ENV

News Brief (E162, 21st - 27th April, 2006)

Wildlife seized
ThanhHoaProvince – On April 18th, the Thanh Hoa Forest Protection Department (FPD) discovered a truck illegally transporting 411 kilograms of wildlife including turtles, monitor lizards and common rat snakes along National Road 1A. According to an initial investigation, the driver admitted to transporting the wildlife from Nghe An Province. The Thanh Hoa FPD sold the wildlife at an auction on April 19th.
(Pioneer issue 80 dated April 21st 2006)

Sarus cranes return to Tram Chim National Park
Dong Thap Province – The Environment and Science Research Department of Tram Chim National Park (NP) reported that a flock of approximately 90 sarus cranes (Grus antigone) returned to the park. This is the largest group to be observed in Tram Chim NP in recent years.
(Labor issue 114 dated April 25th 2006)

More than 150 rare animal and plant species threatened by extinction
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the UN Development Program, biological surveys suggest that Vietnam has 152 rare animal and plant species that are on the brink of extinction. Some species have only a few individuals left such as Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, Crocodylus porosus, and Cynogale lowei. The decline has been attributed to hunting, wildlife, trade and loss of habitat.

Viet Nam now has 126 natural reserves with a total area of 2.5 million hectares, a 28 percent increase compared to 1994, when Viet Nam joined the International Convention on Biodiversity. Even though investment in biodiversity conservation projects accounts for 20 to 30 percent of the country's environmental expenditure, the quality of protection works remains low, says environmentalists.
(Website of Vietnamnet dated April 23rd 2006)

Earth’s Day celebration in Chu Van An school
One of many drawings from Cu Van An High School students submitted to a competition on Earth Day supported by the U.S. Embassy. 
(Education for Nature-Vietnam)

News from ENV’s Environmental Education Activities

ENV Launches New Environmental Education Center in Tam Dao
Education for Nature – Vietnam (ENV) has officially opened the doors of its new environmental education (EE) training center in the buffer zone of Tam Dao National Park. The new center will be used to carry out ENV’s training programs for educators at national parks and natural reserves throughout Vietnam. ENV’s training focuses on providing participants with practical skills and knowledge in environmental education, as well as developing their teaching skills and ability to design EE activities for use within their own programs.  

With the development of the center at Tam Dao, ENV plans to expand its training activities to include a series of annual training courses and a new student training and internship programs.

The first training program “Environmental Communication” began April 24th for 15 forest rangers and community counterparts from Cat Ba National Park, as well as senior wildlife protection managers from Hai Phong City and other local jurisdictions with responsibilities over the park.  

(Education for Nature – Vietnam)

New ‘Green Warriors’ to attack litter at public markets
On April 23rd, ENV launched its Green Warrior’s Program in Hanoi, holding the first extracurricular meeting of the student club at the United Nations International School (UNIS).

The club is part of a new pilot program aimed at getting students actively involved in helping protect the environment.  The Green Warriors meet once each month.  The students are tasked with researching a particular environmental problem then designing, planning, and carrying out specific activities aimed at addressing the problem. 

The first session focuses on litter in public markets.  After undergoing a brief introduction to the problem by ENV educators, the students visited the Chau Long market in Hanoi and carried out a survey to learn more about the extent of the problem.  The students then met again to brainstorm ways that they might respond to the problem (particularly dealing with plastic bags discarded everywhere), and plan a series of activities that they will carry out during one of their next club meetings.  Following the litter campaign the students will return to the market and conduct another survey, and hopefully see that their efforts have had some lasting impact on the problem.  As a final measure of their efforts to affect change through action, the students will prepare and carry out presentations in their schools for other students to help raise awareness about the problem, and what they did about it, as well as whether it worked!  

The pilot program currently has 11 outstanding students from the seven schools participating in the club, and is part of ENV’s urban awareness program in Hanoi Schools.

(For further information, please contact Ms. Tran Bich Ngoc – Tel: 775 3685)

New Publications

Education for Nature – Vietnam (ENV) has produced its sixth annual edition of Wildlife Trade in the News 2005 (Vietnamese), featuring about 200 wildlife trade-related news articles that appeared in 23 major national and online newspapers during 2005.

Wildlife Trade in the News 2005 will be distributed to participating community-based environmental education programs within the ENV’s EE Family Network, conservation organizations and interested individuals.  Additional copies (limited quantity) may be ordered directly through ENV.

(For further information, please contact Ms. Vu Bich Thuy Tel: 04 775 3685)

Updates from ENV’s Wildlife Trade Hotline 1800 1522

Ha Noi City – On April 21st, an international visitor contacted ENV’s WLT hotline and reported that they had seen a leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) in Banh Tom Ho Tay restaurant (Tay Ho District). The leopard cat is protected under Decree 32 Group IB which prohibits the hunting, possession, sale, or advertisement of rare and endangered wildlife.  After the information was forwarded to the Ha Noi FPD, rangers confiscated the leopard cat and transferred the animal to Soc Son Rescue Centre.

(Wildlife Trade Department, Education for Nature-Vietnam)

Links to environmental articles (Vietnamese)

Thai and E de ethnic people’s customary laws on forest protection
http://vov.org.vn/?page=109&nid=11232

Lao Cai Province - Hoang Lien NP was awarded ASEAN Relic Garden
http://www.monre.gov.vn/monreNet/default.aspx?tabid=209&ItemID=13418

Research on corals in Gulf of Tonkin
http://www.monre.gov.vn/monreNet/default.aspx?tabid=209&ItemID=13398

Quang Nam Province -  Half a ton of medical waste discharged into a field
http://www.monre.gov.vn/monreNet/default.aspx?tabid=209&ItemID=13399

Photo of week

A recent advertisement in Labor, Youth and Ha Tay* newspapers with the message “We need to LIVE, please don’t ignore us!”. This is part of ENV’s ongoing campaign focused on protection of bears and other wildlife in Vietnam, threatened by hunting and trade.

(* Ha Tay is one of the main areas for bear keeping and for bile extraction in Vietnam)

(Education for Nature – Vietnam)

Correction
In the News brief (14th - 20th April 2006) No. 161, ENV reported that a resident of Ba To town handed in a black–shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus nigripes) to the Quang Ngai Forest Protection Department. Actually, the primate was a grey-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus cinerea).

(Education for Nature – Vietnam)

Please note:  Past bulletins can be found on ENV's website www.envietnam.org

For more information, please contact:

Nguyen Phuong Dung
Education for Nature - Vietnam (ENV)
No.2/C5 tap the Dai hoc Ngoai Thuong, pho Chua Lang, Ha Noi.
Tel/Fax: 04-775 3685
env@fpt.vn or communication.env@fpt.vn