The Golden Mountain’s Quest for 186 Hectares: A County’s Concern

According to the report, on October 9, 2023, the Vietnam Mineral Resources Department issued a document on seeking opinions on prohibited, temporarily prohibited mineral activities, and forest planning in the Tra Long – Suoi Cay – K7 gold exploration area, belonging to Phuoc Duc, Phuoc Nang, and Phuoc Xuan communes, Phuoc Son district.

According to the opinion of the Military Command of Quang Nam province, the area proposed for gold mineral exploration license at Tra Long – Suoi Cay – K7 is about 1,609 hectares. The current status at the time of inspection is hilly land, with natural forest occupying the majority of the area. The area is not defense land, there are no defense works or land planned for defense allocation.

According to the document of Phuoc Son Gold Company Limited, the exploration work in the area of 16.09 km2 will include: geological mapping, geochemical work, geophysical surveying, cleaning exposed veins, trenching, surveying, and exploration drilling with a total of 101 drill holes.

Of these, only exploration drilling (a total of 101 drill holes) in an area of 1.86 km2 (equivalent to 186 hectares) will have a direct impact on the natural ground but in a “small area”

According to the Quang Nam Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the total area of the project site is 186 hectares. Of which, the current status is natural forest occupying 166.1 hectares and barren land occupying 19.9 hectares (barren land, barren land with regenerating trees). Among them, the area for placing 101 mineral exploration drill holes of 2,020 m2 (20 m2 per drill hole) directly impacts the natural ground, with the current status being barren land (barren land, barren land with regenerating trees, no natural forest trees)

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quang Nam province proposed that Phuoc Son Gold Company Limited commit to the People’s Committee of Phuoc Son district to only use existing communal roads, trails, and paths to transport machinery and equipment to serve mineral exploration drilling (when permitted by competent authorities to drill exploration); do not affect natural forests or open new roads when implementing the project.

During the mineral exploration process, if there is a need to impact the forest (cutting down natural forest trees, bulldozing, opening roads, etc.), procedures must be established and submitted to the competent authorities for a decision on the policy of changing the forest use purpose according to regulations…

Meanwhile, according to the People’s Committee of Phuoc Son district, the area proposed for licensing has natural forests occupying the majority (99%) of the area.

This area, although not in the core area of the Song Thanh National Park, is located at the headwaters of the Song Thanh River, adjacent to the park’s forest area and in the park’s buffer zone.

The current natural forest has a diverse and rich flora and fauna. When carrying out exploration and exploitation activities, the process of opening roads, transporting machinery and equipment, building camps and workshops, and bringing people into the forest will affect the headwaters of the Song Thanh River, affecting flora and fauna and causing deforestation, greatly affecting the forest ecosystem environment and causing difficulties in managing and protecting Song Thanh National Park as well as forest management and protection of Phuoc Son district…

Therefore, the People’s Committee of Phuoc Son district does not agree with the proposal of Phuoc Son Gold Company Limited on the licensing of exploration and exploitation of primary gold minerals in the above area.