More than two dozens of Vietnam ’senvironmental police gather this week in Hanoi for four days oftraining on wildlife trade enforcement.
The training, led by German CITES experts, will focus on theregulations, implementation and enforcement of CITES (the Convention onInternational Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), theprimary international agreement regulating trade in wildlife andwildlife products.
The workshop is one of two being conducted by the Greater Mekong officeof TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, in cooperation withthe German CITES Management Authority.
The training will be held in Hanoi for environmental officers fromnorthern Vietnam , while the second will take place on Nov. 30 to Dec.3 in HCM City for officers from southern provinces.
Both workshops are sponsored by the German Ministry for Environmentaland the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BFN) and will include afield trip to nearby wildlife centres and farms to give traineeshands-on experience in animal identification and CITES compliance.
In Vietnam , as in other parts of Southeast Asia , the illicit wildlifetrade has pushed species such as tigers, Asian elephants, Javanrhinoceros and hawksbill turles to the brink of extinction, and causeda sharp decline in wild populations of many others.
Although relatively new, the Department of Environmental Police hasshown an ever-increasing commitment to ending wildlife traffickingsince its inception in 2007. It has expanded to a force of nearly 1,000officers stationed around the country, and has been increasingly moreactive in investigating and seizing illegal wildlife products.
The growing frequency of wildlife seizures by authorities indicates animproved understanding of illegal trafficking and CITES regulations,thanks in part to two previous training sessions conducted by TRAFFICin 2008./.
The training, led by German CITES experts, will focus on theregulations, implementation and enforcement of CITES (the Convention onInternational Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), theprimary international agreement regulating trade in wildlife andwildlife products.
The workshop is one of two being conducted by the Greater Mekong officeof TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, in cooperation withthe German CITES Management Authority.
The training will be held in Hanoi for environmental officers fromnorthern Vietnam , while the second will take place on Nov. 30 to Dec.3 in HCM City for officers from southern provinces.
Both workshops are sponsored by the German Ministry for Environmentaland the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BFN) and will include afield trip to nearby wildlife centres and farms to give traineeshands-on experience in animal identification and CITES compliance.
In Vietnam , as in other parts of Southeast Asia , the illicit wildlifetrade has pushed species such as tigers, Asian elephants, Javanrhinoceros and hawksbill turles to the brink of extinction, and causeda sharp decline in wild populations of many others.
Although relatively new, the Department of Environmental Police hasshown an ever-increasing commitment to ending wildlife traffickingsince its inception in 2007. It has expanded to a force of nearly 1,000officers stationed around the country, and has been increasingly moreactive in investigating and seizing illegal wildlife products.
The growing frequency of wildlife seizures by authorities indicates animproved understanding of illegal trafficking and CITES regulations,thanks in part to two previous training sessions conducted by TRAFFICin 2008./.
