Two 'weakest' cities in handling wildlife-related information

On the morning of August 9, in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), the Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) held a seminar on "Effectiveness in Handling Wildlife Violations Reported by the People in 2022". The seminar was chaired by ENV’s representatives, with the participation of more than 20 reporters from central and local press agencies stationed in HCMC.

Many localities have achieved high efficiency in handling information

At the seminar, Ms. Bui Thi Ha, Deputy Director of ENV, said that in 2022, the response rate related to wildlife across the country still remained stable at about 97.7%. The successful handling rate of cases related to wildlife in general reached approximately 33%, and the successful handling rate of cases related to living wildlife reached nearly 35%. The indexes increased slightly compared to 2021; however, they were still lower than the results recorded in 2019 and 2020.

In 2022, Quang Nam province was a locality that achieved the highest and most comprehensive efficiency in all criteria for handling cases reported by the people. With the active handling of 100% of the case information and a quick and timely response after receiving the information, Quang Nam provincial authorities detected and seized many products from wildlife; removed the illegal wildlife advertising menus; and confiscated, received, and transferred 1,172 live wildlife individuals to the authorities for handling. The successful handling rate of cases in Quang Nam province reached approximately 85%, and the successful handling rate related to live wildlife reached more than 94%.

Following are the provinces of Dong Nai, Thanh Hoa, Gia Lai, Quang Nam, Binh Thuan, Binh Duong, and Can Tho, which are also localities with high efficiency in handling wildlife-related information reported by the people.

According to Ms. Ha, a high response rate just really promotes its value if it is "along with" high handling efficiency. The results recorded in the provinces of Quang Nam, Dong Nai, and Thanh Hoa are evidence.

According to ENV's report, many other localities, such as Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Dak Lak, etc., have also made great efforts in law enforcement on wildlife protection and achieved high efficiency in handling wildlife-related case information reported by the people.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are "the last on a list" in handling information

Meanwhile, according to ENV's statistics, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are the two cities that have recorded the highest number of wildlife-related cases reported by the people in the country but rank last in terms of information handling rate.

Specifically, in 2022, authorities in HCMC received 444 wildlife-related information provided by the people, but they handled only approximately 17% of that number. The successful handling rate of cases related to live wildlife only reached about 18%. Meanwhile, Hanoi capital received 113 cases and handled more than 28%, of which nearly 33% of cases related to live wildlife were successfully handled.

"In HCMC, the situation of trafficking turtle species right on the sidewalk has been happening for a long time. Among them, there are many rare, precious, and endangered turtle species, such as Heosemys annandalii, Indotestudo elongata, Heosemys grandis, etc. According to the seller, the turtles are of Cambodian origin. Each turtle costs from 1 to several million dongs. The seller is ready to deliver on-site in large quantities.

Although this is an illegal act, the authorities have not taken strong measures to fold the act, so the turtle selling objects are not afraid. I once heard a foreign tourist complain about selling turtles on the sidewalk, and they expressed their surprise when seeing that this matter was not handled," said Ms. Ha.

Established in 2000, ENV is considered one of the first social organizations for wildlife conservation in Vietnam. ENV is at the forefront of efforts to end illegal wildlife trafficking in Vietnam by applying innovative strategies to complete legal regulations on wildlife protection, promote enforcement, and directly support authorities in handling violations and mobilizing community participation. The actions aim to reduce the demand for wildlife and prevent wildlife violations.

Since 2007, ENV has focused on three strategic focus areas to end illegal wildlife trafficking in Vietnam. First, coordinate with policymakers to strengthen institutions, overcome legal loopholes, and encourage effective implementation of policies and laws on wildlife protection.

Second, enhance the effectiveness of law enforcement by directly supporting the authorities in preventing and repelling wildlife violations;

Third, reduce the consumption demand for wildlife products through long-term, sustainable campaigns to change community awareness and behavior. At the same time, encourage the community to actively participate in wildlife protection by reporting signs of violations to local authorities or the toll-free hotline on wildlife protection at 1800.1522.

Since 2019, ENV has begun to analyze the effectiveness of handling wildlife-related cases reported by people in all localities nationwide with the goal of providing evaluation indexes to local government leaders.

Evaluation indexes include the successful handling rate of wildlife-related cases reported to the authorities by the people, the successful handling rate of cases related to live wildlife, and the response rate of local authorities for cases reported by the people.

"In 2022, the response and successful handling rates of case information related to wildlife in general and the successful handling rate of cases related to live wildlife in many localities reached a high level. ENV hopes that the local authorities will continue to make more efforts to bring the successful handling rate of wildlife-related cases reported by people on average over the country in 2023 to 60%, progressing to eliminate illegal wildlife trafficking in Vietnam," said Ms. Bui Thi Ha, Deputy Director of the Education for Nature Vietnam.