Vietnam Primate Conservation Status Review 2002 - Hoang Lien ...

7. Conservation policy
7.1 Hunting and wildlife trade
7 CONSERVATION POLICY
Hunting, primarily for commercial purposes, is the principal threat to wild fauna in Vietnam. Primate
species particularly suffer from this activity due to their high value in wildlife markets. Urgent policy
measures must be undertaken to control hunting and wildlife trade and to effectively apply the
current laws.
✱ Controlling gun possession. Officially a licence is required to keep and use a gun in Vietnam.
However, possession of firearms is widespread in the countryside and guns are used without
any licence. Several decades of war considerably increased the availability of weapons
(Timmins et al. ,1998; Nadler, pers. comm.). Some minorities, such as H’mong people in
northern Vietnam, also have shotguns, which they traditionally make themselves. In response
to the dramatic increase in hunting, gun confiscations have been undertaken in some
areas such as Phong Nha-Ke Bang (Le Xuan Canh et al., 1997b; Timmins et al., 1998;
Pham Nhat & Nguyen Xuan Dang, 1999) by provincial government authorities. This policy
resulted in at least a partial decrease of this form of hunting. Gun confiscation must be
continued and generalised, as well as the control of firearm production. However, this
activity will be useless and will probably cause more damage to wildlife unless a strict
prohibition of snaring and other non-selective trapping is simultaneously undertaken.
✱ Control of hunting for non-threatened animals. Hunting should not be strictly prohibited
but controlled and restricted to certain species of non-threatened animal populations. For
this reason, and as stipulated above, only selective hunting must be authorised. If after
many years of human exploitation the balance of the ecosystem is disturbed, hunting may
be necessary in the future to control the populations which could cause damage to the
forest environment. For example, if the ungulate population increases too much due to the
extinction of large predators.
✱ Prohibition of threatened species hunting. According to Vietnamese law (Decree No. 18/
HDBT of January 17, 1992; Decree No. 48/2002/ND-CP of April 22, 2002 and correction
3399/VPCP-NN of June 21,2002) every species of leaf monkey, gibbon and loris is considered
under the highest level of protection: group IB. The law (Decree 17/2002/ND-CP of February
8, 2002) strictly prohibits hunting, catching, killing, purchasing, selling, storing, keeping
in cages, transporting or using wild animals, including products thereof. For each violation
Vietnamese laws (Decree No. 77/CP of November 29, 1996: Decree No. 26-CP of May 7,
1996 and Decree 17/2002/ND-CP of February 8, 2002) enact a fine of 1 to 50 Million VND
(=US$ 65-3,250) or criminal procedure. However, it does not seem that the law is effectively
applied. For instance, FFI survey teams recorded that at least 13 Tonkin snub-nosed
monkeys, 11 Western black-crested gibbons, 3 Eastern black-crested gibbons and 10
Francois’ langurs were killed during the last five years. FZS survey teams investigated
about 230 Delacour’s langurs, about 150 Cat Ba langurs and dozens of douc langurs
which were killed since the law was enacted. However, no judicial procedures were enacted
against the hunters responsible. Furthermore, most discoveries of animal remains were
made with a representative of the local Forest Protection Department, who never appeared
concerned by such evidence of illegal activity. Laws must be enforced and corresponding
punishments must be effectively applied. Control of any illegal activities must occur and
information on the penalties incurred for any law violation must be widely publicised.
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