamese government should draw lessons from the failure of previous hydropower projects due to unsustainable development methods. Projects such as A Vuong, Song Tranh and Dakrong must have been determined to have met national standards, yet they have all turned out to be dismal failures, causing safety problems and disasters for the people. A national moratorium should be issued on all dam construction and all existing dams should be subjected to safety inspection and re-certification. It's time to reassess and update the national standards for EIA, design, construction, supervision, operation, maintenance and monitoring of the dams to protect the people living downstream and minimize the environmental impacts of hydropower development.

The government should prevent any projects that only benefit self-interest groups seeking to profit from the destruction of national resources while putting people’s lives and properties in danger.
Your call to save Cat Tien has been heard worldwide. Your petition, which has gathered thousands of signatures, will ensure that Cat Tien National Park, together with Oc Eo’s Cultural Heritage and the Space of Gong Culture, will not be silently destroyed.

Respectfully,

List of Signatures November 11, 2012:

1. Đặng Đình Cung, Doctor Engineer, Industrial Management Consultant	France
2. Lê Xuân Khoa, Adjunct professor (ret.), Johns Hopkins University	USA
3. Mai Nghiêm, M.Sc., Biologist	Canada
4. Ngô Minh Triết, P.E., Structural Engineer	USA
5. Ngô Thế Vinh, M.D., Writer	USA
6. Nguyễn Đăng Hưng, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Liège	Belgium
7. Nguyễn Đức Hiệp, Ph.D., Atmospheric Scientist, Office of Environment & Heritage NSW	Australia
8. Nguyễn Phạm Điền, Independent Researcher	Australia
9. Nguyễn Thái Sơn, Ph.D., Academie de Geopolitique de Paris	France
10. Phạm Phan Long, P.E., Chairman, Viet Ecology Foundation	USA
11. Phạm Quang Tuấn, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of New South Wales	Australia
12. Phạm Xuân Yêm, Professor, Research Director, CNRS & University Paris VI	France
13. Thái Văn Cầu, M.S., Space System Specialist	USA
14. Trần Đình Dũng. M.S., Executive Director, Viet Ecology Foundation	USA
15. Trương Phước Trường, Honorary Professor, The University of Sydney	Australia
16. NguyễnThị Hải Yến, Ph.D. Engineering, Environment Ecology	Germany
17. Phan Hoàng Đồng, Ph.D, Forestry	Germany

Notice:

1. This letter belongs to the signatories listed above.

2. The letter may be updated with new endorsements.

Contact for the Letter:

Support CátTiên

c/o Viet Ecology Foundation (VEF)

4888 NW Bethany Blvd., Ste. K5232

Portland, OR 97229 - USA

Email Address: vefmedia@vietecology.org