Hanoi (VNA)- The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment hosted an online conferenceon March 4 discussing the building of a national marine space plan and a master plan on the exploitation and sustainable useof coastal resources in 2021-2030 and vision to 2045.

According to General Director of the Vietnam Administrationof Seas and Islands (VASI) Ta Dinh Thi, the multidisciplinary plans arebeing developed under an integrated and ecosystem-based approach, serving the orientationand establishment of plans for using marine space and resolving inadequacies inmarine use, thereby balancing economic development, national defence and security,and marine ecosystem protection.

The master plans are prepared on the basis of integrating national master plansrelating to the sea, with adjustments made to address conflicting and overlappingissues in the maritime space. They cover coastal areas, islands, archipelagos, territorialwaters, and airspace under Vietnam’s sovereignty, sovereign rights,and jurisdiction.

The national marine space plan aims to ensure the efficient exploitationand sustainable use of marine resources and islands on the basis of a harmoniouscombination of socio-economic development and environmental protection, defenceand security, and foreign affairs and international cooperation in coastal areas,islands, archipelagos, territorial waters, and airspace under Vietnam’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, the master plan on the exploitation and sustainable useof coastal resources in 2021-2030 with a vision to 2045 coverscoastal waters to an outer boundary of about 6 nautical miles from the coast andthe coastal areas of communes, wards, and towns in 28 coastal provinces and centrally-runcities. However, to ensure the integrity of important ecosystems and habitats, andto pay due attention to strong interaction between the mainland and seas, thereach of the coastal space in some areas may be extended further towards both themainland and the sea.

This plan aims at the overall goal of managing, exploiting, and efficientlyusing natural resources, serving sustainable socio-economic development, climatechange adaptation, and the safeguarding of national defence and security along thecoast.

Addressing the conference, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and EnvironmentLe Minh Ngan spoke highly of VASI’s efforts in preparing these master plans.

The plans cover a number of new issues to be mentioned for the first time, hestressed, and so require the coordination of relevant ministries, sectors, and localities.

He also emphasised the importance of selecting consultation units andconsulting ministries, sectors, localities, and experts and scientists on theseplans./.