Storks at Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve in Ninh Binh province. (Photo: VNA) The move is part of efforts to implement the Prime Minister’sDirective 4/CT-TTg, dated May 17, 2022, on a number of urgent tasks andsolutions to protect wild and migratory birds in Vietnam, especially in the annualmigratory bird season from September to April, and respond to the InternationalMigratory Bird Day (October 14).
Accordingly, the MoNRE requested media agencies to increasecommunications on the PM’s directive and legal documents regarding thepreservation of wild and migratory birds.
Ministries, sectors and centrally-run cities and provinces wereurged to ensure that their officials and staff do not engage in activities of hunting,trapping, trading, transporting, consuming or keeping wild and migratory birds.
Law enforcement agencies in the fields of forest protection, customs,market management, and police were asked to strengthen intersectoral coordination and regular inspections of restaurants, business establishments,and wild bird markets, as well as key areas and hot spots for hunting,catching, trading, transporting and consuming wild and migratory birds.
The agencies should strictly handle illegal acts of hunting,shooting, trapping, catching, slaughtering, transporting, trading, processing,and storing wild and migratory birds, while rolling out measures to preventdiseases originating from wild and migratory birds, said the dispatch.
The MoNRE also asked the agencies to submit a report to theministry on the work by October 30, enabling it to report to the PM.
Vietnam is considered one of the most important locations for migratory andendemic birds, with 63 globally important bird regions and seven endemic areas.
According to Directive 4/CT-TTg, the country is home to over900 bird species, of which 99 need to be conserved, ten are categorised ascritically endangered, 17 as endangered, 24 as near- endangered, and 48 asnear-threatened species.
The habitats of wild and migratory birds have contributed tobiodiversity conservation, tourism development, and the image of Vietnam.
Despite conservation efforts, migratory bird populationshave been seriously declining in Vietnam and other Asian countries over thepast years, experts noted, blaming the situation to rapid development acrossAsia and illegal hunting and trading.
Under the directive, the MoNRE was tasked to submit regulationson the preservation of wild and migratory wild birds in Vietnam.
Guidelines on the management and protection of wild animalsand migratory birds, including the protection of habitats, trans-boundarymigration routes, and their stopover sites, will be put in place.
The MoNRE was assigned to work with other relevant countriesand territories to protect wild animals and migratory species, and set up asystem to monitor important flight paths of migratory birds.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development wasassigned to work with forest rangers and local authorities to patrol, control,prevent and punish illegal hunting and capture of migratory birds.
It was urged to coordinate with relevant agencies to completelegal provisions on sanctions for illegal actions.
The Ministry of Public Security was asked to directenvironmental police to strengthen measures to handle violations of legalregulations in this respect./.
VNA
