Implement many measures to protect wild and migratory birds

Over the past period, authorities at all levels and functional forces in the province have implemented many decisive measures to prevent the hunting of wild and migratory birds, making a positive contribution to protecting the growth of wild and migratory bird species, protecting the environment, and conserving biodiversity.

Implement various measures to protect wild and migratory birds.

Fake cranes and "invisible" nets are spread across the flooded fields to trap wild and migratory birds - Photo: HA

Starting from September of the previous year to around the end of March of the following year is the time when wild migratory birds often return to take shelter in the fields in some districts such as: Hai Lang, Trieu Phong, Gio Linh, Vinh Linh...

This is also the time when bird hunters choose places to set traps in harvested rice fields, areas with large, dense bushes, or shallow puddles. Their hunting and trapping methods include decoys, fake birds, and "invisible" nets spread across the fields. They then use loudspeakers to play sounds mimicking the calls of wild, migratory birds to lure them in. The traps are spread everywhere, likened to a "heavenly net and earthly snare," meaning that once a wild, migratory bird lands on the ground or in the bushes, there is no escape...

Another concern is that in some localities within the province, there is still a situation of trapping, catching, buying, selling, and consuming wild and migratory birds. This is due to the fact that some people still do not have a full understanding of the conservation of wild and migratory birds; and in some areas, local authorities have not done a good job of disseminating information or implementing effective measures to conserve wild and migratory birds...

To gradually prevent the hunting of wild and migratory birds, the Provincial People's Committee has sent a document to agencies, departments, and the People's Committees of districts, towns, and cities regarding the promotion of the implementation of Directive No. 04/CT-TTg dated May 17, 2022, of the Prime Minister on a number of urgent tasks and solutions to conserve wild and migratory bird species in Vietnam.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has recently implemented many urgent measures to conserve wild and migratory bird species. Specifically, it has directed the Forest Protection Department, the Livestock and Veterinary Department, and forestry units to carry out urgent tasks and solutions to conserve and protect wild and migratory bird species.

The Provincial Forest Protection Department directs its subordinate forest protection units and stations to coordinate with local authorities and relevant agencies to strengthen patrols, prevent, arrest, and strictly handle acts of hunting, catching, killing, keeping, transporting, trading, processing, storing, advertising, and consuming illegal wildlife, especially wild and migratory birds.

Direct the Mobile Forest Protection Team & Forest Fire Prevention and Control Team to develop a plan to strengthen patrol, control, prevention, arrest, and strict handling of illegal hunting, catching, killing, confining, transporting, trading, processing, storing, advertising, and consuming of wild animals, especially wild and migratory birds, along the Vietnam-Laos border routes; the Lao Bao International Border Gate, La Lay International Border Gate, the Ho Chi Minh Highway, and National Highway 9; coordinate with relevant units to completely dismantle markets and trading points for wild animals, especially wild and migratory birds, in the province.

Directing local forest rangers to advise the authorities of communes and towns to strengthen propaganda and mobilize people to refrain from hunting, trapping, and shooting wild and migratory birds; to refrain from buying, selling, transporting, trading, storing, and consuming wild animals illegally, especially wild and migratory birds; to strictly implement legal regulations on biodiversity conservation and the protection of endangered and rare animal species prioritized for protection; to proactively combat and report individuals violating laws on the management and protection of wild and migratory birds; and to organize the signing of commitments by restaurants and eateries in the province to refrain from trading, buying, processing, consuming, and storing wild animals, especially wild and migratory birds.

As a result, from 2023 to the present, the forest ranger units and stations under the Provincial Forest Protection Department have issued numerous documents on strengthening the protection of wild and migratory birds. Forest rangers throughout the province have organized awareness campaigns and disseminated legal regulations on wildlife protection, especially for wild and migratory birds, through 9 mobile awareness campaigns; 23 village meetings with 782 participants; and 4 awareness campaigns at schools with hundreds of students and teachers participating...

Organize inspections and sign commitments not to trade, buy, sell, process, consume, or store wild animals, especially wild and migratory birds, with 134 restaurants providing food services; 2 establishments selling ornamental birds...

In handling violations of the law related to the illegal hunting, trapping, killing, confining, transporting, trading, processing, storing, advertising, and consuming of wild and migratory birds, the forest protection force received and processed 5 violations (including 3 cases of illegal trading and 2 cases of posting advertisements on Facebook) with fines totaling over 11 million VND; 47 wild birds were seized and released back into their natural environment. The forest protection force in the province organized 52 patrol and inspection operations and dismantled and confiscated 385 traps and 150 meters of "invisible" nets used to catch wild and migratory birds.

In the coming period, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will continue to direct its affiliated units to strengthen propaganda and mobilization efforts to encourage people not to keep wild birds as pets; not to buy, sell, transport, or use products from wild or migratory birds; and to encourage people to report and denounce organizations and individuals who violate regulations on the management and protection of wild animals, especially wild and migratory birds, to relevant agencies and local authorities.

Actively coordinate with functional forces in the province to strengthen propaganda, patrols, and inspections to prevent, arrest, and strictly handle illegal acts of hunting, catching, slaughtering, raising, keeping, transporting, trading, processing, storing, advertising, and consuming wild animals, including wild and migratory birds; organize the signing of commitments with restaurants and eateries in the province to not trade, process, consume, or store wild animals in general and wild and migratory birds in particular.

Hai An

Source