Vietnam sets up wildlife crime agency

Vietnam has established a national committee for the prevention of wildlife crimes like poaching, trafficking, and captive breeding of endangered species.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, together with the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network, launched Tuesday the Inter-agency Executive Committee for Vietnam Wildlife Enforcement, which has members of the Vietnam Wildlife Enforcement Network (Vietnam-WEN) on it.

Vietnam-WEN is headed by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hua Duc Nhi and has a committee comprising nine members.

“Vietnam-WEN is an essential requirement, which demonstrates the government’s efforts to strengthen collaboration with other countries in the region and worldwide for more effective response to wildlife crimes,” Nhi said.

Manop Lauprasert, Senior Officer of the ASEAN-WEN Program Coordination Unit, said: “This progress demonstrates ASEAN member countries' commitment and collaboration to mutually fight the illegal wildlife trade that is robbing our region of irreplaceable flora and fauna.”

Vietnam is the sixth ASEAN member to form a national wildlife enforcement agency under the regional ASEAN-WEN after Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.