Trade in wildlife increasing at alarming rate in Vietnam
HANOI (AFP) Oct 09, 2003
Illegal trade in wildlife in Vietnam is increasing at an alarming rate, with law enforcement agencies ill-equipped to combat the phenomenon, conservationists said Thursday.
TRAFFIC, the monitoring arm of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN), said hunting of the country's rare and unique species had become a lucrative international business.
Eating and consuming products from endangered animals is considered a status symbol in Vietnam and a means of showing off one's wealth.
Animals were being supplied to upscale restaurants and Chinese medicine markets, earning huge profits for traders, the organization's Indochina office said in a statement based on conclusions from a joint study with the country's Forest Protection Department.
"Despite laws and decrees designed to prevent the pillaging of the country's natural wealth, law enforcement authorities lack the necessary training and are ill-equipped to stop the smugglers on their powerful motorcycles and high speed boats," the statement said.
Even if poachers are apprehended, the authority of forest rangers to search vehicles is restricted, "illustrating how overlapping and conflicting jurisdiction is impeding the enforcement of wildlife laws," it added.
The joint study to develop a 2004-2010 action plan to strengthen wildlife trade controls in Vietnam is now under review by Vietnamese government ministries and agencies, along with a selected group of conservation organizations, TRAFFIC said.
Focal themes include qualification and training needs of enforcement authorities and the effectiveness of current legislation regulating wildlife trade.
The level of awareness among consumers, traders, and key decision makers about the illegality and unsustainability of the trade were also examined, as were measures to encourage legal trade and improve international cooperation.
Hunting endangered animals is a criminal offence in Vietnam punishable by up to seven years in jail, but the laws are widely flouted and rarely enforced.
Agence France Presse - October 09, 2003.
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