News
Laos, China and Viet Nam enhance cooperation to combat transnational wildlife trafficking networks
(12:50:46 PM 06/04/2016)April 5th, 2016–Frontline enforcement officers from key provinces, ports and border posts in Laos, China and Viet Nam completed aninter-agency field mission this week to share experiences, approaches and update the situation on wildlife smuggling networks along the major Indo-Burma trade route.
Twenty-five participants from police, customs anti-smuggling bureau, border army, and CITES management authorities travelledfrom China’s Guangzhou City, through Nanning, the Dongxing – MongCai border crossing into Viet Nam, Quang Ninh province, Ha Tinh province, the Cau Treo-Nam Pha border crossing into Laos, Bolikhamxay province and ending in the capital city, Vientiane.
Throughout the mission participants visited key sites along the trafficking network such as the Qingping traditional medicine market in Guangzhou and significant smuggling points along international borders. Meetings with local officers were heldto better under the situation on the ground, build relationships,share intelligenceon recent cases and enhance strategies for cooperative actions.
This trade route across Indoburmais believed to cover the most significant illegal flow of elephant ivory, pangolins scales, tiger bones, and freshwater turtles and tortoises. Whilst governments in the region have provided a political voice to combatting wildlife trafficking networks, this is yet to translate on the ground action at the network level and trafficking networks continue unabated.
In order to summarize the results of the mission, the Department of Forest Inspection (DoFI) of Laos hosted a meeting in Vientiane. Participants discussed past challenges to effective transnational cooperation and drafted a roadmap for collaboration in 2016. This includedestablishing direct communication protocols and mainstreaming wildlife trafficking into bi-lateral meetings between frontline agencies through the development of further bilateral agreements between neighboring provinces.
Mr. Yin Bangxiang - Deputy Director of Guangxi Anti-Smuggling Office, praised the action: “in many countries enforcement cooperation is restricted to political pledges in a meeting room; so it is very encouraging that each participant should pay more effort to advocate the government to operate their commitments immediately”.
Mr. Air Vilarket, Deputy Director Department of Wildlife and Aquatic Life Inspection, DoFI was pleased with outcomes of this mission. “Participating in the mission benefited our participants greatly. We learned about wildlife trade along the route, the mandate of law enforcement of each country and in near future we hope this will facilitate targeted training and information exchange to improve regional collaboration.
Mr. Pham Quang Tung, CITES MA Viet Nam stated that: "Wildlife trade is a serious transnational crime and its critical that we enhance sharing information across borders for frontline officers, we hope to develop mechanisms at provincial level to enable this in the coming year based on available agreement such as MoU between CITES MA Viet Nam and CITES MA China.
The mission was hosted by the CITESManagement Authority of China and Vietnam, the Department of Forest Inspection (Lao PDR), facilitated by the Wildlife Conservation Society and support from the Critical Ecosystem, Partnership Fund (CEPF) and the Blue Moon Foundation.
Send comments you read about: Laos, China and Viet Nam enhance cooperation to combat transnational wildlife trafficking networks
You may also be interested in:
-
USAID Launches New Public Service Announcements to Tackle Rhino Horn Consumption
-
Youth for Climate Cycling Event (within the framework of European Climate Diplomacy Week 2019)
-
VIETNAM: New Study Offers Pathways To Climate-Smart Transport
-
USAID works alongside Viet Nam’s National Assembly on effective wildlife conservation through demand reduction
-
Winners of TRAFFIC’s sustainable traditional medicine competition announced
-
Hanoi mobilizes resources to improve the city’s air quality
-
Accelerating the implementation of the Paris Agreement in Viet Nam through joint national and international efforts
-
USAID Promotes Chi Initiative to Drive Down Demand for Rhino Horn
-
Members of Vietnamese and German companies take pledge against wildlife crime
Recent Posts:
- USAID Launches New Public Service Announcements to Tackle Rhino Horn Consumption (19/12/2019)
- Youth for Climate Cycling Event (within the framework of European Climate Diplomacy Week 2019) (28/09/2019)
- VIETNAM: New Study Offers Pathways To Climate-Smart Transport (17/09/2019)
- USAID works alongside Viet Nam’s National Assembly on effective wildlife conservation through demand reduction (26/07/2019)
- Winners of TRAFFIC’s sustainable traditional medicine competition announced (22/06/2019)
- Hanoi mobilizes resources to improve the city’s air quality (28/11/2018)
- Accelerating the implementation of the Paris Agreement in Viet Nam through joint national and international efforts (07/11/2018)
- USAID Promotes Chi Initiative to Drive Down Demand for Rhino Horn (28/08/2018)
- Siemens supplies equipment for Vietnam’s largest solar farm (14/07/2018)
- Members of Vietnamese and German companies take pledge against wildlife crime (30/06/2018)

GERMANY SUPPORTS VIET NAM THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GUIDEBOOK FOR ENERGY AUDIT
(Tinmoitruong.vn) - Hanoi, 17/03/2017 Today, the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in Vietnam and General Directorate of Energy (GDE)- Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) co-host the Consultation Workshop on ”Draft Guidebook for Energy Audit”.

Airbus and Indonesia partner on aviation environmental programme
(Tinmoitruong.vn) - Airbus and the Indonesian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have launched a long-term partnership to reduce the impact of aviation on the environment. The agreement was signed during the ICAO World Aviation Forum on Aviation Partnerships for Sustainable Development in Montreal Canada. This programme will cover a tailored offering of services and expertise.