Hydroelectric projects in forested national parks may be fronts for illegal logging operations, according to Vietnam Net. Around 20,000 hectares of forest have been cleared for 160 hydro projects in the last few years, with roughly 125 hectares cleared per project. However, many of the projects are not economically viable, and the primary purpose appears to be gaining access to logging resources. "A report showed that while the majority of the hydropower plants have the small capacity of less than 10 MW, they cover large areas of forest land--about 14 hectares for one MW of electricity generated," said the newspaper. Additionally, many of the projects are located in remote mountainous areas, and Vietnam must pay the high costs of transmission. Under Vietnam's forest laws, developers must restore forests they clear, but according to the article, developers have not done this. For the full story, see http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0917-vietnam-logging-dams.html.