COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL OBLIGATIONS IN VIET NAM THE CASE OF THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY Hoang Ly Anh May 2013 COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL OBLIGATIONS IN VIET NAM THE CASE OF THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY Submitted by Hoang Ly Anh LLB (MGIMO, Moscow, Russia) LLM (Hanoi Law University, Viet Nam) A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Juridical Science School of Law Faculty of Business, Economics and Law La Trobe University Bundoora, Victoria 3086 Australia May 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents.viii Table of Abbreviations……………………………………………………………….ix Statement of Authorship……………………………………………………………….xi Chapter One: Introduction………………………………. International Environmental Treaties and the Participation of Viet Nam. Compliance with International Environmental Obligations in Viet Nam: Problems and the Case of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Main Argument and Thesis Structure……………….7 Chapter Two: Compliance with International Environmental Obligations……….
Concept of ‘Compliance’…………. Notion of ‘Compliance’. Implementation, Enforcement and Facilitating-Compliance Mechanisms ……………………………………………………………. The Concept of the Implementation and Implementation Mechanisms…………………………………………………………….
Enforcement and Facilitating-Compliance Mechanisms……………. The Issue of Compliance with International Environmental Obligations………………………………………………………………. International Law Scholars……………………………………………15 ii. International Relation and Political Economy Scholars…………….
Institutional and Liberal Scholars……………………………………18 2. Implementation to Comply with International Environmental Treaties in Viet Nam……………………………………………………………………………. Implementation of International Environmental Obligations prior to the Adoption of the 1989 Ordinance ……………………………………21 2. Implementation of International Environmental Obligations after the Enactment of the 1989 Ordinance ………………………….
The Concept of Implementation of Treaties in Vietnamese Literature………………………………………………………………. The 2005 Law on Conclusion, Accession and Implementation of International Treaties and the Concept of Implementation…………….31 Chapter Three: Viet Nam’s Socio-Political and Legal Environment for Implementation of International Environmental Obligations…………………. Traditional Vietnamese Society and the Implications for Contemporary Legal System of Viet Nam……………………………………………………………. Main Features of Vietnamese Traditional Society and Law……………………………….
The Implication of Vietnamese Traditional Society and Law to Contemporary Law………………………………………………………37 2. Socio-Political Context of Contemporary Vietnamese Legal System for the Implementation of International Environmental Obligation. Legal Environment for Implementation of International Environmental of International Environmental Obligations – Some Distinctive Features…………43 3. Legal Normative Documents and the Vietnamese Environmental Law………………………………………………………………………43 3.
State Management over Environmental Protection in Viet Nam……………………………………………………………………. Vietnamese Judiciary for Law Enforcement.55 Chapter Four: Convention on Biological Diversity and Its Implications for Viet Nam’s Implementation of International Environmental Obligations………………57 Introduction………………………………………………. The Convention on Biological Diversity – An Overview……………………. The Role of the CBD……………………………………………….
Complement to Existing International Legal Framework on Biodiversity………………………………………………………………59 ii. The CBD - Sustainable Development Convention……………………63 1. The CBD’s Objectives and Principles, Concepts and Approaches………………………………………………………………64 i. The CBD’s Objectives and Principles……….
The CBD’s Approach to Biodiversity………. Characteristics of the CBD’s Obligations…………………………. Major Obligations under the CBD……………………………………………. Obligations for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use.
In-situ Conservation Obligations…………………………………. Ex-situ Conservation Obligations …………………………. The Obligations for Equitable Benefit Sharing of the Use of Genetic Resources……………………………………………………………….83 Chapter Five: Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Viet Nam: the Law on Biological Diversity……………………. Implementation of Biodiversity Obligations by Vietnamese Law prior to the Adoption of the Law on Biological Diversity………………………………….
Pre-2008 Laws: Inadequacy, Insufficiency and Fragmentation……. Inadequate Implementation by the 1993 LEP and the 2005 LEP………………………………………………………………. Piecemeal and Insufficient Implementation by Other Legislations. Limited Implementation by Viet Nam’s Biodiversity Action Plan……90 iv.
Lack of Cohesion of Biodiversity Legal Framework…………………91 2. The Law on Biological Diversity for the Implementation of the CBD’s Obligations in Viet Nam……………………………………………………. The Law on Biological Diversity – Concepts and Principles………………………………………………………………. Concept of Biodiversity……………………………………………….
The Concept of Biodiversity Conservation…. Principles of Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development……………………………………………………………103 2. Problems of the Implementation: the Issue of Comprehensiveness, Consistency and Harmonisation of the Law on Biological Diversity…. The Comprehensiveness and Consistency of the Law.
The Harmonisation of the Law on Biological Diversity and other Related Laws: A Debatable Issue…………………………………….112 Chapter Six: Implementation of Convention on Biological Diversity: Selected Issues…………………………………………………………………………………. Vietnamese Implementation of the Obligations on Establishment and Management of Protected Areas. Planning a PAs System in Viet Nam………. Establishment and Management of Viet Nam’s Protected Areas prior to the Ratification of the CBD: Some Historical Background.
Establishment and Management of Viet Nam’s Protected Areas Prior to 1986……………………………………………………………………119 ii. Establishment and Management of Viet Nam’s Protected Areas since 1986 until the Ratification of the CBD - An Analysis of Special-Use Forests…………………………………………………………………. Vietnamese Implementation of the CBD’s Obligations on Protected Areas……………………………………………………………………123 i. Vietnamese Implementation of the CBD’s Obligations on Protected Areas: Mixed Policy and Legal Implementations.
Problems of Vietnamese Implementation of the CBD’s Obligations on Protected Areas. Implementation of Obligations in regard to Conservation and Sustainable Use of Species. The CBD and Species-related Obligations: The Main Approaches to Species Conservation and Sustainable Use…………………………….2 Viet Nam and Implementation of the CBD’s Obligations Regarding the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Species………………… …. Viet Nam and Conservation of Threatened Species through Protected Species…………….
Vietnamese Implementation of the CBD’s Obligation to Combat Invasive Alien Species….153 Chapter Seven: Conclusion…………………………………………………………. Vietnamese Implementation of International Environmental Obligations – Summary and Problems………………………………………………. Viet Nam and the Inconsistent Approaches to Implementation of International Environmental Treaties. Implementation of the CBD’s Obligations in Viet Nam: the Implications of the CBD and the Inadequacy of Laws, Policies and Facilitating Mechanisms……………………………………………….
Towards More Effective Implementation of International Environmental Obligations in Viet Nam – Improvement of Policies, Laws and Related Actors and Factors.1 Improving the Legal and Policy Framework for Strengthening Compliance with International Environmental Obligations……………………. Enhancing the Role of Governmental Agencies in the Implementation of International Environmental Obligations in Viet Nam……………. Strengthening Non-State Actors and Factors……………………. Compliance with International Environmental Obligations in Viet Nam: for Better Law Enforcement Mechanisms…………………………………………163 3.
Developing an Adequate Compensation Mechanism for Biodiversity Damage…………. Overview of Compensation for Biodiversity Damage. Compensation Mechanisms for Biodiversity Damage under Vietnamese Law. Possibility of Adopting a Model of Specialist Environment Courts in Viet Nam……………………………………………………………….
Overview of Specialist Environment Courts. Environment Court Model: Land and Environment Court of New South Wales. Viet Nam and the Possibility of Adopting a Model of Specialist Environment Courts.178 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In completing this thesis, I owe a great debt of gratitude to many people and organisations. I owe a particular debt of gratitude to my supervisors, Professor Jianfu Chen and Associate Professor Savitri Taylor, for their great academic guidance, deep understanding, and whole- hearted support throughout the years.
Their expertise, time and energy to read my drafts and provide insightful comments have helped me to clarify the main thesis and shape argument, and more importantly, have made this thesis fruitful. Specifically, I owe my principal supervisor Professor Jianfu Chen for his inspiration and consideration. What my supervisors have done for me throughout my study is far beyond their supervising responsibilities. I deeply thank them for all.
My special thanks go to the Government of Viet Nam, Hanoi Law University - my home University, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education and Training for providing me a great opportunity to study in Australia. La Trobe Law School is specially thanked for generously providing me with scholarship for my final year and financial support for outside research, conference during my study. Professor Paula Baron, the Head of School, is grateful for her kindness and generous support at critical stage of my thesis. I would like to extend my particular thanks to Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, and La Trobe University for providing me with such a great research environment.
The staff members of La Trobe University and especially those of La Trobe Law are thanked for their consideration and kind assistance. I would like to express my particular thanks to Professor Gordon Walker for his encouragement and time to read my draft at my final stage. My special thanks go to the Faculty of International Law and my colleagues especially at the Department of Public International Law for taking all my commitments during my study abroad. I would also want to thank Viet Nam International Education Department (VIED) and staff, Viet Nam’s Embassy in Australia for kind support through the years.
Gabi Duigu is specially thanked for her excellent editing of my thesis, for helping to improve the English expression in the course of wring the thesis, and also for great mental support. vi My deepest thanks go to my parents for their unconditional love and care for my family, especially my little daughter when I am not at home due to my long study. I am in debted to my brothers and sisters, especially my dear sister Hoang Van Anh, who are always encouraging me to finish my thesis and taking care of my girl and parents, especially of my farther when I am away. My family is especially thanked for their great financial support for my study.
I owe my beloved husband Nguyen Van Quang and my lovely daughter Nguyen Hoang Nhu Anh (Bống) for their sacrifice, devotion, motivation and above all, the endless love for me. My husband is specially thanked for his encouragement and time to read my final drafts. I would like to express my special thanks to my friends at La Trobe for their kind assistance and sharing especially Thanh -Thu & James, Toan, Phuong - Tuong & Vivi, Nhung Le, Le Thi Hong, my housemates at BW26 and Waterdales flats Van Nguyen, Kim Anh, Dinh-Lien, Hung-Ha, Duong Nhu, Dung Nguyen, Hoang Phan and others. My research friends at La Trobe Law particularly Long Tran, Nguyen Van Tuan, Chinthaka, Sham Musa, Hai and Toan are specially thanked for sharing and encouragement.
Last but not least, I would like to thank friends and many other people and institutions which are in various ways assist me to complete the thesis. vii ABSTRACT Domestic compliance with international environmental obligations may be achieved through many different methods, specifically through implementation. This thesis presents an in-depth analysis of implementation to comply with international environmental obligations in the situation of Viet Nam, as an Asian country in transition, through the case of the Convention on Biological Diversity. It examines the complex process of the Vietnamese implementation of international environmental obligations, involving different elements such as policy and legal instruments, and other relevant actors and factors.
This thesis argues that while a rather comprehensive legal and policy framework and other facilitating mechanisms have been set up to meet the treaty’s obligations, the treaty’s features and implementation requirements and the Vietnamese context are the major aspects affecting the implementation to comply with international environmental obligations. Revealing the limitations of the Vietnamese implementation of international environmental obligations, the thesis also offers several solutions for improving the implementation to comply with international environmental obligations in the Vietnamese context. viii TABBLE OF ABBREVIATIONS The following abbreviations appear in the main text and/or footnotes of this thesis. Most are spelled out in full or otherwise explained when they are first mentioned.
STATES AND ORGANISATIONS ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations CPV Communist Party of Viet Nam DONRE Department of Natural Resources and Environment (So Tai Nguyen Va Moi Truong, Viet Nam) DRV Democratic Republic of Vietnam IMF International Monetary Fund IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature MARD Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Bo Nong Nghiep Va Phat Trien Nong Thon, Viet Nam) MONRE Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Bo Tai Nguyen Va Moi Truong, Viet Nam) NSW New South Wales (Australia) NSWPD New South Wales Parliamentary Debate SRV Socialist Republic of Viet Nam UNCED United Nations Conference on Environment and Development UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation VEA Viet Nam Environmental Administration (Tong Cuc Bao Ve Moi Truong, Viet Nam) WTO World Trade Organisation 2. LEGISLATION Bonn Convention Convention on the Conservation of Migratory of Wild Animals CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora EPBC Act Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) ix LBD Law on Biological Diversity LEP Law on Environmental Protection NBAP National Biodiversity Action Plan to 2010 and Orientation towards 2020 Ramsar Convention Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat VBAP Viet Nam Biodiversity Action Plan World Heritage Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Convention Natural Heritage 3.