Webinar discusses ways to contain wildlife trafficking and consumption
VOV.VN - A webinar held on September 30 in the central city of Da Nang to seek ways to put an end to wildlife trafficking and consumption saw over 100 delegates gather together, including local officials, along with both domestic and foreign experts.
According to Nguyen Thi Kim Ha, vice director of the Environmental Protection Division of the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the purpose of the seminar is to find ways to encourage people not to trade and consume wildlife. This is in addition to pushing localities to effectively implement policies aimed at preventing and fighting illegal trafficking and consumption of wildlife.
Over the past five decades the vertebrate population has dropped by 68%. Indeed, locally many wildlife species have faced the risk of extinction due to the illegal wildlife trade and consumption.
In this context, the Vietnamese Government has made great efforts in terms of wildlife protection, including the promulgation of the new Penal Code with stricter punishments on possessing and trading in both wildlife and wildlife products.
In Da Nang, various decisions have been made for the purpose of protecting and developing the forests, biodiversity, and the local wildlife, whilst also encouraging the community’s involvement in the work.
Vo Van Minh of Da Nang University underlined the significance of education and communication activities on environmental and wildlife protection.
Furthermore, Nguyen Hoai Khuong of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Vietnam said that WWF Vietnam is working with different partners in order to seek new solutions for local preservation activities, with a primary focus on communication measures to reduce the demand for wildlife domestically.
Tran Huu Vy, director of the GreenViet Biodiversity Conservation Centre, stressed the need for joint efforts of the community in wildlife protection, which also means protecting the biodiversity and the earth as a whole.
Within the framework of the webinar, an online photo exhibition was also held to introduce roughly 100 photos and video clips on wildlife. The exhibition is open to the public at http://baovedongvathoangda.org and will run until October 8.