Urgent conservation of wild birds in Vietnam

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has just signed Directive No. 4/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister on a number of urgent tasks and solutions to conserve wild and migratory birds in Vietnam.

The Directive states: Vietnam is considered one of the most important areas in the network of migratory bird routes and endemic bird species, with 63 globally important bird areas and 7 endemic bird areas; wild and migratory bird areas have created important natural values, contributing to nature conservation, biodiversity conservation, tourism development and building the image of Vietnam.

Currently, more than 900 bird species have been recorded in our country, of which 99 species need conservation attention, 10 are critically endangered, 17 are endangered, 24 are vulnerable and 48 are threatened.

In recent times, the Party, the State and all sectors and levels have made great efforts in protecting biodiversity, including wild and migratory birds as well as important bird areas. Many wild and migratory birds have been listed for management and protection according to the provisions of law, such as red-crowned cranes, spoon-billed storks, spoon-billed sandpipers, etc. However, the hunting and consumption of wild birds, especially migratory birds, is still taking place seriously in many localities, negatively affecting biodiversity and the environment, posing a potential risk of disease to humans and animals; affecting the implementation of international commitments on biodiversity conservation, the Agreement on the East Asia-Australia Migratory Waterbird Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) of which Vietnam is a member. Hunting, extermination and destruction of natural habitats lead to changes in habitats and ecosystems, reducing the number and composition of wild and migratory birds. Some migratory birds have disappeared during the migratory seasons in Vietnam.

Establishing a system to monitor important migratory bird flight routes

To conserve wild and migratory birds; prevent and end the hunting, capture and destruction of habitats of wild and migratory birds, the Prime Minister requests the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to review, propose, complete, submit for promulgation and promulgate under its authority regulations on the conservation of wild and migratory birds in Vietnam; guide the management and protection of wild and migratory birds; guide and organize the implementation of activities to manage and protect wild and migratory birds, including the protection of habitats, cross-border migration routes and their stopovers.

At the same time, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall coordinate with relevant countries and international organizations to strengthen the protection of wild and migratory birds and cross-border flight routes, important migratory bird areas and their stopovers in Vietnam; coordinate with international organizations to establish a system to monitor and supervise important flight routes of migratory birds; preside over and coordinate with relevant ministries and branches to direct, propagate, guide and inspect the effective implementation of this Directive.

Strictly handle the acts of hunting, capturing and trading wild birds.

The Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to direct the forest rangers to coordinate with local authorities and relevant agencies in the area to increase patrols, control, prevent, arrest and strictly handle acts of hunting, capturing, killing, raising, confining, transporting, trading, processing, storing and illegally consuming wild and migratory birds, especially during the migratory bird season (from September of the previous year to April of the following year).

Strengthen coordination with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities and relevant agencies in the management of important wild and migratory bird areas of Vietnam; review and coordinate with relevant agencies to propose, supplement and perfect legal regulations on sanctions for violations of hunting, shooting and trapping of wild and migratory birds.

At the same time, strengthen monitoring and promptly detect diseases and epidemics originating from wild and migratory birds that are at risk of spreading and affecting the health of humans, livestock and poultry.

Some wild birds were trapped. Photo: Huy Thu

The Ministry of Public Security directs the environmental police force to strengthen measures to combat, prevent, combat and strictly handle violations of the law on hunting, killing, raising, confining, transporting, trading, processing, storing and consuming wild and migratory birds; directs functional forces to strengthen investigation, detection and timely strict handling of violations, especially, to destroy illegal trading, storing and transporting lines of wild and migratory birds across the country.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade directs the market management force to preside over and coordinate with relevant professional agencies to strengthen management, promptly handle illegal trading, transportation, storage, and consumption of wild and migratory birds; direct and deploy measures to inspect and handle illegal forms of advertising and online trading of wild and migratory birds and bird trapping and catching tools (nets, traps, components for assembling homemade guns, hunting guns, etc.).

The Ministry of National Defense directed functional forces to increase patrols and strictly control at border gates and openings to promptly detect, arrest, and handle cases of illegal purchase, sale, transportation, export, and import of wild and migratory birds according to law.

The Ministry of Finance directs customs forces (especially border customs forces) to proactively coordinate with quarantine units to strengthen inspection and control of illegal trading and transportation of wild birds and cross-border migration.

Strengthening propaganda of laws on wildlife protection

The Ministry of Information and Communications directs media agencies to increase reporting and broadcasting of messages, reports, and bulletins to propagate laws on wildlife protection, especially wild and migratory birds; to propagate so that people do not participate in illegal hunting, capturing, killing, raising, confining, transporting, trading, processing, storing, and consuming of wild and migratory birds and their products; to strictly control advertising activities for products and tools for hunting, capturing, and trapping wild and migratory birds (nets, hunting guns, homemade guns, etc.).

The Ministry of Science and Technology promotes scientific research and technology transfer to monitor migratory birds, conserve and restore important wild and migratory bird areas in Vietnam.

Trapping wild birds. Photo courtesy of Huy Thu

People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities shall strengthen the direction of implementation of relevant legal regulations in their localities; organize the management, protection and sustainable development of nature reserves, wetlands, bird gardens, bird sanctuaries and important bird areas in their localities; organize the implementation for local business establishments to sign a commitment not to buy, sell, use, consume, display or advertise wildlife specimens that do not ensure legal origin and strictly handle individuals and business establishments that commit violations.

Direct local authorities and law enforcement agencies to strengthen control, prevent and strictly handle acts of illegal hunting, capturing, trapping, slaughtering, transporting, trading, processing and storing of wild and migratory birds; organize the complete destruction of markets and illegal trading spots of wild and migratory birds in the area.

Strengthen propaganda and mobilize people not to hunt, capture, trap, shoot wild and migratory birds; not to buy, sell, transport, trade, store, or illegally consume wild and migratory birds; strictly implement legal regulations on biodiversity conservation, protection of endangered, precious, and rare species prioritized for protection; proactively fight and denounce violators of the law on management and protection of wild and migratory birds...