Hanoi statement to fight illegal wildlife trade under review

The report was built by the ministry based on the commitments of 25 countries and international organisations at the Hanoi Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade in 2016.

The UK will host an international conference about illegal wildlife this October.

According to the report, the governments of countries have strengthened bilateral and multilateral cooperation as well as coordinated with international and non-governmental organisations to carry out a number of activities to reduce the demand for wildlife products and eliminate illegal wildlife markets.

Many nations and organisations have adopted drastic measures to realise their commitments such as closing the ivory market in China, raising the maximum punishment 15 years’ imprisonment in Vietnam for wildlife crime, and launching projects to prevent illegal trade of wildlife in the US.

Some countries, territories and international organisations have amended legal documents relating to wildlife crime.

In addition to training activities and legal capacity enhancement, many countries have strengthened technical equipment for law enforcement forces such as customs, police and border guards to intensify inspections at hot spots of wild fauna and flora.

Some nations have sent officials to others to support training and consultancy activities as well as carried out programmes to support local livelihood, forestry protection and development through the assistance of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the World Bank.

In Vietnam, the disposal of more than two tonnes of elephant tusks, 70kg of rhino horns and some specimens of tiger bone in November 2016 has delivered a strong message of the Vietnamese Government to the struggle against illegal wildlife trade.

Some leading transport businesses in Vietnam have announced not to transport rare wild animals.


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USAID project helps Vietnam’s wildlife protection

NDO/VNA – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) launched the USAID Saving Species project in Hanoi on May 11.

The launched was attended by diplomats from embassies of the US, the United Kingdom, and South Africa alongside international organisations and governmental stakeholders.

“USAID Saving Species is not just a commitment between the US and Vietnamese governments, it will also link to the efforts of other organisations, within Vietnam and beyond, who are committed to combating wildlife trafficking,” said US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink.

Elephant and rhino populations across the globe fell sharply and the situation of rhinos in Asia is even worse. The last rhino in Vietnam has died, he noted. “Only by working together can we solve this global issue.”

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan said efforts to intensify the protection of endangered species like rhinos, elephants, tigers and pangolins do not only aim to aid the direct conservation of these animals but also have a symbolic meaning, motivating the protection of all other wildlife species. These efforts are significant to the prevention of natural disasters and the socio-economic development of a country and the world, he added.

To raise public awareness of the issue, the minister stressed the need for coordination between media agencies, the Ministry of Education and Training and foreign partners.

With a budget of approximately US$10 million, USAID Saving Species supports the Government of Vietnam to combat wildlife trafficking through three integrated and mutually reinforcing objectives: harmonising and improving the legal framework for wildlife crime; strengthening and improving law enforcement and prosecution of wildlife crime; and reducing consumer demand for illegal wildlife products.

The project’s focal species are rhinos, elephants, and pangolins. It also focuses geographically on major urban centers like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang, where target species are consumed, as well as areas where target species are trafficked, including airports, seaports, and specific land borders. The USAID Saving Species is implemented by Tetra Tech in partnership with Vietnam CITES Management Authority of the MARD. The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network in Vietnam (TRAFFIC Vietnam) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) are also project partners.


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Wildlife trafficker gets 13 months in prison

Chien was suspected to be the mastermind of a ring trafficking rhino horns, elephant tusks and products of wild animals from Africa to Vietnam.

Bui Thi Ha, Director of Policy and Legislative Campaigns at ENV, acknowledged Vietnam’s breakthrough efforts in the fight against wildlife trafficking when Chien was brought to trial.

However, she said, the 13-month imprisonment is not strict enough to reflect the seriousness of the case.

The centre has expected a higher prison term to be issued for the defendant which will be a deterrent to wildlife traffickers, she said.

The 2017 Penal Code, which came into force since January 1, 2018, increases maximum jail sentences for wildlife crime from seven years to 15 years.

The ENV on January 22 revealed that 16 international and social organisations in wildlife protection in Vietnam signed a letter calling on Vietnamese law enforcement agencies to strictly handle Chien.

Earlier at Chien’s trial on November 27, 2017, the judging council asked for supplementary investigation to clarify the origin of some seized exhibits and conflicts in defendants’ statements.

Chien, who was arrested in April, 2017, was allegedly the head of a wild animal trafficking ring from Africa to Vietnam. In 2007, he was arrested and punished in Tanzania for illegally transporwild animal traffickingting wild animals.

In the last five years, his ring is believed to have expanded its operations in Africa, focusing on rhino horn, elephant tusks and pangolin scales trading.

In September 2017, in a visit to Vietnam, a delegation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)’s Secretariat and Vietnamese authorities reviewed the ratio of arresting and prosecuting of wildlife crimes. CITES recommended that Vietnam strengthen efforts in trying and apply stricter punishments for the crimes.-VNA

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