Press Release

New Hotline to Help Protect Vietnam's Wildlife
Tel. (04) 775 4850

January 4, 2004

Education for Nature – Vietnam (ENV) has established a hotline to assist wildlife protection authorities in efforts to combat the illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam. While ENV encourages people to report wildlife trade observations directly to their local Forest Protection Department first, ENV has established a special telephone line in order to help facilitate reporting efforts to provincial authorities, particularly relating to observations that might otherwise go unreported.

According to government figures, during 2000 to 2002 there were 5,351 cases involving confiscations of wildlife in 53 provinces and cities throughout Vietnam. In the first half of 2003, over 33 tonnes of animals were seized nationwide. Estimate suggest that the number of confiscations may represent only 5% to 20% of the actual total trade, and that thousands of tonnes of wildlife and hundreds of thousands of individual animals may be traded illegally each year*.

In recent year, Vietnam has made significant progress in efforts to protect wildlife including strengthening wildlife protection laws, establishing more parks and protected areas, increasing and strengthening enforcement, and promoting public awareness.

ENV’s new hotline will be manned during working hours, and receive recorded messages after hours. Persons wishing to report observations may alternatively send a message to ENV’s electronic wildlife trade hotline at hotline@thiennhien.org

Each report will be logged individually and followed up through the appropriate provincial Forest Protection Department. Quarterly reports will also be provided to the National Forest Protection Department.

If you observe wildlife being displayed, sold, transported, or maintained illegally in captivity notify your local Forest Protection Department or contact the ENV Wildlife Trade Hotline

Hotline: (04) 775-4850 (Vietnamese or English)

After working hours: Leave a message and we will return your call during the next business day

Email: hotline@fpt.vn

* Source: National Action Plan to Strengthen Control of Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora to 2010

About ENV
Education for Nature – Vietnam (ENV) was established in 2001 as Vietnam’s first environmental education-focused NGO, built upon the success and experience of the community-based Conservation Awareness Program at Cuc Phuong National Park. ENV specializes in training of environmental educators, and carries out a variety of educational programs and initiatives aimed at raising awareness and understanding about the environment, and the need to protect nature and wildlife in Vietnam.

For more information about Green Forest, please contact:

Ms. Nguyen Phuong Dung
Communications Officer
Education for Nature - Vietnam
Tel: (84-4)7753685
Email: env@fpt.vn