Strengthening propaganda to protect migratory birds

The survey results were presented by the Vietnam Wildlife Action Center (Wild Act) at a consultation workshop on implementing awareness raising activities on migratory bird conservation in provinces of the Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve, held on December 22 at Xuan Thuy National Park, Nam Dinh province.

Mr. Phan Van Truong - Head of the Department of Environmental Resources Conservation of Xuan Thuy National Park shared about the role of migratory birds in the ecosystem.

At the workshop, Mr. Phan Van Truong - Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Conservation of Xuan Thuy National Park contributed his opinions on the role of migratory birds in the ecosystem of migratory bird conservation at Xuan Thuy National Park. Accordingly, Xuan Thuy National Park is the most important core area, representing the biodiversity and water bird population of the Red River Delta.

In recent years, Xuan Thuy National Park has conducted surveys to improve understanding of the ecology and distribution of Spoon-billed Sandpipers in key coastal wetlands in the Gulf of Tonkin (focusing on key sites), and to build an important database for long-term monitoring. In addition, it has actively enhanced the capacity of local stakeholders to better implement conservation and monitoring of coastal migratory birds, especially in the key bird areas of Xuan Thuy, Thai Thuy and An Hai. Strengthening policy advocacy and action programs to conserve threatened migratory species and their threats in northern Vietnam.

The representative of Xuan Thuy National Park said that it is necessary to improve the effectiveness of propaganda, build cooperation regulations, and coordinate between the Wetland Management Board and aquaculture pond owners and clam farming owners to protect migratory birds and their foraging habitats.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hao, representative of the Vietnam Association for Research and Conservation of Wild Birds (VBCS), shared about the causes of threats to migratory birds.

Also at the workshop, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hao, representative of the Vietnam Association for Research and Conservation of Wild Birds (VBCS), mentioned the threats to migratory birds and the legal policies to protect migratory birds. According to Mr. Hao, 918 bird species have been recorded in Vietnam, of which 9 are critically endangered, 17 are endangered, 21 are vulnerable and 44 are near-threatened. In the Indochina region alone, there are 49 endemic bird species, while Vietnam has 33 species, of which 12 are endemic to Vietnam.

The reason for the threat to migratory birds is that many mangrove forests, lagoons, and coastal tidal flats have been rapidly converted on a large scale into shrimp farms, clam farms, and other seafood farms, causing mangrove forests to almost disappear in many provinces. Thousands of hectares of coral reefs and seagrass beds in Vietnam have been lost due to exploitation or aquaculture using floating cages on the sea surface. Due to great pressure on profits, most aquaculture activities in coastal and inland areas have shifted from extensive farming to less sustainable intensive farming, leading to the depletion of mangrove forests, loss of habitat for many waterbirds, and environmental pollution.

Ms. Nguyen Thanh Nga - Wild Act Project Manager shared about the survey of bird net traps in 3 provinces of the Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve: Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh

According to Mr. Hao, to prevent the threat of migratory birds, it is necessary to disseminate legal knowledge to each village, each person, loudspeakers, leaflets, billboards... There should be training sessions for ward, commune, village and hamlet officials. Include in the education program in general education, experiential education programs, organize picnics with experiences to improve understanding of wild birds. Strictly enforce the law on preventing harm to wild birds and wildlife, there should be inspection and supervision of law enforcement agencies, and cross-monitoring between social organizations and enforcement agencies.

Regarding the work of strengthening law enforcement and raising awareness about migratory birds in 3 provinces of the Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve, Ms. Nguyen Thanh Nga - Wild Act Project Manager shared: In addition to law enforcement, education and propaganda work on migratory bird conservation is very important. Education to raise awareness is the core, because to strengthen law enforcement, we must start from the root, so that people and students know how important migratory birds are in the ecosystem, only then can we achieve practical actions.

Currently, Wild Act is focusing on solutions related to developing educational materials, organizing nature experiences for students and working with schools. The aim is to bring information about migratory birds into schools to help students understand the importance of migratory birds in human life. Nature experiences and conservation exhibitions at schools are the contents that Wild Act will focus on in the future to help local parties promote the process of migratory bird conservation.

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