The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on Monday launched a new project to help Vietnam control illegal wildlife trafficking.
At the launch of the project.
The USD15 million, five-year project, called Saving Threatened Wildlife, will work toward increasing Vietnam’s leadership in addressing wildlife crime by enhancing the commitment of Government of Vietnam leaders at the national and provincial levels, improving law enforcement effectiveness, and reducing demand and consumption of illegal wildlife products.
Speaking at the event, USAID/Vietnam Mission Director Ann Marie Yastishock said that the world’s most iconic endangered species, including rhinos, elephants, pangolins and tigers, would perish from the planet within the next decades according to experts. "Through this new project, USAID will work with MARD to reduce demand for and consumption of illegal wildlife products, and save our threatened species,” she said.
MARD Vice Minister Le Quoc Doanh said that the effective implementation of the Saving Threatened Wildlife project would help address the issue of illegal wildlife trafficking, and therefore reflect the highest commitments of the Government of Vietnam in this effort, contributing to biodiversity conservation and environment protection in Vietnam.
Vietnam remains a global hub of the illegal wildlife trade and is a major destination, origin, and transit country in the illegal trade supply chain. The new project focuses on protecting species that are at risk from international trafficking into Vietnam such as African rhinos, African and Asian elephants, and pangolins, as well as animals that are regularly poached and traded domestically or internationally, such as primates, muntjacs, and big cats. The project is implemented by World Wide Fund for Nature, in cooperation with TRAFFIC and Education for Nature﹘Vietnam.
Also at the project launch, USAID and MARD opened a new chapter of cooperation on environmental issues. Mission Director Yastishock and Vice Minister Le Quoc Doanh signed the first bilateral partnership agreement—called a Limited Scope Grant Agreement—between USAID and MARD, on climate change cooperation in the Mekong Delta for the period 2022 to 2027. With an estimated budget of up to USD50 million, through this agreement, USAID will help MARD in reducing methane emissions from the agriculture sector, building resilience for the Mekong Delta’s vulnerable populations, promoting nature-based solutions, and developing climate-resilient and low-emissions policies.
