WWF empowering communities to lead long-term biodiversity protection efforts

On January 30, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Hue City, in coordination with the Vietnam Agriculture and Nature Newspaper and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Vietnam), organized the Media Forum on Mobilizing community and stakeholder participation in sustainable biodiversity conservation. This is the event under the framework of the MiB-GBF project.

The event brought together nearly 120 delegates, including representatives of state management agencies, local authorities, as well as community members and social organizations directly involved in conservation activities in Hue City and the Central region.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Nguyen Dai Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Hue City, emphasized that with a comprehensive action strategy, appropriate investment plans, and strong community engagement, Hue City is gradually moving toward a development model that ensures harmony between people and nature.

Hue City has accumulated valuable experience in mobilizing community participation, progressively establishing mechanisms that promote empowerment, strengthen accountability, and ensure that local people play a central role in conservation models at the local level.

"Today’s forum provides a space for us to exchange and share experiences, initiatives, and effective models in raising awareness, changing behaviors, and mobilizing the participation of citizens, businesses, and social organizations in biodiversity conservation. It is also an opportunity to strengthen connections among management agencies, experts, and the media, so as to further amplify the message that nature conservation is both a responsibility and a right of human beings," Mr. Tuan emphasized.

In recent years in Hue City, the municipal Forest Protection Department has established numerous community-based conservation groups, mainly comprising village elders, village heads, core youth members, women’s union representatives, and other respected individuals in local communities. These groups not only take part in patrols, monitoring, and the removal of traps, but also serve as "core communicators," engaging in outreach, advocacy, and dialogue with individual households on behaviors related to the hunting, trading, and consumption of wildlife.

Communities are increasingly participating actively and having a direct voice in local conservation activities, marking an important shift from the approach of "officials speak - people listen" to one of "communities speak – communities change."

Specifically, communities have jointly organized more than 60 communication and outreach events, provided training for over 3,000 local residents, engaged nearly 1,400 participants in in-depth discussions on nature conservation and biodiversity, and mobilized nearly 200 service establishments to sign commitments to "Say No" to wildlife.

According to Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan, Director of the Hue City Forest Protection Department, when conservation messages are conveyed by community members themselves using local language, customs, and social credibility, the level of trust is higher, behavioral change is more sustainable, and grassroots communication networks can be maintained over the long term, even after projects come to an end.

At the forum, delegates contributed insights and shared experiences on mobilizing community participation in the implementation of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), promoting effective models, and proposing solutions tailored to the specific conditions of each locality.

Mr. Hoang Xuan Huy, Relations Manager of WWF-Vietnam, affirmed that WWF-Vietnam will continue to accompany Hue City in promoting community-based conservation initiatives, thereby contributing to the effective implementation of NBSAP.

"We believe that through close cooperation and the active engagement of all stakeholders, biodiversity conservation efforts will become increasingly in-depth and deliver long-term values for both people and nature," Mr. Huy shared.

On this occasion, the Organizing Committee recognized and honored eight outstanding community groups and individuals for their notable achievements in communication and biodiversity conservation, contributing to the promotion of active community participation in Hue City and neighboring localities during the 2020 - 2025 period.

Specifically, the awardees included: Mr. Dinh Dien - Management Board of Phong Dien Nature Reserve; Mr. Nguyen Huu Hung - Forest Protection Sub-Department of Hue City; Mr. Dang Van Nong - Deputy Head of the Tan My Community Forest Management Board; Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tu - White-cheeked Gibbon Volunteer Conservation Team, Tuyen Hoa; The Mobile Forest Patrol and Protection Team (Saola Nature Reserve); Mr. Pham Viet Nuoc - Community Communication Group of A Tin Hamlet (Hue City); and the Pioneer Group for Gray-shanked Douc Langur Conservation (Tam My Tay, Quang Nam).

MiB-GBF project - Promoting Community Participation in the Implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework and the National Biodiversity Strategy in Quang Tri Province, Hue City, and Da Nang City, aims to strengthen community engagement in biodiversity conservation.

In Hue City, the MiB-GBF project was approved by the Hue City People’s Committee under Decision No. 475/QD-UBND dated February 25, 2025. The Department of Agriculture and Environment of Hue City serves as the project owner, while WWF-Vietnam is the implementing organization.

During the 2025 - 2027 period, alongside Hue City, the MiB-GBF project is also being implemented in Quang Tri Province and Da Nang City. The project seeks to support the three localities and their communities in developing new conservation initiatives, while sustaining and scaling up effective existing conservation outcomes, thereby contributing to the implementation of NBSAP and its international commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.