Participants discuss strengthening legislation and communication on wildlife protection at a dialogue in Hanoi on November 20 (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNS/VNA) -Strengthening legislation and communications about wildlife protection was themain topic of a discussion held last week in Hanoi.
The event that was organised bythe National Assembly Committee for Deputy Affairs in collaboration withwildlife trade monitor network TRAFFIC and Save the Rhino International,bringing together 50 deputies and conservation experts to discuss long-termwildlife legislation and communication strategies in Vietnam.
At the event, participantsfocused on how national conservation laws could be strengthened to improveenforcement and ways in which communications campaigns could best supportwildlife legislation.
NA deputies and experts alsodiscussed the need for harmonisation and a clear delineation ofresponsibilities in future wildlife protection legislation. A lack of clarityin present laws was put forward as the main factor mitigating effectiveenforcement.
They heard that Vietnam hadmade progressive achievements in enacting legal tools to end wildlifetrafficking. However, there is a need for improvement in some legalframeworks and policies. The National Assembly supports these efforts andencourages government leaders at all levels to come together to counterwildlife crime.
At the event, TRAFFIC sharedexperience and lessons learned on the application of social and behaviourchange communications (SBCC) to support laws against the use of rhino horn,ivory, and other illegal wildlife products. SBCC is an evidence-basedcommunications approach designed to promote and sustain positive behaviour bydelivering culturally specific messages to multiple levels of society.
TRAFFIC has pioneered theapplication of SBCC to stop illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam. Sarah Ferguson,director of TRAFFIC in Vietnam, shared the plan to drive down demand forillegal wildlife products and called on government officials to step up asagents of change against wildlife crimes.
Despite government efforts, Vietnamremains a transit and destination point for illegal wildlife trade. Discussionpoints and recommendations will be collected into a reference guide to be keptin the National Assembly Library and used to drive the development of effectivefuture wildlife legislation and communication measures to counter wildlifetrafficking./.
VNA
