LookAtVietnam – More than 350 communications officers met last week in northwestern Lai Chau province to discuss the illegal trade in wildlife across national borders.

People in Dien Chau district in the central province of Nghe An hunt for stork to sell to restaurants. Unsustainable wildlife consumption and a lucrative illicit trade are threatening the country’s biodiversity.

Speakers highlighted the need to promote sustainable use and conservation of natural resources by reducing wildlife consumption and ending illegal wildlife trade.

The officers received information on wildlife trade that could be distributed to their respective districts and organisations.

Unsustainable wildlife consumption and a lucrative illicit trade are threatening the country’s unique biodiversity, according to TRAFFIC.

Numerous species including the tiger, Asian Elephant and the Saola risk regional extinction, as heightened demand for wildlife meat and products continues to fuel high levels of trade and consumption.

“Only by raising public awareness and concern for conservation will Viet Nam’s threatened wildlife be saved,” said Tom Osborn, acting head of TRAFFIC’s programme in the Greater Mekong region.

Lai Chau province is located near the border with China and Laos, where endangered plants and animals are illegally smuggled across the borders.

Using government-sponsored communication outlets to raise awareness is one strategy TRAFFIC has pursued as part of a wildlife trade campaign co-run with the World Wide Fund for Nature and funded by the Royal Danish Embassy.

The campaign’s goal is to conserve the country’s wildlife by changing consumption attitudes and behaviour in Viet Nam.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News