Directive No. 29/CT-TTg on a number of urgent solutions for wildlife management

DIRECTIVE

On a number of urgent solutions for wildlife management^[1]

Intensifying the implementation of domestic laws, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and relevant treaties is Vietnam’s guideline that is consistently carried out in practice in order to responsibly fulfill its relevant international commitments. Over recent years, the legal system on conservation, protection and sustainable development of wildlife species has been improved to conform to international law and the country’s reality. Authorities at all levels and sectors have taken more radical and synchronous solutions to translate laws into life, especially in the struggle to stamp out syndicates involved in illegal transport, trade and consumption of wildlife species, thereby creating positive and substantial progresses in numerous aspects.

However, in reality, illegal hunting, catching, slaughter, transport, trade and consumption of wild fauna species remain complicated in a number of geographical areas and localities, increasing the threat of extinction of numerous wild fauna species in their natural habitats, thus adversely affecting the ecological balance, human health and profile of Vietnam in the international arena, and concurrently posing risks of transmission of epidemics from wild animals to humans, cattle and poultry. In order to ensure the strict implementation of the law on wildlife management, the Prime Minister gives the following instructions:

1. Pending the issuance of new instructions of the Prime Minister or in special cases subject to permission of the Prime Minister, to stop import of wild animals, whether alive or dead, and eggs, spawns and ova, larvae, parts and derivatives thereof (except aquatic animal species used for production and processing of food or livestock feed already announced in accordance with law; parts of wild animals processed for use as pharmaceutical materials or production materials or into finished products). All cases of import of wild animals in contravention of this Directive shall be strictly handled in accordance with law for illegally imported wild animals. For wild animals with permits for export into Vietnam granted by foreign CITES Management Authorities, border-gate customs offices shall request their owners to return them to places of departure. In case owners of wild animals fail to do so or are unidentifiable, such wild animals shall be handled in accordance with Vietnam’s law on handling of illegally imported wild animals.

- Ministries shall, within the ambit of their functions and competence, review relevant legal documents in order to propose competent authorities to revise or add sanctions to be imposed for acts of illegally consuming wild animals.

- To resolutely eliminate marketplaces and places for illegal trade of wild animals. To strictly control and handle acts of illegally hunting, catching, trading in, transporting, slaughtering, consuming, storing, advertising and harming wild animals, especially mammals, birds and reptiles in their natural habitats.

- All citizens, especially cadres, civil servants and public employees and their relatives, shall refrain from illegally hunting, catching, trading in, transporting, slaughtering, consuming, storing and advertising wild animals.

2. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related ministries and sectors and provincial-level People’s Committees in, seriously taking the following solutions to manage captive-bred wild animals:

- To evaluate the actual situation of pilot farming of tigers as approved by the Prime Minister in the Government Office’s Document No. 1761/VPCP-NN of April 4, 2007, on handling of illegal farming of tigers in Binh Duong province, then report it to the Prime Minister.

- To intensely direct the inspection, examination and supervision of captive breeding of wild animals. Captive breeding and export of wild animals must ensure their lawful origin and food safety and hygiene. To organize overall inspection and examination of facilities raising wild animals, ensuring lawful origin of raised animals, safety conditions for domestic animals and humans, environmental sanitation and epidemic safety. To promptly detect and handle violations in accordance with law, particularly violations related to the origin of captive-bred wild animals. To develop a database on facilities breeding and raising for commercial purposes the wild animals on the list of endangered, precious and rare forest animal species promulgated together with the Government’s Decree No. 06/2019/ND-CP of January 22, 2019, and the species included in Appendices I and II to the CITES; and publicize them on the portal of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for public monitoring and supervision.

- To intensify measures to supervise animal epidemics and veterinary hygiene at facilities raising and trading in wild animals.

- To continue reviewing practical implementation of, and make amendments and supplementations to, the legal system on management of wild animals in order to make it complete, and submit to the Government for promulgation criteria and list of domesticated animals of wild origin for management under the Law on Animal Husbandry and the CITES.

3. The Ministry of Public Security shall direct functional forces to enhance the prevention, fighting, detection and prompt and strict handling of wildlife-related violations, especially for carrying out raids against syndicates of transnational organized crimes involved in illegal trade, storage, transport, export, import, temporary import for re-export, and transit of specimens of wild fauna species; and coordinate with related units in examining and handling acts of illegally advertising and trading in specimens of wild animals via websites.

4. The Ministry of National Defense shall direct the Border Guard and Marine Police forces to coordinate with functional forces in intensifying patrols and strict control at border gates, border crossings and on the sea; promptly detecting, arresting and handling persons illegally trading in, transporting, exporting, importing, and temporarily importing for re-export wild animals in accordance with law; stepping up public communication to raise the awareness of inhabitants in border areas about prohibition from illegally hunting, catching, raising, keeping in captivity, trading and transporting wild animals.

5. The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall direct the market surveillance force in intensifying market inspection and control, preventing and promptly handling acts of trading in and transporting endangered, precious and rare wild fauna species and products and derivatives thereof according to their functions, tasks and powers.

6. The Ministry of Health shall direct the review of and manage medical and pharmaceutical trading establishments and establishments manufacturing drugs and medical products with ingredients taken from wild animals, ensuring that only wild animals of lawful origin are used in the medical and pharmaceutical industries.

7. The Ministry of Finance shall, in pursuance to current laws, provide information of the CITES on figures on ivory and rhino horns it has received, stored and preserved; assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related ministries and sectors in, advising and proposing the Prime Minister to approve plans on disposal and destruction of ivory and rhino horns in accordance with law.

8. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall perform the state management of biodiversity; review current regulations and formulate and propose to competent authorities the amendments and supplementations to regulations on management of endangered, precious and rare species prioritized for protection in accordance with the law on biodiversity.

9. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall direct the news and press agencies in intensifying the provision of information and communications about law and solutions on wildlife protection; coordinate with concerned agencies in preventing and strictly handling acts of abusing the telecommunications network and Internet to advertise, display, propagandize and trade in specimens of wild animals banned from trade in accordance with law.

10. The Vietnam Television, Voice of Vietnam and other mass media agencies shall coordinate with ministries, sectors and localities in intensifying the dissemination and popularization of the law on wildlife management; and continue carrying out communication about prohibition from illegal use of wild animals.

11. The Supreme People’s Procuracy and Supreme People’s Court shall closely coordinate with investigation bodies in directing intensified investigation and prosecution of violators of regulations on illegal hunting, catching, trade, transport, slaughter and storage of wild animals; improve quality of the settlement and trial of criminal cases related to the protection of endangered, precious and rare wild animals; increase show trials to serve the public communication and education about wildlife protection; impose severe penalties on criminal masterminds who abuse their positions and powers to commit crimes and persons committing crimes related to protection of endangered, precious and rare wild animals in a professional manner.

12. Provincial-level People’s Committees shall direct agencies and units in their localities in taking solutions to protect wild animals in their habitats; enhancing the control of acts of exploiting, hunting, catching, transporting, storing, trading in, consuming and using wild animals; resolutely cracking down on syndicates engaged in illegally trade of wild animals; enhancing the management, examination and inspection of facilities raising and trading in wild animals regarding their observance of regulations on origin, veterinary hygiene, environmental sanitation and food hygiene and safety; and arrange for business establishments in their localities to sign written commitments on refraining from trading in, using, consuming, displaying and advertising specimens of wild animals of unlawful origin, and strictly handle violations.

Related ministries, sectors and agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees shall continue strictly implementing the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 03/CT-TTg of February 20, 2014, on intensified direction and implementation of measures to control and conserve endangered, precious and rare wild fauna species; and Directive No. 28/CT-TTg of September 17, 2016, on a number of urgent solutions to prevent and fight acts of illegally harming wild fauna species.-

Prime Minister
NGUYEN XUAN PHUC