Hunting and consuming wild animals reduces biodiversity, causing the risk of creating the 6th extinction wave, threatening the existence of humanity.

Humans are the cause of the 6th extinction

According to the global assessment report of the Intergovernmental Commission on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IBPES) in 2019, there are about 1 million species of flora and fauna are threatened with extinction at a rate many times faster than with the evolutionary history of the living world. Compared to the beginning of the 19th century, about 20% of terrestrial plant and animal species have disappeared. The statistics paint a negative picture of the future of biodiversity on Earth. More pessimistic, many people believe that humanity is in the midst of a 6th extinction – however unlike the previous 5 extinctions that were all due to natural causes, this extinction is mainly caused by impacts. human intensity.

According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), about 60% of infectious diseases in humans originate from animals. The above number has increased to 75%, with worrying epidemics such as Ebola, HIV, bird flu, Zika, plague…

Trinh Le Nguyen, Director of the Center for People and Nature (PanNature), said that Vietnam is one of the 16 countries with the highest biodiversity resources in the world, but it is not outside the declining trend. The two main causes of biodiversity loss are habitat loss and hunting, trade and consumption of wild plants and animals.

For example, the population size of Vietnam is gradually approaching the number of 100 million people, which is a great pressure on the ecosystems – which provide human resources. Besides, the habit of abusing nature and using wild plants and animals to serve the needs of life has been deeply ingrained in Vietnamese culture for a long time. Wild animals and plants have been and are being exploited. In recent years, when economic life has been improved, Vietnam is even being considered the destination of many wildlife products such as ivory, rhino horn, pangolin, … from many parts of the world. world to serve the needs of the “rich emerging”.  

Protection and conservation of wildlife species is a common goal of many domestic and foreign organizations. In addition to the Government’s efforts, in recent years many Vietnamese non-profit organizations have joined these efforts – work that was previously thought to be the work of NGOs. international. Activities of Vietnam’s nature conservation organizations are now quite diverse, from research, rescue, breeding, and re-release of wild species to raising public awareness, contributing to policy improvement, restore natural ecosystems and natural species populations, etc.

Vietnam tries to handle violations and rescue wild animals

Ms. Bui Thi Ha, Deputy Director of the Education for Nature Center (ENV), said that in 2020, this Center alone has recorded up to 2,907 cases of wildlife violations in Vietnam. the total number of single violations amounted to more than 7,651 (a single incident can include multiple single violations).

“The number of violations reported to ENV each day in 2020 nearly doubled compared to 2019; This shows that the community is increasingly interested in wildlife protection. ENV has become a bridge so that the community can also assist authorities in monitoring wildlife violations. We hope the authorities will make more efforts in handling wildlife violations in 2021,” said Ms. Bui Thi Ha.

In the period 2015-2020, authorities in an effort to prevent wildlife crimes by bringing criminal trials to 552 wildlife cases, of which, in the period 2018-2019, the number of cases Criminal convictions for wildlife have increased by 44%. The average rate of criminal cases with detected subjects arrested in the period 2015-2019 is 86.7% of the total number of cases, this figure in the first half of 2020 has increased to 97% (36/ 37 cases).

In recent times, in addition to developing and submitting to the Prime Minister a draft Directive on “strengthening the management of migratory wild birds in Vietnam,” the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has also issued documents sent to ministries, branches and localities, such as: requesting direction to step up propaganda and law enforcement on biodiversity conservation and endangered, precious and rare wild species; prevent hunting, capture and extermination of migratory wild birds…

Trinh Le Nguyen, Director of the Center for People and Nature (PanNature), said that in 2020, Vietnam witnessed many natural disasters, causing heavy losses of people and property. One of the reasons is attributed to the fact that we have lost the ability to protect natural ecosystems. This year’s World Wildlife Day is titled Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet.

“So I want to send a message about the urgency to protect the remaining forests and natural ecosystems in Vietnam. We also want the Government to further strengthen the enforcement of laws to protect wildlife so that forests do not become “silent forests”. Nature can exist without us humans. But we need nature to survive!”, Mr. Nguyen affirmed.

Ms. Bui Thi Ha, Deputy Director of the Education Center for Nature (ENV), said that the excessive exploitation of nature and wildlife by humans will have a great impact on the environment and nature, accelerating and increasing the impact. Due to the impact of climate change, there are many natural disasters of greater magnitude and frequency: droughts, floods, etc. 

Ha added: “At this rate, we will certainly see many other pandemics of animal origin in the future, unless we change our awareness and actions now.” .