The South Africa – Viet Nam Rhino Horn Trade Nexus (PDF ... - WWF

situation at the end-use market: viet nam
trade issues seems to grip the highest echelons of government and sets the tone through most other
layers of official administration. That fact, in turn, serves to foster an acute “sensitivity” and an official
state of denial concerning the fact that Viet Nam is driving Africa’s rhino crisis unlike any other country
in the world today. Collaborative engagement with South Africa and the broader CITES community
to scale-up and seriously address rhino horn crime seems to remain in the realm of perfunctory obligation
rather than evolve into a vigorous, innovative commitment of common goals and imperatives.
Even the recent total extinction of the only extant rhino population in Viet Nam, an endemic subspecies
no less, has been met by key government ministries with studied indifference, rather than serving
as a galvanizing wake-up call of a serious, in-country conservation failure of irreplaceable dimensions.
If such significant biodiversity losses at home are regarded as essentially unremarkable events, the
destruction of entire rhino populations in faraway Africa are probably of even less consequence in the
national psyche. In the meantime, the criminal syndicates behind Viet Nam’s recent national obsession
for rhino horn continue to consolidate their low-risk, high-profit operations at home and in Africa, and
further enrich themselves at the expense of unleashing a pronounced corrupting influence on both
government and society. In the process, the international reputation of Viet Nam is steadily diminishing
in the eyes of a world desiring a positive conservation future for the five beleaguered rhino species.
With respect to the rhino horn trade in Viet Nam, the following recommendations are offered:
Concerning political will
• The need for strong political will to make rhino horn crime a national priority: It is vitally important that the
highest political leadership in Viet Nam recognize the serious nature of Viet Nam’s continuing illegal
trade in rhino horn and speak out against it in an unequivocal manner. Such trade is indirectly compromising
conservation efforts within Viet Nam, and directly undermining the conservation policy of South
Africa, a key African ally, resulting in the unprecedented loss of not only hundreds of protected rhinos,
but also serious loss of human life, especially those on the front lines of the country’s anti-poaching
response. The perception of official government tolerance has been created through the numerous documented
instances in which senior Vietnamese government officials have been directly implicated in the
trade, for example the situation that prevailed at the Viet Nam Embassy in South Africa in recent years.
It is incumbent on the country’s top leaders to develop and publicize a “zero tolerance” policy against
any government official found to be trading in controlled wildlife commodities. Further, considered
Vietnamese embassy employee in Pretoria.
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condemnation of rhino horn usage, both as an unverified medicinal product for serious illness and as a
non-essential, detoxifying antidote to excessive indulgence, should be promoted.
Concerning policy and legislation
A review of national policy and legislation with a specific focus on rhino horn trade is needed to identify
and close gaps and legal loopholes which currently give rise to rhino horn trade and consumption.
Special attention should be paid to the following issues:
• The need to review penalties for illegal rhino horn trade: Given the escalating prices for rhino horn on the
Vietnamese market, current penalties for rhino horn smuggling and illegal trade, possession or usage
need to be evaluated and updated to ensure that they serve as an effective deterrent.
• The necessity of addressing infractions regarding legally imported rhino horn trophies from South Africa
entering commercial trade: As documented in this report, pseudo-sport hunting in South Africa involving
questionable Vietnamese hunters has resulted in a plethora of rhino horn trophies being imported
into Viet Nam. It is not clear whether current legislation makes sufficient provision for addressing
instances where these “personal effects” trophies are used for “commercial purposes’” in violation of
CITES. The obligations concerning legal rhino horn ownership need to be carefully reviewed in order
to comply fully with CITES requirements.
• The importance of curtailing internet advertising and trading in rhino horn: The proliferation of internet
trading in endangered species products represents an evolving challenge to wildlife authorities on a
global basis. As rhino horn is commonly marketed in Viet Nam through the internet, the authorities
need to ensure that the country’s wildlife trade legislation adequately provides legal authority to act
against internet traders in a proactive and forceful manner. Websites selling rhino horn and other endangered
species products should be shut down and perpetrators prosecuted.
• The significance of addressing “fake” rhino horns in the marketplace: The trade in “fake” rhino horns
constitutes a kind of fraud in its own right, but more importantly contributes to the social perception
of rhino horns as a rare and valuable commodity, which in turn generates demand for authentic horns.
Wildlife legislation needs to be reviewed and updated to ensure that this avenue of trade can be curtailed
and legally addressed in an efficient manner.
Concerning law enforcement and regulation
A range of improvements and changes in current law enforcement and regulatory practices are called for
if illegal trade in rhino horn in Viet Nam is to be adequately addressed. The following issues are of particular
concern:
• The importance of developing and implementing bilateral treaties to promote collaborative law enforcement
action: The immediate adoption and implementation of the draft Memorandum of Understanding between
South Africa and Viet Nam to underpin future law enforcement collaboration between the two nations on
rhino crime cases is needed. Scaled-up law enforcement, including a programme of investigative assistance,
should necessarily follow the formal signing of this treaty. Within the Southeast Asian region, the use of
ASEAN-WEN as a platform for enforcement agencies to collaborate in addressing rhino horn crime should
be explored, as well as the INTERPOL officer based in Bangkok. Viet Nam’s trade has linkages with Thailand
and Lao PDR in particular, so this vehicle could afford a basis for engagement and joint action.
• The requirement for a strict regulatory mechanism to track legal rhino horn trophies: As documented in
this report, pseudo-sport hunting in South Africa involving questionable Vietnamese hunters has resulted
in a plethora of rhino horn trophies being imported into Viet Nam legally. On the other hand,
there does not appear to be any kind of regulatory framework in place to ensure that these “personal
effects” are not used for “commercial purposes” in violation of CITES. The failure to regulate such trade
constitutes an avenue of trade and should be addressed as a matter of urgency. Thus, an ongoing programme
to track legal rhino horn trophies in the private sector is required. Private possession of rhino
horns should only be allowed under special ownership permits in which individual horn trophies are
licenced to a particular physical address and owner. Any subsequent movement of these trophies to
a new address or transfer to a new owner (including other family members) should only transpire by
amending the ownership permits prior to the actual transfer of the rhino horn trophy.
146 the south africa – viet nam rhino horn trade nexus TRAFFIC 147