IUCN: A decade of transforming sea turtle conservation in Viet Nam

When fishermen become sea turtle rescuers

At the workshop "Review of the Action Plan for Sea Turtle Conservation in Viet Nam (2016-2025) and Strategic Directions for 2026-2035" recently held in Khanh Hoa Province, Ms. Bui Thi Thu Hien, representative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Viet Nam, shared the achievements after a decade of persistent dedication to sea turtle conservation.

The practical figures presented not only demonstrate the efforts of an international organization but also reflect a profound shift in awareness and action among both the fishing community and regulatory authorities in Viet Nam.

The 2016-2020 period is considered a crucial foundation phase, during which IUCN focused on addressing legal and technical bottlenecks. One of the most significant milestones was the completion of a legal framework assessment report on sea turtle conservation in 2018. This document identified key legal challenges and served as a basis for IUCN to collaborate in developing standardized rescue procedures for sea turtles and marine mammals, applicable to marine protected areas (MPAs) and local fisheries sub-departments. The establishment of a unified protocol has made responses to incidents involving injured or entangled sea turtles more professional and effective.

Alongside institutional improvements, IUCN has supported activities and provided equipment for rescue stations in Cu Lao Cham Marine Protected Area, Da Nang, and Nui Chua National Park. Capacity-building efforts have also been strongly implemented through annual integrated training workshops organized by IUCN in collaboration with partners for Viet Nam’s network of marine protected areas.

Specifically, 100% of staff at national parks and marine protected areas nationwide have received in-depth training. Notably, through this network, IUCN has directly trained more than 6,000 fishermen across eight key coastal provinces in handling, first aid, and safe release techniques for sea turtles encountered during fishing activities.

The success of this journey is further evidenced by the mobilization of community power. IUCN has established a core network of 1,000 volunteers stationed at critical sites such as Con Dao and Hon Cau during the sea turtle nesting season. Additionally, over 30,000 individuals have engaged and shared information via social media platforms regarding sea turtle conservation in particular and marine conservation in general. These figures demonstrate that sea turtles are no longer a distant subject of protection but have become a shared concern for society as a whole.

Artistic communication projects, such as the "Phieu" exhibition in 2024 and the "Life" program in Con Dao, have brought conservation messages to the masses. These initiatives aim to transform public behavior and mindsets regarding marine resource protection, using the sea turtle as a symbolic "ambassador" for the ocean.

Proposing AI applications for sea turtle identification

Entering the 2021-2025 period, with a stable legal framework and human network, IUCN has shifted its focus strongly toward digital technology applications. The organization has developed a national sea turtle conservation database, linking information directly from local marine protected areas to central authorities. This enables scientists and regulators to maintain a comprehensive and real-time overview of sea turtle population fluctuations in Vietnam. Once fully operational, this database will be shared with both central and local management agencies.

A highlight of these digitalization efforts is the design of a specialized application for fisherman volunteers (to be implemented in 2025-2026). Built with a user-friendly interface, the app allows fishermen to record coordinates, images, and the status of unintentionally caught sea turtles and marine mammals, even without an internet connection at sea. The data then automatically syncs when a connection is restored, creating a centralized, transparent, and highly scalable monitoring system that effectively supports long-term policy planning.

Looking toward the near future, Ms. Bui Thi Thu Hien introduced a groundbreaking proposal for the 2026-2028 period: piloting AI-powered Sea Turtle Photo Identification (Photo ID). This modern technology enables the precise identification of individual turtles based on the unique and distinctive patterns of their facial scales, much like human fingerprints.

According to the IUCN representative, this proposal aims to completely replace traditional metal tagging, which has shown several limitations. The old method is often considered invasive as it requires piercing the turtle's flipper to attach the tag, causing physical pain. Additionally, procuring and importing these tags from abroad is often difficult and costly. The application of AI not only ensures a more humane approach to conservation but also minimizes operational costs. Furthermore, it provides intuitive and accurate visual data for scientific research, linking directly to the database to "digitalize" conservation efforts.

Currently, IUCN Viet Nam is focusing on updating the 2025 Conservation Status Report to serve as the scientific foundation for the Strategic Action Plan for the 2026-2035 period.