(VOVworld) – Members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathered in Hanoi on Tuesday to share experience and propose measures toward building an action plan that aims to promote regional sustainable cooperation to reduce the demand for wildlife animals. The APEC Capacity Building Workshop on Reduction of Demand for Illegally Traded Wildlife was co-organized by Vietnamese managers of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the US State Department.

Vietnam has acted to prevent wildlife abuse. (Photo: VNA)

According to Nguyen Ba Ngai, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, Vietnam has paid due attention to the law enforcement and communications activities to tackle wildlife abuse. In February, the Prime Minister ordered all ministries and sectors to take urgent steps to resolve the issue. Vietnam has designed several action programs to preserve endangered species, including an action plan to protect elephants until 2020, a strategy to protect tigers until 2022, and a national program to reduce demand for rhino horns. The government has published a list of endangered animals and plants. Communications activities are the priorities in the national action plan to control cross-border wildlife trafficking until 2020.