Education for Nature - Vietnam

Education for Nature – Vietnam (ENV) is Vietnam's first local non-governmental organization to focus on wildlife protection. Founded in 2000, ENV’s mission is to foster greater understanding amongst the Vietnamese public about the need to protect nature and wildlife. ENV works with government partners to strengthen policy and legislation, supports enforcement efforts to stop the illegal wildlife trade, and addresses consumer demand through public awareness campaigns.^[1][2] ENV has offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Wildlife trade in Vietnam

Vietnam is a key stopover for wildlife goods in transit to China, a major hub for the global illegal wildlife trade.^[3] China’s economic growth during the 1990s resulted in an expanded middle class, with larger disposable incomes, which in turn created a surge in demand for the products of wildlife trade.^[4] Similarly in Vietnam, a growing middle class has led to increased consumer demand, making the country a major destination for illegal wildlife trade products, including rhino horn and tiger bone paste.^[5][6] Two species of pangolin, estimated to be the most trafficked mammal in the world,^[7] are native to Vietnamese forests; thousands are caught and traded between China and Vietnam every year.^[8] Pangolin scales are used in traditional medicine, and the meat is served in restaurants as a high-end delicacy.^[7] Rhinos are also threatened with extinction as a result of wildlife trade: in 2007, 13 were killed for their horns. By 2014, the number had ballooned; 1215 rhinos were poached and killed in South Africa in just one year.^[9]

Approach

ENV aims to combat the illegal wildlife trade in three ways:

• Mobilizing public action and support in efforts to protect wildlife while investing in a long-term and sustained effort to influence public attitudes and behavior.

• Strengthening law enforcement to combat wildlife crime through direct support and assistance to law enforcement agencies, and mobilizing active public participation

• Working with high-level decision-makers and government agencies to formulate and improve wildlife-related policy and legislation.^[1]

Reducing demand

ENV have released more than 30 Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on TV and radio aimed at curbing local demand for wildlife, focusing on tigers, rhinos, bears and pangolins.^[10] These short advertisements explain that wildlife trade products lack medicinal value, associate social stigma with their use, or demonstrate how consumption supports organized crime and cruelty to animals.^[11] Each PSA is shown on up to 80 TV channels, reaching millions of people across Vietnam. ENV also produces radio adverts, which have been aired more than 1,000 times on Voice of Vietnam radio. Since 2008, ENV has partnered with Voice of Vietnam to produce a radio show about wildlife protection topics every month. ENV also works with well-known Vietnamese celebrities to spread the wildlife protection message to their fans and the general public. ^[12][13][14]

ENV have established Wildlife Safety Zone partnerships with ministries, government offices, corporate partners and markets across Vietnam.^[15] Partners include the US Embassy, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Daewoo Hotel.^[16] ENV also run educational outreach events at universities, parks and shopping malls to promote public awareness and involvement in their campaigns.^[17] ENV, in partnership with the South African organization Endangered Wildlife Trust, launched a targeted campaign to convince customers to ‘Say no to rhino horn’ through awareness events and viral media activities.^[18]

Strengthening enforcement

ENV’s enforcement campaign aims to strengthen law enforcement agencies, increase transparency and accountability, and foster public participation in addressing wildlife crime. In 2005, ENV’s Wildlife Crime Unit (WCU) was established to facilitate and motivate the Vietnamese public’s involvement in efforts to combat the illegal wildlife trade. The WCU operates the Wildlife Crime Hotline [phone], a national toll-free hotline that the public can use to report wildlife crimes throughout the country.^[19] An email hotline and a smart phone application to help report crimes are also in operation.^[20][21] Since its establishment, ENV’s national crime database has recorded over 8,000 reports of wildlife crimes.^[22]

ENV has established wildlife protection volunteer clubs in 15 major cities across Vietnam.^[23] These clubs carry out awareness events, monitor businesses and report wildlife crimes. They also have promoted greater public involvement in wildlife protection and extended ENV’s reach across the country.

Since 2013, ENV has run a consumer crime reduction campaign targeting major cities including Hanoi, Huế, Dong Ha and Ho Chi Minh City. The campaign involves surveying restaurants, hotels, bars, traditional medicine shops, pet shops and markets across selected districts. Any violations discovered are reported to the district People’s Committee, along with a request that they work with local authorities to tackle each violation. Two months later, a follow-up team from ENV inspects the establishments that had previously been reported as in violation of the law, and tracks any changes. Report cards are then sent to the People’s Committees, summarizing their effectiveness compared to colleagues in different districts. In areas where the process has been completed, wildlife crime has fallen by between 39% and 77%.^[24] ENV is currently expanding the campaign to the cities of Vinh and Da Nang; so far, nearly 5,000 establishments have been surveyed.

ENV also addresses illegal online wildlife trade through its internet crime campaign. In the past year, 82% of the 1,400 links reported as selling wildlife have been removed, and 19 websites and forums have joined ENV’s wildlife safety zone and committed to ban all wildlife advertisements.^[25]

Another key part of ENV’s work on wildlife crime is investigations; current investigations focus on crime syndicates that support the illegal transnational trade of endangered species, such as a major criminal network that smuggled frozen tigers from Laos into Vietnam.^[26] An investigation into the marine turtle trade in Vietnam resulted in a seizure of 10 tons of marine turtles, and an ongoing criminal investigation by the police. ENV created a film about the case, and sent it to hundreds of legislators to encourage them to prosecute the kingpin of the marine turtle trade.^[27][28][29]

Improving policy and legislation

ENV works with partners at the highest levels of government to bring about change on a national level by improving legislation and ensuring sound policy in support of wildlife protection. The ultimate goal of legislative efforts is a future law that effectively protects endangered species, but much of ENV’s day-to-day work involves helping to address conflicts and loopholes in existing laws, and to revise or implement existing legislation.

ENV has intervened in a number of notable cases, including:

• Successfully campaigning to prevent authorities from auctioning off tiger products seized from poachers, arguing that it would increase demand and undermine wildlife protection efforts. ENV’s intervention helped to stop this practice.^[30][31]

• Working with authorities to close down bear bile tourism in Halong Bay. From 2007, hundreds of Korean tourists arrived each day to watch a live bear bile extraction and to buy the bile to take back to their country. After an intensive joint enforcement campaign by Quang Ninh People’s Committee, relevant government agencies, and ENV, bear bile tourism in Ha Long was shut down in May 2014, putting the bear farms out of business.^[32][33][34] Since 2005, there has been a 72% decline in the number of bears in caged on farms and exploited for their bile in Vietnam.^[35][36] ENV also fought for any new bears being kept illegally to be confiscated by the government, not left in their owner’s hands. Since September 2011, there hasn’t been a single case where an illegal bear was discovered and not confiscated.

• ENV is currently opposing proposals to legalize the farming of endangered species in Vietnam, as they risk increasing demand for wildlife trade products, as well as complicating enforcement efforts.^[37][38][39]

• ENV also focuses on investigating, prosecuting and punishing major wildlife crime figures. By working to improve the penal code and fighting for the implementation of Decree 160 at provincial level, ENV aims to make it easier to tackle the kingpins of the illegal wildlife trade. ENV also works to improve awareness of current wildlife protection law in all provinces of Vietnam, enabling more effective law enforcement throughout the country.^[39] ENV encourages local authorities to comply with Decree 160 by not auctioning off endangered wildlife such as pangolins after confiscation.^[40][41][42]

References

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3. Nuwer, Rachel (March 30, 2015). "In Vietnam, Rampant Wildlife Smuggling Prompts Little Concern". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
4. http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/public/Research/Africa/0214Wildlife.pdf
5. Ted Williams. "A Public Relations Drive to Stop Illegal Rhino Horn Trade by Mike Ives: Yale Environment 360". E360.yale.edu. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
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21. "How To Help". Save Pangolins. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
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23. "Projects - Lucky Penny - Vietnam". RhiNOremedy. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
24. "Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking Program Surveys Document Decline in Wildlife Crime in Vietnam | LOWER MEKONG INITIATIVE". Lowermekong.org. 2015-03-27. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
25. http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/pdf_files/140/1406680976.pdf
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29. http://www.freeland.org/#!wildlife-trafficking-operation-nixed-in/c237m
30. "Tiger Paste Sale In Vietnam Protested By Local Conservation Group". Huffingtonpost.com. 2010-12-03. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
31. "Wildlife protectors turn "middlemen' | Society | Thanh Nien Daily". Thanhniennews.com. 2010-12-03. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
32. "Bear bile tourism shuts down in Ha Long - Thai PBS English News". Englishnews.thaipbs.or.th. 2014-10-25. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
33. "Vietnam finally shuts down bear bile tourism in Ha Long Bay | Travel | Thanh Nien Daily". Thanhniennews.com. 2014-10-22. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
34. "Time called on illegal bear bile industry in Ha Long Bay Vietnam | World Animal Protection International". Worldanimalprotection.org. 2014-09-08. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
35. "Vietnam bile farm bear numbers down 72 percent to 4,300 | Society | Thanh Nien Daily". Thanhniennews.com. 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
36. "Vietnam bile farm bear numbers down 72 percent to 4,300 — Talk Vietnam". Talkvietnam.com. 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
37. "Spotlight on conservation: Education for Nature-Vietnam « Wild Open Eye – Natural Vision, News from Wild Open Eye". Wildopeneye.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
38. http://www.savevietnamswildlife.org/upload/kb/category/SVW_Commercial%20wildlife%20breeding%20farms%20in%20Vietnam_Final%20Draft.pdf
39. "Wildlife Trade Disaster Averted in Vietnam". Annamiticus. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
40. Emma Bryce (2015-02-20). "Critically endangered pangolins rescued, then sold as food | Environment". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
41. "42 pangolins rescued…then sold to restaurants | Mongabay Enviromental News". News.mongabay.com. 2015-02-17. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
42. "Northern province sells rescued wildlife to restaurants, angers environmentalists | Society | Thanh Nien Daily". Thanhniennews.com. 2015-02-11. Retrieved 2015-07-27.

External links

• envietnam.org