However, wildlife hunting and illegal trading has seriously affected this precious resource. In a bid to help conserve the country’s wildlife, Vietnam has improved the legal framework on wildlife breeding. So how is wildlife being carried out in Vietnam?
Owston’s civet cat is included in the international and Vietnamese red books of endangered wildlife species. The Owston civet is being bred and raised under the Conservation Breeding Programme run by Save Vietnam’s Wildlife and Cuc Phuong National Park.
SVW is also joining a network of wildlife centres managing a captive population of Owston’s civets to maintain their genetic viability and natural behaviour. The programme aims to minimise the risks associated with holding all the animals at one location.
So far, SVW has successfully bred 66 Owston’s civets from 14 rescued and rehabilitated wild individuals Three breeding pairs of Owston’s civets were also sent to the UK in 2005, in order to avoid inbreeding.
Tran Nhu Giap is now also running a commercial wildlife farming project, raising thousands of birds from threatened species. As a pioneer in raising endangered wild birds, Giap has coped with various difficulties in raising techniques and licensing.
"I have to keep doing maintenance to make the environment as similar to the natural environment as possible. I’m also proposing to exchange genes with state-owned wildlife conservation institutions but they actually have limited gene sources. Applying for licences and legal issues is time-consuming", Tran Nhu Giap, the owner of Vuon Chim Viet Breeding Centre, said.
So far, Giap has successfully bred many endangered wild birds including pheasants, peacocks and black coot. Besides helping maintain the number of wild birds, Giap has also contributed to genetic diversity and wildlife characteristics conservation thanks to natural environment and reproduction methods.
Vietnam has more than 700 registered wildlife breeding centres, according to Vietnam Administration of Forestry. The development of wildlife breeding is attributed to the country’s improved legal framework.
"People who want to raise fauna and flora can consult local forest rangers about procedures and aquatic product farmers can turn to local aquatic authorities. CITES Vietnam Management Authority is also available via our phone number 047335676. Documents are also published online on the Vietnam Administration of Forestry’s website", Ha Thi Tuyet Nga, Director of Vietnam CITES Management Authority, Vietnam Administration of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, said.
Regulations on wildlife breeding and farming can be found in the laws on forest protection and development, fisheries and biodiversity. However, the implementation of these laws and enhancing public awareness in Vietnam still face obstacles.
"Raising wildlife will contribute to conservation activities but if this was done on a huge scale it would actually make it more difficult to detect wildlife trafficking and illegal hunting. It can also increase demand for wildlife while many people in Vietnam still prefer wildlife that has been hunted in the wild. Increased demand will lead to increased supply", Nguyen Van Thai, Director of Save Vietnam's Wildlife, said.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has said inconsistent regulations on biodiversity are part of the hindrances to wildlife protection. In addition wildlife trading has yet to fall as many people are using breeding licences as cover for illegal wildlife trading. Conservation breeding is a double-edged solution in wildlife protection, which also includes sustainable consumption and development. Strict control of wildlife raising and enhancing public awareness, both among consumers and breeders, should be at the core of that process.
