Storks flying over the fields in Hương Trà Township in the central province of Thừa Thiên-Huế. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồ Cầu

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) on Monday issued an official dispatch asking ministries, sectors and localities to implement measures to preserve wild and migratory birds in Việt Nam.

The move is part of efforts to implement the Prime Minister’s Directive 04/CT-TTg, dated May 17, 2022, on a number of urgent tasks and solutions to protect wild and migratory birds in Việt Nam, especially in the annual migratory bird season from September to April, and respond to the International Migratory Bird Day (October 14).

Accordingly, the MoNRE requested media agencies to increase communications on the PM’s directive and legal documents regarding the preservation of wild and migratory birds.

Ministries, sectors and centrally-run cities and provinces were urged 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 prevent diseases originating from wild and migratory birds, said the dispatch.

The MoNRE also asked the agencies to submit a report to the ministry on the work by October 30, enabling it to report to the PM.

Việt Nam is considered one of the most important locations for migratory and endemic birds, with 63 globally important bird regions and seven endemic areas.

According to Directive 04/CT-TTg, the country is home to over 900 bird species, of which 99 need to be conserved, ten are categorised as critically endangered, 17 as endangered, 24 as near- endangered, and 48 as near-threatened species.

The habitats of wild and migratory birds have contributed to biodiversity conservation, tourism development, and the image of Việt Nam.

Despite conservation efforts, migratory bird populations have been seriously declining in Việt Nam and other Asian countries over the past years, experts noted, blaming the situation on rapid development across Asia and illegal hunting and trading.

Under the directive, the MoNRE was tasked to submit regulations on the preservation of wild and migratory wild birds in Việt Nam.

Guidelines on the management and protection of wild animals and migratory birds, including the protection of habitats, trans-boundary migration routes and their stopover sites, will be put in place.

The MoNRE was assigned to work with other relevant countries and territories to protect wild animals and migratory species, and set up a system to monitor important flight paths of migratory birds.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was assigned 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 complete legal provisions on sanctions for illegal actions.

The Ministry of Public Security was asked to direct environmental police to strengthen measures to handle violations of legal regulations in this respect. — VNS