Counter wildlife trafficking study [USAID/Vietnam learns]

Vietnam now may be emerging as a new global center of the ivory and pangolin scale trade. The threats driving the illegal wildlife trade derive from Vietnam’s history and its economic resurgence. The drivers are broad, centering predominately on a lack of political will in addition to complex consumer demand dynamics. However, new opportunities to address this illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam should energize wildlife conservationists. COVID-19 has created a dichotomy, shutting the illegal wildlife trade down in some areas and intensifying it in others, while having a significant, though probably temporary, effect on consumption habits. Priorities for counter wildlife trafficking center on beginning to frame the issue differently, addressing ministerial discord, closing legal loopholes, and continuing work in essential areas such as forensic analysis. Arguably, the illegal wildlife trade should be confronted through an intergovernmental, interagency approach, with private sector collaboration. There are many potential Government of Vietnam counterparts, going to the top of Vietnam’s political hierarchy but also including ministries such as the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Opportunities to instigate collective action to address the illegal wildlife trade may be greater than ever before yet could be contentious.