Delegates at the 20th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CoP20). Photo courtesy of Department of Forestry and Forest Protection.
The conference, held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on November 24, addressed over 120 key agenda items, including 51 species proposals, covering policies, finance, law enforcement and amendments to the CITES Appendices. The goal is to ensure international trade in endangered species is legal, sustainable and fully traceable.
At the ministerial session themed “Enhancing the strategic impact of CITES CoP20 from policy to practice: Monitoring, financing and action for wildlife trade,” Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Quoc Tri, head of the Vietnamese delegation, outlined measures Vietnam is taking to prevent illegal wildlife trade.
He stressed that sustainable development linked to nature conservation and wildlife protection is a national strategic priority reflected in government resolutions promoting green growth, a circular economy and sustainable natural resource management.
Nguyen highlighted Vietnam’s achievements in maintaining national forest cover at 42 per cent, expanding protected areas and implementing strong measures against wildlife trafficking. Enforcement agencies have cooperated with neighbouring countries to dismantle cross-border networks and destroyed large quantities of seized wildlife products, including more than three tonnes of ivory, 200kg of rhino horn, 6.2 tonnes of pangolin scales and 3.1 tonnes of lion bones.
Alongside enforcement, Vietnam has strengthened its legal framework governing wildlife trade and protection, introducing laws, decrees, circulars and species-specific action plans in line with CITES requirements. These measures have improved resource management, restored degraded ecosystems and expanded conservation areas.
Financial resources for conservation have also increased. Payments for forest environmental services currently generate more than VND 3 trillion (USD 114 million) annually, supporting local livelihoods and forest protection. Vietnam is exploring additional tools such as carbon credits, biodiversity credits and disaster-risk insurance to diversify funding amid rising costs of ecosystem restoration, disaster response and trade monitoring.
The deputy minister noted that gaps remain between conservation needs and available resources, calling on CITES parties to boost cooperation in monitoring, data-sharing and sustainable financing. He said the effectiveness of CITES depends on coordination among countries and strong support from the Secretariat.
CoP20 gathers more than 3,000 delegates from 170 countries and 280 organisations to consider over 120 agenda items, including species proposals and issues related to finance, monitoring and sustainable trade.
