Lam Dong Province’s authorities have instructed the Lam Dong Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to lead and coordinate with the provincial inspectorate and relevant agencies to inspect the golf course project in Da Ron Commune, Don Duong District. This project, operated by Acteam International Co., Ltd. (also known as The Dalat at 1200 golf course), has been in operation since late 2015 and has resulted in significant deforestation.
According to the Lam Dong Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in 2008, the Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee leased over 649 hectares of land to Acteam International Co., Ltd. for the construction of a golf course and resort in Don Duong District. This land included 533.05 hectares of forested area (consisting of 430.53 hectares of natural forest and 102.52 hectares of planted forest) and 116.74 hectares of non-forested land.
Through a forest inventory, authorities determined that the forested area decreased by over 43.2 hectares between 2022 and 2007 (the year of the inventory before handover to the investor).
However, among this area, only 2.77 hectares of lost forest have been addressed by the authorities, primarily forests cleared by Acteam International Co., Ltd. on leased land without proper authorization.
The remaining 37.52 hectares of lost forest have not yet been addressed. Notably, local authorities have not detected or taken action regarding this portion of the lost forest. The deforestation occurred from the implementation of the project until around 2017.
Based on document collection and on-site observations, the Lam Dong Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has identified that Acteam International Co., Ltd. directly cleared forests to develop infrastructure for the project.
Regarding the lost forest area, there are 11.53 hectares of protected forest (over 30 times the amount subject to administrative fines), indicating the offense of "forest destruction" as outlined in Article 243 of the Criminal Code of 2015 (amended and supplemented in 2017). Therefore, the case needs careful consideration and evaluation to propose a solution that neither misses the perpetrators of their wrongdoing nor disrupts the company's investment activities.
Additionally, the reduction in forested areas took place a long time ago. The grounds for criminal prosecution are not tight, and it is associated with a major investment project in the province. Therefore, supplementary documentation is necessary, including the forest's condition before it was handed over to Acteam International Co., Ltd., and the previous procedures for forest resource handover.
In response to this issue, the agricultural sector recommends that the Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee task the provincial inspectorate with conducting a thorough investigation of the project. After the inspection, recommendations and proposals will be made for appropriate legal actions in accordance with the law.
