Elephants in the Central Highlands. (Photo source: PV/Vietnam+) Wild animals and plants play an important role in maintaining ecological balance, ensuring Ecosystem are complete systems, contributing to the provision of ecosystem services for sustainable development, bringing direct benefits to people. The strengthening of wildlife protection is one of the most important tasks of biodiversity conservation. A clear legal system, behavior change communication, and effective law enforcement are considered to be the three decisive factors for the success of a conservation campaign. VNA introduces a series of 4 articles “Joining hands to protect wildlife in Vietnam.” Lesson 1: Facing a downtrend According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Committee in the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, the rate at which biodiversity is being degraded is unprecedented in history. One million plant and animal species out of a total of 8 million species on earth are on the verge of extinction. In Vietnam, in recent years, biodiversity resources are continuing to decline. The situation of illegal hunting, killing, slaughtering, transporting, trading, and consuming wild animals is still complicated, leading to an increase in the risk of extinction of many wild animals in the environment. nature, negatively affecting ecological balance, human health and the country’s reputation in the international arena. There is also a risk of disease transmission to humans, livestock and poultry. Biodiversity is reduced mainly due to natural loss, overexploitation, climate change, environmental pollution from the use of pesticides, plastic products… and invasive species. In which, urbanization, deforestation, and agricultural development are the main causes causing nearly 75% of the terrestrial environment to be changed, causing species and ecosystems to decline. The wildlife trade has also created many consequences, wreaking havoc on the environment, severely reducing species populations with 67% of animals worldwide already in decline. High diversity comes with risk extinction increase According to the 6th national report to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Vietnam currently has about 51,400 species of organisms that have been identified, including 7,500 species/microorganism strains, about 20,000 terrestrial and aquatic plant species, 10,900 species of terrestrial animals, 2,000 species of invertebrates and freshwater fish, and 11,000 other marine species. Many species have great value for conservation, contribute to science and affirm the global importance of Vietnam’s biodiversity, such as saola, silver-backed chevrotain, giant gill, Truong Son gill, striped rabbit, etc. Asian elephants, bison, gray cows, tigers, leopards, star deer, primates, sea turtles and freshwater tortoises… The International Bird Conservation Organization has also identified Vietnam as having 63 important bird areas. important. Compared with other countries in Indochina, the fauna of Vietnam is quite rich in species composition and has a high degree of endemism. Of the 21 monkey species found in this region, Vietnam has 15 species, of which 7 are endemic species and subspecies. Of the 49 endemic bird species in the region, Vietnam has 33 species, of which 10 are endemic to Vietnam alone. From 2014-2018, 334 new species were discovered for science including 208 animal species, 136 plant species described and published in prestigious international scientific journals and the Institute’s Journal of Biology Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology. According to statistics, the number of species and individuals of Vietnam’s wild species is on a sharp decline, many endangered, precious and rare species are at very high risk of extinction. Like the Ho Guom turtle, there are only 4 known living individuals in the world, including 1 individual in China and 3 individuals in Vietnam. Other large mammals such as elephants, tigers, bears, big cats and pangolins are also threatened with extinction if no resolute and effective protection measures are taken. Sao la – a species endemic to the Truong Son range is also on the verge of extinction. Investigation and monitoring efforts to date have not found any populations of the species in the wild. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List updated in November 2020, the number of threatened species distributed in Vietnam is 745 species, including 64 mammal species, 53 bird species, 70 reptile species, etc. 45 species of amphibians and 96 species of fish. The total number of wild species recorded in the Red Book of Vietnam is 882 species, of which 464 are precious and rare animals (an increase of 108 species within 10 years). There are 116 species that are critically endangered and 6 species that have been converted from different endangered levels to considered extinct, including two-horned rhinoceros, gray bull, tapir, otter civet, lilac crocodile, star deer . The 2016 species inventory proposed to include 1,211 species in the updated Red Book, including 600 species of plants and 611 species of animals. Compared with the 2007 Red Book, the number of threatened and endangered species has increased significantly. Big challenge According to the assessment of the Department of Nature Conservation and Biodiversity (General Department of Environment, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment), the conservation of wild animals and plants is facing many challenges and limitations. . The issue of protecting wild species, especially endangered, precious and rare species has not yet been unified in the approach to management and conservation; management regime for species in different categories. Especially in matters of criteria for species identification, the list of endangered, precious and rare species and endangered, precious and rare species are prioritized for protection. An otter belonging to group 1B, imprisoned in an iron cage, is illegally sold by stall owner Yen Tam in Thanh Hoa, Long An province in 2020 for 10 million VND. (Photo: Hung Vo/Vietnam+) Duplicating the list leads to an overlap in management regimes and makes it difficult to apply legal documents as well as handle violations in practice. Specifically, the three-bar box turtle belongs to the list of endangered, precious and rare species prioritized for protection and is not allowed to be traded, but at the same time belongs to group IIB – forest plants and animals that are not yet threatened. extinct, but at risk of being threatened if not strictly managed, limited exploitation and use for commercial purposes. The overexploitation and use of wildlife resources, deforestation, and conversion of forest use purposes also lead to habitat loss of species leading to increasing conflicts between humans and species in the region. nature. Species conservation programs are approved by the authorities, but in practice there are few resources to implement. The demand for illegal and unsustainable consumption of endangered wild species for food, medicine, pets, decoration… still exists. The illegal trade in these species is increasingly sophisticated, organized and complicated, with elements of transnational crime. Law enforcement is still limited and ineffective due to lack of resources, including physical, human and financial facilities. Remuneration regimes and policies for enforcement officers are not commensurate with the high responsibilities and risks when facing this crime. The specialized force’s ability to fight against this type of violation on endangered, precious and rare wild species has not yet kept up with the sophisticated and professional tricks of criminals. Some shortcomings and gaps in legal documents make it difficult to handle violations such as the lack of regulations on handling exhibits. In practice, it may take a lot of time for the investigating agency, the procuracies or the people’s court, the trial panel to make a decision, or it may also take time to get the assessment results when the individuals Live and healthy wild animals need to be treated and immediately released back into the wild, which is very expensive to preserve until the case is heard. Cooperation between enforcement agencies has improved, but there has not been a close coordination mechanism, no guidance on the investigation process after the arrest of wildlife individuals or products, including: including the process of making and transferring dossiers from customs, border guards and forest rangers to the police, assessment agencies, procuracies and courts; handling wild animals and their parts after confiscation. In addition, the awareness of the whole society towards species conservation, biodiversity conservation has been improved, but there are still many limitations. Some parts of the people still have a high demand to use endangered wildlife, leading to increased hunting, trading and consumption. Awareness of all levels and branches has been raised, but not enough and not drastically to contribute to the conservation of endangered, precious and rare species effectively and comprehensively. Deputy Director of the Center for Education for Nature (Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations) Bui Thi Ha said that corruption is also a big obstacle to wildlife law enforcement efforts because there are With the help of a number of corrupt officials, many criminals have been and are blatantly committing crimes without fear of being discovered, arrested, put on trial or facing punishment. prison./.

Experts from the Hanoi Wildlife Rescue Center directly carry out the re-release of king cobras and Chinese cobras to the forest. Photo: Thanh Dat/VNA Master Ha Hong, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Environment and Urbanism, a person with 30 years of experience in environmental propaganda, including wildlife, said that there are barriers when performing this task. According to Master Ha Hong, when social networks develop, one of the factors that “help” reduce biodiversity is the rampant appearance of advertising pages for wildlife trade. In 2019 alone, the Wildlife Protection Department of the Nature Education Center has recorded more than 2,400 cases of wildlife advertising on facebook, youtube, zalo, tiktok and other websites. This number shows no signs of decreasing when the first 4 months of 2020 recorded 424 violations. Meanwhile, the force of news and propaganda for this segment is both lacking and in-depth. In other countries, reporters writing about environmental protection are required to have two university degrees (journalism and environment or equivalent). In Vietnam, reporters mostly have only one of two university degrees (journalism or environmental related majors). Journalism schools and journalism departments of many universities do not have training courses for specialized reporters. Many international organizations, journalism schools, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment sometimes organize field trips and seminars in the field of wildlife, but only at the level of “riding horses to see flowers”. Many press agencies have rotated reporters continuously, there are no correspondents specializing in the field. Master Ha Hong emphasized, to approach investigating a hot incident in a city, industrial park, or factory is not simple, but it is nonetheless much more convenient when crossing passes, wading streams, and crossing forests every week. It takes months, even years, to obtain documents documenting the illegal cutting of precious and rare tree species or hunting and catching wild animals. Access to reporters is also very dangerous because violators are often familiar with the terrain and are ready to use weapons to defend themselves. Currently, many press agencies have to account for their own operating expenses, so the funding for a group of reporters who travels for many days to write investigative reports is limited, causing difficulties due to the inability to access the checkpoints. , border gate, customs to collect information related to the transportation and consumption of wild species. Therefore, the propaganda information is not much, mainly news and articles based on reports of the management agencies, so it is not lively and not detectable. Adding another barrier if not “sticking” to the end, finding out clearly to have specific recommendations when monitoring and information about wild species and vice versa will achieve high propaganda effectiveness. Master Ha Hong shared that 5 animals are listed in Vietnam’s list of 100 most endangered species in the world, including saola, white-crested pheasant, Ho Guom turtle, marlin and snub-nosed langur. More than 20 years of propagating about the cultural land of Ho Guom, including the Ho Guom turtle, even after the turtle died, with the author having 194 direct sightings of floating turtles. These events were published on the websites of the mass media. Many photos of red-eared turtles appearing in Hoan Kiem Lake are also warned because this is one of the animals that threaten the food source of turtles and other species living in the lake. In addition, it is warned that the use of excavator buckets to dredge the lake will seriously destroy the mud ecosystem of Sword Lake. In early 2011, the photo reportage of the Ho Guom turtle swimming with a series of mottled and scratched marks on the back of author Ha Hong was published, attracting the attention of readers, contributing to urging the authorities of Ha Hong. Hanoi accelerates treatment plan for Hoan Kiem Lake turtle. The cause of the turtle’s scratches is that the turtle often goes through the sewage pipe from Ngoc Son temple to the sewer at Dinh Tien Hoang double street. Previously, this water pipe was pinned to the bottom, then turned up, floating on the water surface. Therefore, the city quickly replaced the sewage pipe, buried underground under the columns of The Huc bridge. Thanks to providing scientists with a set of close-up photos of the Sword Lake turtle with accurate images, in 2019, Master Ha Hong was invited to the Scientific Council to accept and make a specimen of the Sword Lake turtle according to current technology. The world’s most advanced plasticizer is made by scientists from the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and two scientists from the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2020, scientists discovered another individual turtle of the same species as the Sword Lake turtle in Dong Mo Lake. Thus, Vietnam currently has 3 individuals of these turtles, of which 2 are in Dong Mo lake and 1 individual in An Khanh lake. The Hanoi People’s Committee has a plan to preserve this turtle. In addition, in order to overcome cognitive barriers, many NGOs have taken appropriate measures when social networks thrive. International humanitarian organization in Vietnam released the short film “In the future, the big baby” touched the hearts of passengers of Vietnam Airlines (Vietnam Airlines) with a message of hope to end rhino poaching. in Africa, in an effort to reduce demand for rhino horn and wildlife products. The Center for Education for Nature has released a media short film “Your Nightmare-Reality of a Bear” showing the cruel reality of bear bile farming facilities in Vietnam, which requires a change in behavior with humans. nature to avoid unfortunate consequences. The short film “Monkeys are not pets” to raise awareness for people to end the situation of keeping monkeys as pets – an illegal activity that is very popular in Vietnam today. Basic and long-term solution Langur species is conserved in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. Photo: VNA Master Ha Hong suggested that the basic and long-term solution for effective propaganda is to open training courses for journalists specializing in the environment in general and wildlife in particular in journalism training schools or journalism departments. solstice. Each student graduates with two university degrees or equivalent in journalism and environment. The authorities need to organize specialized training courses, fostering professional skills for reporters who are monitoring the environmental field every 1 or 2 years. Funding for the internship is enough to support reporters of some press agencies to write articles for many periods. In the process of reporters collecting information, there is an agency to act as a focal point to coordinate with forest rangers, market managers, and local authorities. The solutions in Directive 29 in 2020 of the Prime Minister should be well implemented. The Ministry of Information and Communications directs press agencies to strengthen information and propaganda on the law and solutions to protect wildlife; coordinate with concerned agencies in preventing and strictly handling acts of abusing telecommunications networks and the internet for advertising purposes; exhibiting, propagating, trading in wild animal samples has been banned according to the provisions of law. Mass media agencies shall coordinate with ministries, branches and localities in strengthening propaganda and dissemination of laws on wildlife management; continue to propagate about not using illegal wildlife. Besides, organizing the prize for writing about wildlife every 2 years, launching a movement for reporters to say no to the use of products made from illegal wild animals and plants such as maple syrup. “Drink not drive” movement… Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Party Central Committee Phung Huu Phu emphasized the urgency of protecting wild species, contributing to the conservation of biodiversity in Vietnam, which is derived from the living needs of the people themselves. . The application of science to change behavior especially emphasizes the role and responsibility of setting an example of the team of leaders, managers, people with position and prestige in society. In order to improve the effectiveness of communication to change behavior to protect wildlife, according to Dr. Phung Huu Phu, besides the role of media and forms of information such as the press, literature and art, propaganda. mouth, community activities, social networks, etc., the responsibility of setting an example of cadres and party members, especially those holding leadership and management positions, is of decisive significance. Therefore, in the coming time, concerned agencies should focus on changing their behavior from conquering to living together in order to shape the value of living together, loving and protecting nature.

Immediately after receiving information about the case, the People’s Committee of Hai Phong city drastically instructed the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, and relevant agencies and localities to step in. , inspect, review and mobilize owners to hand over bears to the State; strictly deal with the law if the bear owner intentionally violates it. Therefore, on April 28, the bear was transferred by the owner to a Bear Conservation Facility in Ninh Binh. Hai Phong is one of many localities across the country that are making efforts to completely end bear farming in the city. Previously, from the beginning of 2021, the City People’s Committee issued a general instruction document to relevant departments, agencies, agencies, and units, requesting the agencies to increase the mobilization of households to keep. bears in the locality voluntarily transferred bears to the State. Ms. Nguyen Phuong Dung, Deputy Director of Nature Education Center, said: “The Center for Nature Education welcomes the high determination and efforts of the city government of Hai Phong to completely end captivity. bear bile. The fast and decisive handling of the Hai Phong city government for bear-related violations will help the city soon end the situation of keeping bears in the area ”. By the end of March 2021, there were about 370 bears left in the confines of illegal bile. Hanoi city alone is currently the hottest spot for illegally confining bears with 161 bears (as of April 28). According to the Center for Nature Education, currently both bear species of Vietnam, the horse bear (Ursus thibetanus) and the bear dog (Helarctos malayanus) are listed in the List of endangered, precious and rare species prioritized for protection. issued together with Decree 160/2013 / ND-CP (amended by Decree 64/2019 / ND-CP) as well as listed in Group IB, endangered, precious and rare forest animals. List issued together with Decree 06/2019 / ND-CP. Bears of illegal origin (from before 2005) are only allowed to be kept in captivity if “there is a management record and electronic chips attached”. The act of “raising bears without management records and attaching electronic chips” is a prohibited act in accordance with the law. According to Article 244 of the 2015 Penal Code (amended and supplemented 2017), people who illegally raise, lock or transport horses (depending on the quantity) can be criminally prosecuted with penalty up to 15 years in prison. “The Center for Nature Education calls on the authorities of the provinces and cities to follow the example of Hai Phong city and drastically instructs the City Forest Protection Department and the district authorities to resolutely fight related violations. to come to bears in order to soon completely end the keeping of bears for bile in the provinces and cities. The registration and attachment of chips for illegal bears to confine bile not only violates the current regulations of the Government, but also makes the situation of keeping bears in Hanoi city even worse. complicated and cannot be completely terminated like many other provinces and cities across the country ”, emphasized Ms. Dung. “The transfer of bears in Hai Phong is an encouraging highlight, marking a step forward in the effort to end bear captive farming in Vietnam. Bear bile farming is not only cruel and hurting to bears. but also affects the image of Vietnam, “said Ms. Maya Pastakia, Campaign Director of the World Animal Protection Organization.