Conservation organisations urge more penalties for wildlife crime
Sixteen Vietnamese and foreign conservation organisations have called for more administrative punishments for wildlife crime, given their concern about biodiversity loss as a result of unchecked poaching.
Hanoi (VNA) – Sixteen Vietnameseand foreign conservation organisations have called for more administrativepunishments for wildlife crime, given their concern about biodiversity loss asa result of unchecked poaching.
Director of the Save Vietnam’s Wildlife (SVW)Nguyen Van Thai said on November 27 that the SVW and 15 other conservationorganisations operating in Vietnam have proposed some regulations be issued toprotect wild animals in the country. The organisations are concerned about the biodiversityloss mainly caused by illegal trapping, catching, and hunting in Vietnameseforests.
He said surveillance and surveys in nationalparks and protected areas over the last five years show that the population ofwild animals has declined considerably. Many animals like tigers, sao la,clouded leopards, binturong, and Chinese pangolins haven’t been recorded in thesurveys, and they have possibly become extinct.
Patrols also show that illegal traps are stillrampant in almost all national parks and protected areas. The exploitation ofnon-wood forestry products has also partially worsened the situation.
Thai said more administrative penalties forillegally setting up tents in special-use forests should be added to the draftdecree revising the Government’s Decree No.157/2013/ND-CP on wildlifeprotection as this activity is almost always accompanied by logging andwildlife hunting.
Decree No.157/2013/ND-CP has already stipulatedfines for the carrying of hunting tools, but wild animals are stilldisappearing, he said, noting that if trapping and poaching are not eradicated,Vietnam will face the extinction of an array of endangered and rare animals inthe near future. Therefore, it is necessary to supplement fines for the carryingand use of hunting tools into forests with banned hunting.
He added that the organisations also urgedstricter punishments for the use of dogs in hunting since dogs can infectnatural species with many diseases. –VNA
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