A poster of the Wildlife Meat Demand Reduction Campaign which is launched on March 15. Photos courtesy of USAID Biodiversity Conservation

HÀ NỘI — The USAID Biodiversity Conservation has launched a wild meat demand reduction campaign urging government agencies and Vietnamese citizens nationwide to enhance their actions for wildlife conservation.

“The Vietnamese new year is a good occasion to reflect on our harmonious coexistence and stewardship for wildlife and nature as an imperative to appreciate and safeguard biodiversity and uphold the nation’s international conservation commitments," Vũ Văn Hưng, Director of Sustainable Forest Management and Biodiversity Conservation (VFBC) project said.

Meanwhile Annie Wallace, Director of Office of Climate Change, Energy, and Environment/USAID Việt Nam, shared: "USAID stands with the Việt Nam government and all citizens in the collective effort to conserve the country’s wildlife and natural habitats. We encourage everyone to be active partners by becoming stewards of nature and wildlife and by helping to reduce demand for the consumption of wildlife”.

For generations, the people of Việt Nam have been consuming wildlife meat and other products. The persistent demand for these products has led to a severe decline in the populations of wildlife in Việt Nam's natural habitats including wild cattle and species of muntjac deer only found in the Central Annamites.

Việt Nam has been one of the Asian countries consuming a lot of wild animals for many year, leading a serious decline in wild species populations in the country.

A survey on wild meat consumption conducted by WWF-Việt Nam in 2021 reveals that 90 per cent of wild animals hunted illegally end up mainly in urban restaurants and the average consumption per a consumer of wildlife meat is seven times per year.

These crucial findings highlight the urgency of better action plans to reduce wildlife consumption across sectors and at multiple levels. This entails significant investment in increasing public awareness through communication channels to actively curb both the illegal wildlife trade and the consumption of wildlife meat.

Moreover, in the upcoming period, ongoing efforts are essential to strengthen the enforcement of biodiversity conservation laws, with a focus on integrating and implementing biodiversity conservation requirements into the national macro-policy planning process.

Miss Universe Việt Nam 2017 H’hen Nie (right) and dancer Quang Đăng are campaign messengers to call people join in wildlife protection. VNS

"While we work to support the improvement of law enforcement and conservation activities inside Việt Nam’s forest protected areas, to give wildlife populations a chance to survive and recover from the decades of decline, it’s crucial to stop the illegal consumption of wildlife meat." said Nick Cox, Chief of Party, USAID Biodiversity Conservation project, WWF.

The campaign is promoting its messages through social media platforms and public engagement activities across the country.

Miss Universe Việt Nam 2017 H’hen Nie and dance talent Quang Đăng will take part in the event as campaign messengers in a music video on wildlife protection. VNS