A pangolin caught in the jungle. The high demand for wildlife meat in urban areas will increase hunting cases in the jungle. (Photo courtesy of WWF-Vietnam) Dubbed "Say No to Wildlife Meat Consumption," the plan aims toachieve a "zero wildlife consumption" goal by 2030.
The city People's Committee has unveiled a series of action programmes toeliminate all wildlife-related activities, from trade and transportation tostorage and cooking in restaurants and shops.
The seven-year plan is a far-reaching effort that will demand the cooperationof state agencies, hotels, restaurants, bars, pet shops, herbal medicine shops,and communities to halt the use of wildlife products, even in private homes.
Vice Chairman of the city People's Committee Nguyen Minh Nam said the reductionin demand for wild meat in urban areas would help decrease the number ofillegal hunting in jungles and natural reserves.
Nam said Tam Ky would reach the plan's target with the involvement of all partsof communities, both in urban and near forest areas.
He also called all families, people and friends to join hands in endingwildlife meat and product use in communities.
Deputy head of the Quang Nam provincial forest protection sub-department Tu VanKhanh said the ranger force would strongly support the plan and providetechnical assistance to the city's authorities in tackling wildlife meat andproduct.
In a survey in Tam Ky city alone by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in2020, 93.5 per cent of asked people agreed that wildlife meat was the most usedamong related products.
According to another survey in 2021, many consumers of Tam Ky believed usingfresh wildlife meat helps demonstrate them as luxury gastronomers or richpeople while supporting them stronger with nutrition.
Hue city, the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, also promised to become thefirst urban in Vietnam 'Say No to Wildlife Meat'.
Last year, a campaign was launched by USAID and WWF to reduce the demand forwild animal meat.
The USAID's Biodiversity Conservation project aimed to raise public awarenessof the risks of consuming it with a message: 'Once wild meat is on the diningtable, the risks are exposed'.
A series of planned events highlighted risks to public health, the legalpenalties, and the risks to nature associated with the illegal consumption ofwild meat.
"Despite being one the world's most biodiverse countries, Vietnam hasexperienced staggering wildlife losses. USAID partners with Vietnam to conserveand restore its wildlife. Participation from local communities is vital toconservation success. We invite communities to join us in raising awareness ofthe risks of eating wild animal meat to help reduce demand for wildlifetrade," said USAID/Vietnam Acting Deputy Mission Director Annie Wallace.
The USAID project changes individual behaviours and social norms that reducelocal demand for wildlife meat, including pangolin, civet, and other wildlifespecies. This is one of four strategies the Project implements to achievelong-term biodiversity conservation goals in Vietnam.
Vietnam is one of many Asian countries where wild meat and other animal partshave been consumed for food and medicinal purposes for generations. Thisongoing demand is unsustainable and has already led to dramatic declines inwildlife populations, resulting in pressure on wildlife in neighbouringcountries to meet the demand.
A survey conducted by WWF-Vietnam in 2021 showed that 90% of wild animalshunted illegally ended up mainly in urban restaurants, with only 10% consumedlocally.
"Vietnam's wildlife populations are in a crisis, driven by the ongoingdemand for wildlife meat and other products and hunters' continuedindiscriminate use of snares," said Nick Cox, Chief of Party, USAIDBiodiversity Conservation, WWF-US. "Reducing demand for wild meat needs adramatic change in behaviour and social norms so that the consumption ofwildlife is seen as socially unacceptable. We need every citizen to stop wildmeat consumption from helping prevent the human health risks and ensurewildlife populations have a chance of survival."
The USAID Biodiversity Conservation is funded by USAID and implemented by WWF,in partnership with the Management Board for Forestry Projects, Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development (MARD), and aims to secure the remainingstrongholds of intact natural forest and wildlife populations in Vietnam.
USAID Biodiversity Conservation works in Quang Nam, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue,Quang Binh, Lam Dong, Cuc Phuong National Park (Ninh Binh province), Vu QuangNational Park (Ha Tinh province), and Cat Tien National Park (Lam Dong and DongNai provinces)./.
VNA
