Economic Growth vs Conservational Efforts

According to a Fox new article, Vietnam is in the process of a conservational effort to stop privatization of land that has been allocated for conservational purposes.  The land has been used as a bear sanctuary due to massive amount of killing for bile for medicinal purposes used primarily in China.  The Vietnamese government has attempeted to annex the previously allocated conservational area for military purposes.  The government has claimed that the area is a of "strategic importance to national defense." The government has also had purposals for ecotourism, hydroelectric power and logging potential. 

Conservationists have argued that this small amount of land is vital to ensuring the bears don't go extinct and allow the biodiversity of Vietnam's ecosystem to be sustained.  The U.S. and other countries have pressured Vietnam's government to maintain and expand their land conservation.  While Vietnam is a small country with only 1% of the world's land, it inhabits 10% of the world's species.  For this reason, it is important for the biodiversity available in this area to be conserved.  Conservation efforts in this region are being threatened by a growing private sector that is more focused on gaining profits than keeping the ecosystems intact. 

Other areas that are conserved as national parks are also suffering from the desire to use the land for economic gain.  Another aspect that is affecting the conservation efforts in Vietnam is the lack of enforcing the laws pertaining to ecological conservation.  While conservationists and industrialists continue to try to expand their goals, there will always be benefits and drawbacks, they still have to find a common ground.  Vietnam is growing at a rapid rate and while land cannot be expanded, Vietname will have to find a way to bothe conserve their land and find new economical ways to grow effeciently.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/11/14/in-vietnam-threats-to-bear-park-highlight-tensions-between-conservation-goals/