Transcript BIODIVERSITY AND ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE IN VIETNAM

BIODIVERSITY AND WILDLIFE
TRADE IN VIETNAM
M.A Dang Xuan Dao
Member of Justice Council
Chief Judge of Economic Court
The Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam
1. SOME MAIN GEOGRAPHICAL
CHARACTERISTICS OF VIETNAM
- Total land area of 331.688 km2,
extending more than 1650 km from
North to South
- Coastline spreading over 3260 km
with thousands of islands
- Typical tropical monsoon climate
- An intersection point of fauna and
flora in India-Myanmar, South of
China and Indo-Malaysia region
2. SOME MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF
BIODIVERSITY IN VIETNAM
- One of the 16 most biologically diverse
countries in the world
- Species diversity: about 11.458 species of
fauna, 21.017 species of flora and 3.000
species of micro-organisms have been
recognized
- Every year, many new species are
discovered. Ex: in the period of 19932002, 13 new genera, 222 species, 30
subspecies were discovered.
3. BIODIVERSITY DEGRADATION
- According to data of Vietnam Red
Data Book released on 26 June 2008:
the number of threatened wildlife
species has increased from 715 in
1992-1996 to 882 in 2007, among
them 116 fauna species and 45 flora
species are classified as “critically
endangered”.
4.
MAJOR CAUSES
- Major causes: forest loss, illegal logging,
wildlife trade, habitat’s loss and
fragmentation, environmental pollution
- Figures on wildlife trade in Vietnam:
+ Annual demand for wildlife used for
food, medicines, ornamental purpose
and export: 3.700 – 4.500 tons
(excluding birds and insects)
+ Annual consumption of 3.400 tons of
wildlife meat
5. SOLUTIONS
Biodiversity conservation activities:
- In-situ conservation
+ System of nature reserves in Vietnam
(national parks, nature reserves, landscape
protection areas)
- Ex-situ conservation
+ Experimental forest
+ Medicinal plant gardens
+ Seed bank
6. Conservation and sustainable
development
- Sustainable development
+ Economic development
+ Social development
+ Environment protection
- Impacts of reserves on sustainable
development
7. Conservation and climate change
- Climate changes
- Impacts of climate change to
biodiversity conservation
- Impacts of system of reserves on
climate change
- Solutions for biodiversity in the
context of climate change
8. WILDLIFE TRADE IN VIETNAM –
AN OVERVIEW
- Began to flourish in the late 80s
- Wildlife: exploitation and
consumption domestically
- Vietnam: a wildlife trading entrepot in
the area
- Over 147 terrestrial animal species,
40 coleopteron species, 90 butterfly
species & hundreds of flora species:
consumed and traded
8. WILDLIFE TRADE IN VIETNAM –
AN OVERVIEW (Cont.)
- 1996-2007:14.758 violations of the
regulations on wildlife hunting and
trade prosecuted; 635 tons of wildlife
made up of a total of 181.670
animals confiscated
- Number of wildlife violations:
increasing trend (1.469 cases in 2000
to 1.880 cases in 2002)
9. WILDLIFE VIOLATIONS HEARD
BY THE COURTS IN VIETNAM (20062011)
- 08 cases on the destruction of aquatic
resource (Article 188, Criminal Code)
- 680 cases on the destruction of
forests (Article 189, Criminal Code)
- 456 cases on the violation of the
regulations on the protection of
precious and rare wild animals
(Article 190, Criminal Code)
- 01 case on the violation of special
protection of nature reserves
10. WILDLIFE TRADE CHAIN
- Legal trade: wild harvest, collection
and hunting & artificially propagated
and captive bred facility
- Illegal trade: wild harvest, collectrion
and hunting
- Vietnam: + supply source
+ transfer or transit market
11. VIETNAM’S WILDLIFE TRADE
POLICY
- The National Strategy for Environmental
Protection until 2010 and vision towards
2020 (2003)
- The National Action Plan on
strengthening the wildlife trade
management towards 2010 (2004)
- The National Action Plan on Biodiversity
towards 2010 and Vision towards 2020,
and the Cartagena Convention on
Biological Safety
- The Strategy of Forestry Development
for the period of 2006-2020 (2007)
12. LEGAL DOCUMENTS ON
WILDLIFE TRADE
- Before Vietnam joined CITES: focused
primarily on protection or the
prevention of illegal hunting and
exploit of natural resources
- After Vietnam joined CITES (1994):
more guidance was provided on the
registration and management of
captive breeding and artificial
propagation enterprises
13. IMPLEMENTATION OF WILDLIFE
TRADE POLICIES
- Implementation of the National Action
Plan on strengthening the
management of wildlife trade towards
2010
- Domestic wildlife exploitation and
trade
- International trade
14. CONCLUSION
- Framework of policies and laws on wildlife
trade: complex and comprehensive
- Policy impacts: wide variety of stakeholders in
the wildlife trade
- Protection of nature: enhanced
- Illegal wildlife trade: addressed
- Captive breeding & artificial propagation:
developed
- Appropriate legislation for implementing
international conventions
15. CONCLUSION (Cont.)
Weaknesses of wildlife trade policy
- Focus only on protection and law
enforcement; development of legal
utilization is not given equal attention
- Lack of appropriate consultation with
and participation of relevant
stakeholders limits the policy
- Operation of prosecution and
punishment mechanism: need to be
reevaluated
15. RECOMMENDATIONS
-
Improve and complete current policy to ensure
its efficiency and applicability: addressing illegal
trade and increasing income and jobs to people
Develop an united policy for wildlife trade
management
Reevaluate current policy of selling confiscated
wildlife
Develop captive breeding and artificial
propagation: development and management
Propaganda and education
International and regional cooperation