Circular No. 83/2025/TT-BNNMT detailing certain provisions of the Biodiversity Law, some decrees guiding the implementation of the Biodiversity Law and the Environmental Protection Law.

 CIRCULAR 

REGULATIONS ON SOME PROVISIONS OF THE BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY LAW, SOME DECREES GUIDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY LAW AND ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION LAW

On the basis of 61/2014/QH13;

On the basis of The Biological Diversity Law No. 20/2008/QH12, amended and supplemented by Law No. 35/2018/QH14 and Law No. 146/2025/QH15;

On the basis of The Environmental Protection Law No. 72/2020/QH14, amended and supplemented by Government Decree No. 146/2025/QH15;

Decree No. 35/2025/NĐ-CP dated February 25, 2025, stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development;

Decree No. 66/2019/NĐ-CP dated July 29, 2019, guiding the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands;

Decree No. 08/2022/NĐ-CP dated January 10, 2022, providing detailed regulations on some provisions of The Environmental Protection Law;

At the proposal of the Director of the Department of Nature Conservation and Biological Diversity;

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development issues this Circular to provide detailed regulations on some provisions of The Biological Diversity Law, some decrees guiding the implementation Of the Biological Diversity Law and The Environmental Protection Law.

PART I
GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Circular provides detailed regulations on some provisions of the Biological Diversity Law, some decrees guiding the implementation of the Biological Diversity Law and the Environmental Protection Law regarding: basic surveys on biological diversity; information and databases on biological diversity; management regulations for protected areas; conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and natural heritage management except cases implemented according to laws on cultural heritage.

Article 2. Applicability

This Circular applies to organizations and individuals involved in activities related to the provisions set forth in Article 1 of this Circular.

Chapter II
BASIC SURVEYS, INFORMATION, DATABASES ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

Article 3. Basic Surveys on Biological Diversity

1. Survey Content, Indicators:

a) Survey content includes: basic surveys of natural ecosystems, wild species, crop varieties, livestock breeds, microorganisms and fungi, valuable gene sources serving conservation and sustainable development of biological diversity;

b) Survey indicators as specified in Appendix I attached to this Circular.

2. Survey Principles:

a) Compliance with laws on biological diversity and relevant laws;

b) Ensuring scientific, synchronized, and unified survey indicators and technical methods nationwide; combining the implementation of survey contents and indicators with similar methods at the same field survey route or point to enhance efficiency and save resources; inheriting results from related activities; adapting to natural conditions, economic and social conditions of the surveyed area;

c) Prioritizing the application of advanced technology, remote sensing, geographic information systems, artificial intelligence in surveys, data analysis, and processing.

3. Survey Implementation Process:

a) Preparation work includes: drafting the outline and budget estimate; preparing necessary materials and equipment; collecting images, maps, and related documents; determining survey indicators; determining sample size based on survey content; designing survey routes, points, and grids on the map;

b) Field surveys conducted according to the method prescribed in Clause 4 of this Article;

c) Office work including: editing and completing current status maps and thematic maps (if applicable); processing survey information and data; compiling results into prescribed forms; writing survey result reports; updating data into the National Biological Diversity Database.

4. Survey Methods:

a) For indicators related to forest ecosystems, follow forestry laws;

b) For indicators related to wetland ecosystems, follow laws on wetlands;

c) For indicators related to coral reef and seagrass ecosystems, follow laws on marine resources and islands;

d) For indicators related to crop and livestock varieties, follow laws on agriculture and animal husbandry;

đ) For indicators related to species, follow methods such as: observing and recording species along routes, points, or sampling plots; using video cameras, audio recorders, camera traps, light traps, pitfall traps, and automatic monitoring devices; applying remote sensing, satellite imagery, unmanned aerial vehicles, and positioning devices to identify species and their distribution.

5. Survey Products:

a) Natural ecosystem surveys: current status maps, thematic maps (if applicable), survey data compiled according to Model Nos. 01, 02, 03, and 04 in Appendix I attached to this Circular;

b) Species surveys: survey data compiled according to Model Nos. 05 and 06 in Appendix I attached to this Circular;

c) Gene source surveys: survey data compiled according to Model No. 07 in Appendix I attached to this Circular.

6. Basic surveys on biological diversity are conducted every five years or when necessary, as assigned by competent authorities.

Article 4. Supplying, Exchanging, Managing Biodiversity Information

1. Principles for supplying, exchanging, and managing biodiversity information:

a) Compliance with laws on biodiversity, access to information, intellectual property, data, and state secrets protection;

b) Ensuring transparency, efficiency, and convenience in supplying, exchanging, and managing information;

c) Applying digital technology, integrated information systems, and advanced solutions in supplying, exchanging, and managing biodiversity information.

2. Supplying and Exchanging Biodiversity Information

a) Organizations and individuals involved in activities related to biodiversity that use state budget funds shall be responsible for providing information through updating it into the national biodiversity database, specialized biodiversity databases, or periodic and ad hoc reports on biodiversity as required by competent state agencies pursuant to Article 71 of the Biodiversity Law;

b) State management agencies shall provide biodiversity information and data in accordance with laws on access to information;

c) Organizations and individuals as stipulated in Clause 1, Article 67 of the Biodiversity Law shall publicly disclose information about risk levels and risk management measures caused by genetically modified organisms and genetic material of genetically modified organisms to biodiversity through posting data on data portals, electronic information portals, websites of organizations and individuals, and mass media according to the law;

d) The exchange of biodiversity information includes default exchange data and requested exchange data, which is carried out through connection, interconnection, and online sharing of data in electronic environments; packaging on storage media and other forms as prescribed by laws on data and electronic transactions.

3. Managing Biodiversity Information and Data

a) Digital biodiversity information and data shall be integrated and managed in the biodiversity database as prescribed in Article 5 of this Circular;

b) Biodiversity information and data in other formats shall be stored and managed in accordance with laws on archiving and regulations on storing agricultural and environmental information data.

Article 5. Biodiversity Database

1. The biodiversity database is uniformly used from central to local levels, including the national biodiversity database and specialized biodiversity databases. Specialized biodiversity databases must ensure connectivity and interconnection with the national biodiversity database.

2. Contents of the National Biodiversity Database include:

a) Attribute Data:

Data on natural heritage, nature reserves, biodiversity corridors, important ecological landscapes, high-biodiversity areas, important wetlands, and biodiversity conservation facilities.

Data on natural ecosystems.

Data on species; genetic resources; genetically modified organisms and genetic material of genetically modified organisms related to biodiversity.

Data on statistical indicators, basic surveys, inventories, monitoring, and reports on biodiversity.

b) Unstructured Data: Electronic files, records, and documents related to natural conservation and biodiversity, and multimedia images and files.

c) Common Catalogue Data: Administrative unit catalogues; catalogues of types of natural heritage, nature reserves, biodiversity corridors, important ecological landscapes, high-biodiversity areas, important wetlands, and biodiversity conservation facilities; ecosystem type catalogues; taxonomic catalogues; genetically modified organism catalogues; statistical indicator catalogues, basic survey indicator catalogues, inventory catalogues, monitoring catalogues, and biodiversity report catalogues.

d) Metadata comprising descriptive information about data in the national biodiversity database.

3. Contents of specialized biodiversity databases are decided by specialized state management agencies based on practical needs.

4. Input information for the national biodiversity database includes:

a) Results of public service implementation;

b) Statistical results, basic surveys, inventories, and monitoring of biodiversity;

c) Biodiversity reports at various levels;

d) Information and data from other databases.

5. Construction, management, operation, exploitation, and use of the biodiversity database shall be carried out in accordance with regulations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Chapter III
MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS FOR PROTECTED AREAS; CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF WETLANDS; MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL HERITAGE

 MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS FOR PROTECTED AREAS

Section 1

 MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS FOR PROTECTED AREAS

Article 6. Contents of the Management Regulation for Conservation Areas

The Management Regulation for Conservation Areas shall be implemented in accordance with laws on biodiversity, forestry, fisheries, and shall include the following main contents:

1. Conservation Area: Determining boundaries, area, functional zones of the conservation area; managing activities within the conservation area; rights, obligations, and responsibilities of the Management Board or organization entrusted to manage the conservation area; rights, obligations, and responsibilities of agencies, organizations, and individuals involved in activities related to the conservation area; resources and organizations implementing the Regulation; other contents as prescribed by laws on biodiversity, forestry, fisheries, environmental protection, and other relevant laws.

2. Buffer Zone: Determining boundaries, area of the buffer zone; managing activities within the buffer zone of the conservation area; rights, obligations, and responsibilities of the Management Board or organization entrusted to manage the conservation area; rights, obligations, and responsibilities of agencies, organizations, and individuals involved in activities related to the buffer zone of the conservation area; resources and organizations implementing the regulation; other contents as prescribed by laws on biodiversity, forestry, fisheries, environmental protection, and other relevant laws.

Section 2

CLASSIFICATION, STATISTICS, INVENTORY AND MONITORING OF WETLANDS

WETLAND AREAS

Article 7. Classification of Wetlands

1. Classification of wetlands is the process of identifying types of wetlands to determine objectives, tasks, and management, conservation, and sustainable use activities.

2. Based on natural factors and the degree of human impact, wetland areas are divided into three groups as follows:

a) Coastal and island wetlands (Group I): determined from the mean high tide line over many years seaward to the lowest mean sea edge (lowest tidal mark); from the lowest mean sea edge seaward to a depth of six meters below sea level;

b) Inland wetlands (Group II): determined from the mean high tide line over many years in land areas to national borders;

c) Artificial wetlands (Group III): wetland areas formed due to human influence.

3. The wetland areas specified in Clause 2 of this Article include twenty-six types of wetlands as stipulated in Appendix II attached hereto.

Article 8. Statistics, Inventory, and Monitoring of Wetland Areas

1. Statistics and Inventory of Wetland Areas

a) Statistics and inventory regarding: area and number of types of wetlands, important wetland areas;

b) Conduct statistics and inventory of wetland areas every five years.

2. Monitoring Important Wetland Areas

a) Monitoring hydrological regime, water quality, sediment: monitoring content shall be carried out in accordance with laws on meteorology and hydrology, environmental protection;

b) Monitoring biodiversity: composition and number of individuals of waterbird species, migratory birds, and other monitoring indicators according to laws on biodiversity;

c) Conduct monitoring of important wetland areas at least once a year.

3. Every three years, the People's Committee of the province shall report on wetland areas as prescribed in Appendix III attached hereto.

Section 3

MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL HERITAGE

Article 9. Procedures for Establishing and Recognizing National Natural Heritage Sites

1. The dossier may be in paper form or digitized electronic form, including:

a) A project report on establishing and recognizing national natural heritage sites as prescribed in Model No. 01 of Appendix IV issued together with this Circular;

b) A draft decision on establishing and recognizing national natural heritage sites as prescribed in Model No. 02 of Appendix IV issued together with this Circular;

c) A summary table of opinions on the project to establish national natural heritage sites from relevant agencies and organizations, including ministries, ministerial-level agencies related to the project; organizations and communities living legally within or adjacent to the proposed site;

d) An agreement document from the People's Committee of the province where the area of the proposed national natural heritage site is located, for cases under the authority of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, or an agreement document from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for cases under the authority of the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province;

đ) A report on the results of the review as prescribed in Model No. 03 of Appendix IV issued together with this Circular.

2. Procedures for Recognizing National Natural Heritage Sites Under the Authority of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development

a) The specialized agency assigned by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to build the project to establish national natural heritage sites shall submit the project to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for review. The dossier includes documents as prescribed in point a, Clause 1 of this Article and a request for review of the project to establish national natural heritage sites as prescribed in Model No. 04 of Appendix IV issued together with this Circular;

b) Within five working days from the date of receiving a complete and valid review dossier, the Biodiversity Conservation Agency shall submit to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development a decision to establish a Review Board for the project to establish national natural heritage sites; the operational regulations of the Review Board for the project to establish national natural heritage sites as prescribed in Model No. 05 of Appendix IV issued together with this Circular;

c) Within fourteen working days from the date of establishment, the Review Board shall convene a meeting and report the results of the review. The review content shall be carried out as prescribed in point b, Clause 6, Article 19 of Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP dated January 10, 2022, detailing certain provisions of the Law on Environmental Protection;

d) Within five working days from the date of receipt of the review result report, the specialized agency assigned by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to build the project to establish national natural heritage sites shall perfect the dossier according to the Review Board's comments and submit it to the Biodiversity Conservation Agency for recognition of national natural heritage sites as prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article;

đ) Within five working days from the date of receipt of the completed dossier, the Biodiversity Conservation Agency shall submit to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development a decision to recognize national natural heritage sites;

e) Within five working days from the date of receipt of the submitted dossier, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development shall decide to recognize national natural heritage sites.

3. Procedures for Recognizing National Natural Heritage Sites Under the Authority of the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee

a) The specialized agency assigned by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee to build the project to establish national natural heritage sites shall submit the project to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for review. The dossier includes documents as prescribed in point a, Clause 1 of this Article and a request for review of the project to establish national natural heritage sites as prescribed in Model No. 04 of Appendix IV issued together with this Circular;

b) Within five working days from the date of receipt of a complete and valid review dossier, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee shall assign the provincial specialized state management agency (hereinafter referred to as the Standing Agency) to organize the review and submit to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee a decision to establish a Review Board for the project to establish national natural heritage sites; the operational regulations of the Review Board for the project to establish national natural heritage sites as prescribed in Model No. 05 of Appendix IV issued together with this Circular;

c) Within fourteen working days from the date of establishment, the Review Board shall convene a meeting to review and report the results of the review. The review content shall be carried out as prescribed in point b, Clause 6, Article 19 of Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP dated January 10, 2022, detailing certain provisions of the Law on Environmental Protection;

đ) Within five working days from the date of receipt of the review result report, the specialized agency assigned by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee to build the project to establish national natural heritage sites shall perfect the dossier according to the Review Board's comments and submit it to the Standing Agency for recognition of national natural heritage sites as prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article;

đ) Within five working days from the date of receipt of the completed dossier, the Standing Agency shall submit to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee a decision to recognize national natural heritage sites;

e) Within five working days from the date of receipt of the submitted dossier, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee shall decide to recognize national natural heritage sites.

Article 10. Nomination of natural heritage within the management area of the province for international organizations to recognize titles

1. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development shall organize the review and approve the proposal to nominate natural heritage for international organizations to recognize titles.

2. The dossier proposing agreement on the nomination of natural heritage for international organizations to recognize titles includes:

a) Draft document of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development sent to international organizations requesting recognition of natural heritage in Vietnamese and English for the title of ASEAN Heritage Park, Wetland of International Importance;

b) Nomination dossier according to the model of international organizations recognizing titles in Vietnamese and English;

c) Report on reviewing the dossier proposing international recognition of titles according to Model No. 06 attached as Appendix IV of this Circular;

d) Consensus document of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the nomination dossier for international recognition of titles for natural heritage with the titles of ASEAN Heritage Park, Wetland of International Importance.

3. Procedure and implementation:

a) The management board or organization entrusted with managing natural heritage reports to the specialized provincial state management agency to submit to the Provincial People's Committee for consideration, and sends the dossier as stipulated in point b, Clause 2, Article 2 of this Decree to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for review;

b) Within three working days from the date of receiving all documents, the Provincial People's Committee sends one set of paper or electronic dossier to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for review;

c) The Biodiversity Conservation Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development checks and accepts the dossier when it ensures completeness for direct submission of paper copies; checks and accepts within one working day for electronic dossiers, if the dossier is not valid, it responds in writing and specifies the reasons;

d) Within five working days from the date of receiving valid dossiers, the Biodiversity Conservation Department submits to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to establish a Review Board for the dossier proposing international recognition of titles. The Review Board consists of representatives from ministries in the fields of diplomacy, culture, sports and tourism, agriculture and rural development, relevant ministries and agencies at the level of ministries, representatives of the provincial people's committee where the natural heritage is nominated, representatives of some organizations, experts, scientists in related fields; Regulations on the operation of the Review Board for the dossier proposing international recognition of titles according to Model No. 07 attached as Appendix IV of this Circular;

e) Within fifteen working days from the date of establishment, the Board organizes a meeting to review and report the results of the review according to Model No. 06 attached as Appendix IV of this Circular. The content of the review is carried out according to the provisions of point c, Clause 2, Article 20 of Government Decree No. 08/2022/NĐ-CP dated January 10, 2022 detailing certain provisions of the Environmental Protection Law;

f) Within twenty working days from the date of the Review Report, the Provincial People's Committee completes the dossier according to the Review Board's opinions and resubmits it to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as stipulated in points a and b, Clause 2, Article 2 of this Decree;

g) For the titles of ASEAN Heritage Park, Wetland of International Importance:

Within ten working days from the date of receipt of the dossier, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development seeks the written opinion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the nomination of natural heritage for international organizations to recognize titles.

Within seven working days from the date of receipt of the document from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues a response document.

Within ten working days from the date of receipt of the consensus document of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Biodiversity Conservation Department submits to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for consideration and approval of the proposal to nominate natural heritage for international organizations to recognize titles.

Within five working days from the date of approval of the proposal by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development sends the nomination dossier for recognition to the international organization as prescribed;

h) For the titles of World Biosphere Reserve, Global Geopark UNESCO:

Within ten working days from the date of receipt of the dossier, the Biodiversity Conservation Department submits to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for consideration and approval of the proposal to nominate natural heritage for international organizations to recognize titles.

Within five working days from the date of approval of the proposal by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development sends the nomination dossier for recognition to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to send to the international organization as prescribed.

Article 11. Nomination of natural heritage managed by central ministries and sectors for international organizations to recognize titles

1. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development shall organize the review and approve the proposal to nominate natural heritage for international organizations to recognize titles.

2. The dossier proposing agreement on the nomination of natural heritage for international organizations to recognize titles includes:

a) The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development sends draft documents in Vietnamese and English to international organizations requesting the title of ASEAN Heritage Park and Internationally Important Wetland for the natural heritage;

b) Nomination dossier according to the model of international organizations recognizing titles in Vietnamese and English;

c) Report on reviewing the dossier proposing international recognition of titles according to Model No. 06 attached as Appendix IV of this Circular;

d) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues a consensus document on the nomination dossier for international recognition of titles for natural heritage with the titles of ASEAN Heritage Park and Internationally Important Wetland;

đ) The People's Committee of the province where the nominated natural heritage is located issues a consensus document.

3. Procedure and implementation:

a) The management board or organization entrusted with managing the natural heritage submits the relevant documents to the competent authority or ministry/sector for review and forwards the documents as stipulated in point b and point đ of Clause 2 of this Article to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for assessment;

b) Within three working days from the date of receipt of a complete dossier, the competent authority or ministry/sector sends one set of paper or electronic documents to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for assessment;

c) The Biodiversity Conservation Department checks and immediately accepts the dossier when it ensures completeness for direct submission of paper copies; checks and accepts within one working day for electronic dossiers, and responds in writing with reasons if the dossier is not valid;

d) Within five working days from the date of receiving valid dossiers, the Biodiversity Conservation Department submits to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to establish a Review Board for the dossier proposing international recognition of titles. The Review Board consists of representatives from ministries in the fields of diplomacy, culture, sports and tourism, agriculture and rural development, relevant ministries and agencies at the level of ministries, representatives of the provincial people's committee where the natural heritage is nominated, representatives of some organizations, experts, scientists in related fields; Regulations on the operation of the Review Board for the dossier proposing international recognition of titles according to Model No. 07 attached as Appendix IV of this Circular;

đ) Within fifteen working days from the date of establishment, the Assessment Council convenes a meeting to assess and report the results according to Model No. 06 attached to Circular IV. The assessment content follows the provisions of point c of Clause 2 of Article 20 of Decree No. 08/2022/NĐ-CP dated January 10, 2022, detailing certain provisions of the Law on Environmental Protection;

e) Within twenty working days from the date of receiving the Assessment Report, the competent authority or ministry/sector completes the documents according to the Assessment Council's opinions and resubmits them to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as stipulated in point b of Clause 2 of this Article;

g) For the titles of ASEAN Heritage Park, Wetland of International Importance:

Within ten working days from the date of receipt of the documents, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development seeks the written opinion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the nomination of natural heritage for international recognition of titles;

Within seven working days from the date of receipt of the document from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues a response document.

Within ten working days from the date of receipt of the consensus document of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Biodiversity Conservation Department submits to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for consideration and approval of the proposal to nominate natural heritage for international organizations to recognize titles.

Within five working days from the date of approval of the proposal by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development sends the nomination dossier for recognition to the international organization as prescribed;

h) For the titles of World Biosphere Reserve, Global Geopark UNESCO:

Within ten working days from the date of receipt of the dossier, the Biodiversity Conservation Department submits to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for consideration and approval of the proposal to nominate natural heritage for international organizations to recognize titles.

Within five working days from the date of approval of the proposal by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development sends the nomination dossier for recognition to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to send to the international organization as prescribed.

Chapter IV
IMPLEMENTATION

Article 12. Responsibilities for Implementation

1. Units under the Ministry:

a) The Biodiversity Conservation Department is responsible for:

Organizing implementation, providing guidance, conducting inspections, and taking the lead in implementing contents within its functional responsibilities as prescribed in this Circular;

Taking the lead in developing, organizing implementation of basic survey programs, inventory, monitoring biodiversity approved by competent authorities; issuing technical guidelines for basic surveys, inventories, and monitoring of biodiversity; building, managing, and operating national biodiversity information systems and specialized databases in assigned fields and publishing information on genetic resources and biosafety; preparing reports on biodiversity;

Taking the lead in reporting to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development or coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to submit nomination dossiers for international recognition of titles for natural heritage as prescribed;

b) The Forest Management and Inspection Department, the Fisheries and Aquaculture Management Department are responsible for:

Cooperating with related units to conduct basic surveys on biodiversity within their assigned management areas;

Organizing the connection and integration of databases in their assigned fields with the national biodiversity database and other related databases of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as prescribed;

c) The Planning and Finance Department is responsible for: Reviewing, balancing, and allocating state budget funds to ensure the implementation of basic biodiversity surveys, construction of biodiversity databases within the Ministry's management area as prescribed;

2. Provincial People's Committees are responsible for:

a) Directing the implementation of this Circular within the province;

b) Directing the implementation of basic surveys on biodiversity within the province as prescribed;

c) Directing specialized agencies to prepare reports on wetlands and biodiversity as prescribed in this Circular; organizing statistics, inventories, and monitoring of wetlands under their management and submitting results to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; connecting the biodiversity information system to the national biodiversity database;

6. Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development are responsible for:

a) Being the focal point for implementing basic surveys on biodiversity within the province as assigned by the provincial People's Committee;

b) Managing data from basic surveys on biodiversity within their management area; updating biodiversity information and data managed by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development into the national biodiversity database and specialized databases; being responsible for the legality and accuracy of the updated data;

c) Exploiting and using data in the national biodiversity database according to the system's permissions, complying with legal regulations on exploitation and use of information and data.

Article 13. Transitional Provisions

1. Nomination files for natural heritage recognized with titles by international organizations that are complete, valid, and accepted by competent state authorities before the effective date of this Circular shall continue to be processed in accordance with the laws at the time of acceptance.

2. Regulatory legal documents and administrative documents issued by state agencies and authorized persons prior to the effective date of this Circular shall remain in effect until replaced by new documents issued by the competent agencies or authorized persons.

Article 14. Effective Date

1. This Circular takes effect from February 15, 2026.

2. The following Circulars shall cease to be effective from the date this Circular comes into force:

a) Circular No. 07/2020/TT-BTNMT dated August 31, 2020, issued by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment detailing the contents at Point c Clause 1 Article 31 of Decree No. 66/2019/NĐ-CP dated July 29, 2019, of the Government on the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands;

b) Circular No. 11/2025/TT-BNNMT dated June 19, 2025, issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Environment regarding decentralization and management authority in the field of natural conservation and biodiversity.

3. In the course of implementation, if there are difficulties or obstacles, please send them to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (through the Department of Nature Conservation and Biodiversity) for guidance and resolution.