Directive No. 29/CT-TTg on a Number of Urgent Solutions for Wildlife Management

UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION DIRECTIVE No 29/CT-TTg dated July 23, 2020 of the Prime Minister on some urgent solutions to manage wildlife Strengthening the enforcement of national laws, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and relevant international treaties is a consistent policy in direction and law enforcement of Vietnam Government in practice in order to responsibly implement relevant international commitments. Over the past time, the legal framework on wildlife conservation, protection and sustainable development has been improved and is more compatible with international standards and the actual context of the country. All levels of State agencies/sectors have had more drastic solutions to enforce the law in the practice, especially combating and desrupting wildlife trafficking syndicates that illegally transport, trade and consume wild animals, thus creating positive changes in many social aspects. However, the hunting, catching, slaughtering, transporting, trading and illegally consuming wild animals is still prevalent in some localities, causing increased risk of extinction to many wildlife species in their natural environment, negatively affecting the ecological balance, human health and the country's reputation in the international arena; At the same time, there is a risk of spreading diseases from animals to humans, cattle and poultry. To ensure strict enforcement of the legislation on wildlife management, the Prime Minister directs the following: 1. Stop importing living or dead wild animals, eggs, larvae, parts and derivatives of wild animals (except for aquatic species in service of food production and processing animal husbandry that have been announced in accordance with the law; parts of wild animals have been processed into medicines, raw materials for production or finished products) until there is further direction from the Prime Minister or there is permission by the Prime Minister in special circumstances. All cases of importing wild animals contrary to this Directive must be strictly handled according to the provisions of law regarding illegal wild animals; For wild animals which have been granted permits for export to Vietnam by foreign CITES management agencies, the border-gate customs offices shall request goods owners to return the goods to the export points. In cases where goods owners fail to comply with the order or goods owners cannot be identified, wild animals shall be handled according to Vietnam's law provisions on illegal wildlife. The ministries, within their functions and competence, are assigned to review the legal system to propose to the competent authorities to amend and supplement sanctions on illegal consumption of wildlife. Resolutely eliminate market or places used for illegal wildlife trade. Strictly control and strictly handle acts of hunting, catching, buying, selling, transporting, slaughtering, consuming, storing, advertising and illegal wildlife, especially wild animals of mammals, birds and reptiles in the natural environment. All citizens, especially cadres, civil servants, officials and their relatives shall not participate in illegal hunting, catching, buying, selling, transporting, slaughtering, consuming, storing and advertising wild animals. 2. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall lead and coordinate with the concerned ministries and agencies and the People's Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities in strictly implementing measures to manage wildlife as follow: Conduct assessment of the pilot and actual tiger farming project that was approved by the Prime Minister in Document No. 1761 / VPCP-NN of April 4, 2007 of the Government Office on handling of illegal tiger farming in Binh Duong province. Step up the inspection and supervision of wildlife rearing activities. The rearing and exporting of wild animals must ensure the legitimate origin of the goods, food safety and hygiene. To organize a large scale inspection and examination of wild animal rearing establishments, ensuring the legitimate origin of animals, safe conditions for animals, humans, environmental sanitation and disease safety. Promptly detect and strictly handle violations in accordance with the law, especially violations relating to origin of farmed wild animals. Establish a database of commercial and reproductive rearing establishments for wild animals on the list of endangered precious and rare forest animals promulgated together with Decree No. 06/2019 / ND-CP dated January 22, 2019 of the Government and CITES Appendix I and II species; make this database public on the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry's Website for the whole society to monitor and supervise. Step up measures to monitor epidemics and veterinary hygiene at wildlife rearing and trading establishments. Continue to make an overall assessment of the actual situation; amend and supplement the legal framework on wildlife management to make it a comprehensive one; submit to the Government for promulgation of criteria and a list of tamed wild animals and transferred to management in accordance with the Law on Livestock and CITES. 3. The Ministry of Public Security shall direct functional forces to strengthen the prevention, combat, detection, promptly and strictly handling violations related to wild animals; especially focusing on disrupting transnational organized crime groups in trading, storing, transporting, exporting, importing, temporarily importing, re-exporting and transiting illegally specimens of wild animals; coordinate with relevant units in inspecting and handling acts of advertising and illegally trading wild animal specimens on websites. 4. The Ministry of National Defense shall direct the Border Army and the Coast Police in coordinating with the functional forces to enhance patrol and control at border gates, border openings and at sea; promptly detect, arrest and handle illegal trading, sale, transportation, export, import, temporary import for re-export of wildlife; strengthen the awareness raising for people in border areas of not hunting, capturing, rearing, capturing, trading and illegally transporting wildlife. 5. The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall direct the Market Management force, according to their assigned functions, tasks and competence, to enhance inspection and control of the market, prevent and promptly handle acts of trading, transporting and trading endangered, precious and rare wild animals, products and derivatives derived from the above species. 6. The Ministry of Health shall direct the review and management of medical and pharmaceutical business establishments, establishments manufacturing medicines and medical products that use components from wild animals, ensuring that only wild animals with legal origin are used in the fields of medicine and pharmacy. 7. The Ministry of Finance shall provide information in accordance with current provisions of CITES on ivory and rhino horn data which has been received, stored and preserved by the Ministry; lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and concerned ministries and agencies in advising the Prime Minister for approval of plans on handling and destroying ivory and rhino horn in accordance with law. 8. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall perform the state management of biodiversity; review current legal regulations, propose, elaborate and submit to competent authorities to amend and supplement regulations on management of endangered precious and rare species prioritized protection under the provisions of law on biodiversity. 9. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall direct news and media agencies to enhance information and legal dissemination activities and solutions to protect wildlife; coordinate with concerned agencies in preventing and strictly handling acts of abusing telecommunications networks and the Internet for advertising, displaying, propagating, buying and selling wildlife specimens thar are prohibited by the law. 10. The Vietnam Television Station, the Voice of Vietnam Radio and the mass media shall coordinate with ministries, agencies and localities in strengthening the legal dissemination and education on wildlife management. Continue to propagate about not using illegal wildlife. 11. Propose the Supreme People's Procuracy and Supreme People's Court to closely coordinate with the investigating bodies in directing and promoting the investigation and prosecution of offenders committing acts of hunting, catching, buying, selling, transporting, slaughtering and storing wildlife illegally; improve the quality of handling and adjudicating cases related to wildlife protection; increase mobile trials for the purpose of legal dissemination and education on wildlife protection; impose strict penalties on those who are the leaders or who take advantage of their positions and powers to commit crimes and offenders committing wildlife crimes having professional nature. 12. People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities shall direct agencies and units in their localities to implement solutions to protect natural wildlife; strengthening the control of wildlife exploitation, hunting, poarching, transporting, storing, trading, consuming and using activities; disrupt illegal wildlife trafficking chains in the locality; strengthening the management, inspection of wildlife rearing and trading establishments on compliance with regulations on legitimate origin of wildlife, veterinary hygiene, environment and food safety and hygiene. Requiring business establishments in the area to make written commitments on not trading, using, consuming, displaying, advertising wild animal samples that are not legitimate guaranteeing their lawful origin and strictly handling violations. Concerned ministries, agencies and People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities shall continue to implement Directive No. 03 / CT-TTg dated February 20, 2014 of the Prime Minister on strengthening the direction and implementation of measures to control and conserve endangered, precious and rare wild animals; Directive No. 28 / CT-TTg dated September 17, 2016 of the Prime Minister on a number of urgent measures to prevent and fight illegal acts against wildlife./.