Vietnamese students go wild at environmental conservation event

Vietnam News 3 Apr 10;

HCM CITY — Amidst the cheering, singing and applause that filled Ben Thanh Theatre on Friday, 300 secondary school students learnt about the dangers facing Viet Nam's rare wildlife creatures.

The students had gathered for a contest called Discovering Viet Nam's Unique Wildlife co-organised by Wildlife at Risk, a non-profit organisation registered in the US, and the HCM City Forest Protection Department.

The event aims to promote public participation in wildlife protection activities.

The students engaged in real situation tests and games that promoted understanding about wildlife and how to protect the endangered species, including tigers,hawksbill turtles, gibbons and bears.

A photo exhibition on Viet Nam's wildlife that was part of the event attracted strong interest from the participants who included teachers and representatives from the city's People's Committee, its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, and institutions dedicated to wildlife conservation.

Nguyen Dinh Cuong, head of the HCM City Forest Protection Department, said Viet Nam's wildlife is part of national and world heritage, so each and every one should lend a hand in preserving it.

Viet Nam's wildlife faces a desperate fight for survival in the 21st century and without urgent intervention, many of the country's endangered species will soon be driven to extinction by habitat loss, hunting, pollution and, above all, the flourishing illegal wildlife trade, said Dominic Scriven, WAR founder and trustee.

Viet Nam's varied climate, topography and latitude provide a wide range of habitats that harbour over 20,516 terrestrial plants and animals and 15,414 marine animals and plants.

Some are found nowhere else on earth.

Many of the flora and fauna are critically endangered, including fourteen marine species, the last surviving rhino population outside Java, and five of the world's most threatened primates.

There are over 600 officially recognised endangered species in the country, many of which are threatened by the illegal trade in wildlife, over-consumption and pollution.

Sixty species of Viet Nam's sharks and rays are at risk, including the world's largest fish, the whale shark, which is in danger in Vietnamese waters from indiscriminate fishing to provide Asian markets with shark fins.

WAR, which is dedicated to protecting the biodiversity of Viet Nam, has compiled identification books and fact sheets for the species most at risk and has discovered approximately 65 new species in Phu Quoc island, 70 new wetland species in Con Dao island. — VNS